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Dr. Dieter Rickenmann - Personal Homepage

Dieter Rickenmann
Organisational unit: Mountain Hydrology and Mass Movements
Mountain Torrents
Phone: +41 44 7392 429
Fax: +41 44 7392 488
Room: Bi LG E 07
E-Mail:
Address: Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL
Zürcherstrasse 111
8903 Birmensdorf

Education / Degrees

Univ. Professor, Institute of Mountain Risk Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences BOKU, Vienna, Austria

Dr. sc. techn., Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ), Switzerland (1991)

Diploma degree in Civil Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ), Switzerland (1984)

Research interests

Sediment transport in mountain streams
Sediment transport and erosion processes in steep streams (torrents). Modelling of sediment transfer and aggradation/degradation processes in torrents and mountain rivers. Morphology of mountain streams. Measuring techniques of bedload transport.

Hydraulics of mountain streams
Flow resistance in mountain streams and torrents.

Debris flows
Dynamics of flow behavior and deposition. Empirical approaches for hazard assessment.

Hazard assessment related to sediment transfer processes in mountain streams
Procedures for hazard assessment of sediment transporting flood events and debris flows. Sediment transfer processes during flood events in mountain catchments. Evaluation of protection measures against sediment disasters.

Teaching

University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences BOKU: 871.309 Channel processes (Master in Mountain Risk Engineering)

ETH Zürich, Switzerland: Environment and Computer Laboratory, module in hydraulic engineering (Umweltingenieurwissenschaften Master)

Projects and supervision of PhD theses

Project "Evaluation of a sediment routing model in steep torrent channels" (supported by the Austrian Science Foundation)

Project "Analysis of runout prediction methods for debris flows" (supported by the Austrian Science Foundation)

Project "Long-term bedload monitoring" (supported by hydrologic experimental catchment research of WSL)

Project "Roughness of Alpine Mountain Streams" (supported by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment)

Project "APUNCH - Hydrological extremes and sediment transport" (supported by the ETH Competence Centre for Environment and  Sustainability)

Project "Climate change effects on sediment delivery to hydropower sites" (supported by the canton of Valais)

Project "Sediment transport in steep streams" (supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation)

Project "SEDRIVER – Effects of climate change on mountain streams" (supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, NRP 61 programme)

Selected publications

For the complete list of publications from 1992 onwards, see here

For electronic copies of papers you may send me an email with the paper title

Rickenmann, D., Koschni, A. (in press): Sediment loads due to fluvial transport and debris flows during the 2005 flood events in Switzerland. Hydrological Processes. (accepted)

Turowski, J.M., Rickenmann, D., Dadson, S.J. (2009, in press): The partitioning of the total sediment load of a river into suspended load and bedload: a review of empirical data. Sedimentology. (accepted)

Scheidl, C., Rickenmann, D. (2009, early view): Empirical prediction of debris-flow mobility and deposition on fans. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. DOI: 10.1002/esp.1897

Turowski, J.M., Yager, E.M., Badoux, A., Rickenmann, D., Molnar, P. (2009): The impact of exceptional events on erosion, bedload transport and channel stability in a step-pool channel, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 34: 1661–1673. doi: 10.1002/esp.1855

Hürlimann, M., Rickenmann, D., Medinac, V., Bateman, A. (2008): Evaluation of approaches to calculate debris-flow parameters for hazard assessment. Engineering Geology, 102: 152–163.

Badoux, A., Rickenmann, D. (2008): Berechnungen zum Geschiebetransport während der Hochwasser 1993 und 2000 im Wallis. Wasser Energie Luft, 100 (3): 217-226.

Turowski, J.M., Badoux, A., Rickenmann, D., Fritschi, B. (2008): Erfassung des Sedimenttransportes in Wildbächen und Gebirgsflüssen – Anwendungsmöglichkeiten von Geophonmessanlagen. Wasser Energie Luft, 100 (1): 69-74.

Rickenmann, D., McArdell, B.W. (2008): Calibration measurements with piezoelectric bedload impact sensors in the Pitzbach mountain stream. Geodinamica Acta, 21(1-2): 35-52.

Rickenmann, D., McArdell, B.W. (2007): Continuous measurement of sediment transport in the Erlenbach stream using piezoelectric bedload impact sensors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 32: 1362–1378.

Rickenmann, D., Chiari, M., Friedl, K. (2006): SETRAC – A sediment routing model for steep torrent channels. In R. Ferreira, E. Alves, J. Leal & A. Cardoso (eds), River Flow 2006, Taylor & Francis, London, pp. 843-852.

Rickenmann, D., Laigle, D., McArdell, B.W., Hübl. J. (2006): Comparison of 2D debris-flow simulation models with field events. Computational Geosciences, 10: 241–264, DOI: 10.1007/s10596-005-9021-3.

Naef, D., Rickenmann, D., Rutschmann, P., McArdell, B.W. (2006): Comparison of flow resistance relations for debris flows using a one-dimensional finite element simulation model. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 6: 155-165.

Rickenmann, D. (2005): Geschiebetransport bei steilen Gefällen. In: Tagungspublikation zu VAW 75 Jahre, Festkolloquium 7. Oktober 2005, Mitteilung der Versuchsanstalt für Wasserbau, Hydrologie und Glaziologie, ETH Zürich, Nr. 190, pp. 107-119.

Rickenmann, D. (2005): Runout prediction methods. In: M. Jakob & O. Hungr (eds), Debris-Flow Hazards and Related Phenomena, pp. 263-282. Praxis-Springer, Heidelberg.

Rickenmann, D., Weber, D., Stepanov, B. (2003): Erosion by debris flows in field and laboratory experiments. In D. Rickenmann & C.L. Chen (eds), “Debris-Flow Hazards Mitigation: Mechanics, Prediction, and Assessment“, Proceedings 3rd International DFHM Conference, Davos, Switzerland, September 10-12, 2003: 883-894. Rotterdam: Millpress.

Rickenmann, D. (2001): Comparison of bed load transport in torrents and gravel bed streams. Water Resources Research, 37(12): 3295-3305.

Rickenmann, D., Weber, D. (2000): Flow resistance of natural and experimental debris flows in torrent channels. In G.F. Wieczorek & N.D. Naeser (eds.), Debris-Flow Hazards Mitigation: Mechanics, Prediction, and Assessment; Proceedings 2nd International DFHM Conference, Taipei, Taiwan, August 16-18, 2000: 245-254. Rotterdam: Balkema.

Rickenmann, D. (1999): Empirical relationships for debris flows. Natural Hazards, 19: 47-77.

Rickenmann, D., D’Agostino, V., Dalla Fontana, G., Lenzi, M., Marchi, L. (1998): New results from sediment transport measurements in two Alpine torrents. In K. Kovar, U. Tappeiner, N.E. Peters & R.G. Craig (eds), Hydrology, Water Resources and Ecology in Headwaters, IAHS Publ. no. 248: 283-289.

Rickenmann, D. (1997): Sediment transport in Swiss torrents. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 22: 937-951.

Rickenmann, D. (1996): Fliessgeschwindigkeit in Wildbächen und Gebirgsflüssen. Wasser, energie, luft, 88(11/12): 298-304.

Rickenmann, D. (1994): An alternative equation for the mean velocity in gravel-bed rivers and mountain torrents. In G.V. Cotroneo & R.R. Rumer (eds), Proceedings ASCE 1994 National Conference on Hydraulic Engineering, Buffalo N.Y., USA, Vol. 1: 672-676.

Rickenmann, D., Zimmermann, M. (1993): The 1987 debris flows in Switzerland: documentation and analysis. Geomorphology, 8(2-3): 175-189.

Rickenmann, D. (1991): Hyperconcentrated flow and sediment transport at steep slopes. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 117(11): 1419-1439.

Rickenmann, D. (1990): Bedload transport capacity of slurry flows at steep slopes. Mitteilung der Versuchsanstalt für Wasserbau, Hydrologie und Glaziologie, ETH Zürich, Nr. 103, 249p. Naef, F., Haeberli, W., Jäggi, M., Rickenmann, D. (1988): Morphologische Veränderungen in den Schweizer Alpen als Folge der Unwetter vom Sommer 1987. Österreichische Wasserwirtschaft, 40(5/6): 134-138.