Dr. Elke Kellner

Function

Postdoc

Mountain Hydrology and Mass Movements

Contact

elke.kellner(at)wslto make life hard for spam bots.ch

+41 44 739 20 48+41 44 739 20 48

Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL
Zürcherstrasse 111
8903 Birmensdorf

Site

Birmensdorf Bi HV E 07

Research interests

Climate change mitigation and adaptation, governance of resource uses, social-ecological systems, water and climate change policies, sustainable development

Education and Employment History

Since 11/2019 PostDoc, Mountain Hydrology and Mass Movements, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, CH.

Since 01/2012 Elected Member of the Commission “Processing and trade of certified organic food” (MKV). Bio Suisse, Basel, CH.

Since 02/1999 Lecturer. Section of Organic Food Quality and Food Culture, University of Kassel, Witzenhausen, DE.

08/2016-10/2019 PhD in Climate Science (summa cum laude), Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, CH. Title: “Multi-purpose reservoirs for alleviating water shortages: Opportunities and challenges in the governance processes to coordinate competing resource uses under climate change”. Prof. Dr. Rolf Weingartner and Prof. Dr. Jean-David Gerber.

02/2018-04/2019 CAS in University Teaching, University of Bern, CH.

01/2016-07/2016 Training in Spatial Planning, Swiss Association of Spatial Planning, Bern, CH.

01/2015-12/2016 Research Assistant. Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE), Bern, CH.

08-12/2014 Lecturer. School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL, Bern University of Applied Sciences, CH.

09/2013-3/2015 Bachelor Minor Sustainable Development, University of Bern, CH.

2006-2013 Lecturer and Research Assistant. School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL, Bern University of Applied Sciences, CH.

08/05-07/06 Nature Conservation and Experiential Education: BUND für Umwelt- und Naturschutz, Ravensburg, DE.

09/1998-06/1999 Guest Student in Organic Agricultural Sciences: University of Kassel, Witzenhausen, DE.

1995-1997 Diploma in Biochemistry, Free University of Berlin, DE. Diploma Thesis at Biozentrum, University of Basel, Prof. Dr. Gottfried Schatz, CH.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Projects

Analyse der Warnkette anhand von zwei Unwetterereignissen im Jahr 2020

Zwei heftige Starkniederschlagsereignisse im Spätsommer 2020 (28.-30. August und 1.-4. Oktober) führten zu erheblichem Hochwasser in der Südschweiz. In dieser Studie wird die gesamte Warnkette von der meteorologischen Vorhersage bis hin zu den Massnahmen in den Kantonen/Gemeinden analysiert.

Mehrzweckspeicher als Zukunftsmodell?

Obwohl die Schweiz über reichlich Wasser verfügt, kann es zukünftig lokal zu Engpässen kommen. Mehrzweckspeicher stellen eine Möglichkeit dar, um auf zukünftige Wasserknappheit zu reagieren. Dieses Projekt untersucht die Chancen und Risiken einer gemeinsamen Bewirtschaftung.

Publications

Publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals

Kellner, Elke (2021): The controversial debate on the role of water reservoirs in reducing water scarcity. In WIREs Water, e1514. DOI: 10.1002/WAT2.1514.
Kellner, Elke; Brunner, Manuela I. (2021): Reservoir governance in world’s water towers needs to anticipate multi-purpose use. In Earth’s Future 9, e2020EF001643. DOI: 10.1029/2020EF001643.
Villamayor-Tomas, Sergio; Oberlack, Christoph; Epstein, Graham; Roggero, Matteo; Partelow, Stefan; Kellner, Elke; Tschopp, Maurice; Cox, Michael (2020): Using case study data to understand SES interactions: a model-centered metaanalysis of SES Framework applications. In: Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 44, pp. 48–57. DOI: 10.1016/j.cosust.2020.05.002.
Kellner, Elke; Oberlack, Christoph; Gerber, Jean-David (2019): Polycentric governance compensates for incoherence of resource regimes: The case of water uses under climate change in Oberhasli, Switzerland. In: Environmental Science & Policy 100, pp. 126–135. DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2019.06.008.
Kellner, Elke (2019): Social acceptance of a multi-purpose reservoir in a recently deglaciated landscape in the Swiss Alps. In: Sustainability 11 (14), p. 3819. DOI: 10.3390/su11143819.
Kellner, Elke (2019): Soziale Akzeptanz der Talsperre Trift in den Schweizer Alpen. In: Wasserwirtschaft 109 (5), pp. 26–29. DOI: 10.1007/s35147-019-0033-7.

Special Issue (editor)

Kimmich, Christian; Ehlers, Melf-Hinrich; Kellner, Elke; Oberlack, Christoph; Thiel, Andreas; Villamayor-Tomas, Sergio (2020): Networks of action situations in social-ecological systems research. Upcoming Special Feature in Sustainability Science. In Sustain Sci 90, p. 150. DOI: 10.1007/s11625-020-00814-w.

Contributions to books

Kellner, Elke (2020): Mehrzweckspeicher zur Minderung von Wasserknappheit im Sommer. In: Emmanuel Reynard ; Dubois, Alan ; Borgeat Theler, Muriel (Eds.): Le Rhône. Territoire, ressource et culture: Cahiers de Vallesia. Sion (33rd ed., 177-184).

Publications in technical journals

Kellner, Elke; Weingartner, Rolf (2018): Chancen und Herausforderungen von Mehrzweckspeichern als Anpassung an den Klimawandel. In Wasser Energie Luft 110 (2), pp. 101–107. https://issuu.com/swv_wel/docs/wel_2_2018

Proceedings and reports

Kellner, Elke; Brunner, Manuela I.; Björnsen Gurung, Astrid; Stähli, Manfred (2019): Verhandelbar? Neue Ansprüche an Schweizer Wasserspeicher. pp. 37-40. In: Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL (Hg.): Schweiz erneuerbar. Birmensdorf, Switzerland (WSL Berichte, 84).
Kellner, Elke (2019): Factsheet: Multipurpose use of water and related management implications under a changing climate in high-mountain regions. In Yvonne Schaub, Alain Foehn, Javier Fluixá Sanmartín, Lucía Guardamino Soto (Eds.): Multipurpose use of water and related management implications under a changing climate in high-mountain regions, pp. 72–73.http://www.proyectoglaciares.pe/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Multipurpose-use-of-water-and-related-management-implications_2019_abril.pdf

Björnsen Gurung, Astrid; Brunner, Manuela; Stähli, Manfred; Kellner, Elke; Clivaz, Melanie; Reynard, Emmanuel et al. (2018): Alpine multi-purpose reservoirs: Future potential and relevance. In Leopold Füreder, Rolf Weingartner, Kati Heinrich, Valerie Braun, Günter Köck, Klaus Lanz, Thomas Scheurer (Eds.): Alpine water - common good or source of conflicts? Proceedings of the ForumAlpinum 2018 and the 7th Water Confernce. Breitenwand (Austria): Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, pp. 77–78. https://austriaca.at/0xc1aa5576%200x003a30da.pdf

Conferences

Oral contributions to conferences and workshops

04/2021 Capturing WEF Nexus as a network phenomenon in social ecological systems. European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly.

03/2021 (Un-)Sustainable water governance under climate change in Switzerland. Sustainability Week Switzerland, University of Basel, CH.

10/2020 Governance of multi-purpose use of water - Challenges and opportunities. Hydro-CH2018 Meeting, Federal Office for Environment, Ittigen, CH.

09/2020 Provision of polycentric climate governance systems for institutional fit: Evidence from multifunctional water governance in Switzerland. Earth System Governance Conference. Conference cancelled due to Covid-19.

09/2020 Polycentricity and the study of Networks of Action Situations: Unpacking synergies. Earth System Governance Conference. Conference cancelled due to Covid-19.

08/2020 Analysing the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus using the Network of Action Situations (NAS) approach. European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) Conference. Virtual Conference due to Covid-19.

05/2020 Reservoirs in world’s water towers: Need for appropriate governance processes to reach Sustainable Development Goals. European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly. Virtual Conference due to Covid-19. DOI: 10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-11004.

12/2019 Alpine Mehrzweckspeicher zur Minderung von Wasserknappheit im Sommer. Fallstudie im Berner Oberland und im Rhone-Gebiet. 13 ème colloque international sur le Rhône dans son environnement naturel et humain, L’Association Mémoires du Rhône, Sion, CH.

11/2019 Neue Ansprüche an Schweizer Wasserspeicher. Forum für Wissen, Birmensdorf, CH. Film of the presentation.

09/2019 Challenges of meeting lowland water demand through an upstream multi-purpose reservoir. International Mountain Conference, Innsbruck, AT.

09/2019 Social acceptance of a reservoir in a recently deglaciated landscape in the Swiss Alps. International Mountain Conference, Innsbruck, AT.

06/2019 Emerging collective action to resolve sustainability trade-offs in polycentric governance systems: Evidence from Trift, Switzerland. Workshop on the Ostrom Workshop 6 (WOW 6), Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.

06/2019 Evolving polycentric governance processes can compensate incoherent resource regimes: Evidence of the canton of Bern, Switzerland. Workshop on the Ostrom Workshop 6 (WOW 6), Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.

04/2019 Governance of resource uses under climate change. Focus on multipurpose (water) reservoirs as a measure for adaptation to climate change. UNESCO Chair Meeting 2019 “Research on Cultural and Natural Heritage and Sustainable Mountain Development”, World Nature Forum WNF, Naters, CH.

03/2019 Cooperation, competition and coercion in polycentric governance systems: The case of water-energy governance in Oberhasli, Switzerland. International Research Workshop “Cooperation, competition and coercion in polycentric governance systems”, Centre for Global Cooperation Research, University Duisburg-Essen, DE.

02/2019 Implications of orchestration for polycentric governance systems. The case of multifunctional water use in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland. New Institutional Economics (NIÖ) – Network Meeting 2019, University of Kassel, DE.

11/2018 Adaptive capacity in processes of polycentric governance systems: The case of multifunctional water use in Switzerland. 2018 Earth System Governance Conference, Utrecht, NL.

06/2018 Evolving polycentric climate governance. The case of multifunctional water use in Oberhasli, Switzerland. Forum Alpinum, Breitenwang, AT.

04/2018 Polycentric climate governance: The case of multifunctional water reservoirs in the Swiss Alps. Polycentric Climate Governance after Paris: Expectations, Challenges and Pathways, Freiburg, DE.

03/2018 Evolving polycentric climate governance: The case of multifunctional water use in Oberhasli, Switzerland. Governing Climate Change: Polycentricity in Action? Open University, Heerlen, NL.

Teaching

Teaching activities

(ST: Summer Term, WT: Winter Term)
Since WT 1998	Organic Milk Processing. Section of Organic Food Quality and Food Culture. (Bachelor and Master, Lecture, University of Kassel, DE)
WT 2019	Nachhaltige Wassernutzung (MAS, Lecture, ETHZ, CH)
ST 2019	Theorie und Empirie: Werkzeuge der Wissenschaft (Bachelor, Lecture, University of Bern, CH)
WT 2018	Assessing Governance Initiatives for Sustainability Transformations in and by Switzerland (Master, Seminar, University of Bern, CH)
ST 2018	Theorie und Empirie: Werkzeuge der Wissenschaft (Bachelor, Lecture, University of Bern, CH)
WT 2014	Chemistry (Bachelor, Lecture, School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL, Bern University of Applied Sciences, CH)
ST 2007 - WT 2012	Food Analysis, Food Chemistry, Milk Processing, Molecular Cuisine, Chemistry (Bachelor, Lectures and Lab Courses, School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL, Bern University of Applied Sciences, CH)

Supervision of junior researchers at graduate and postgraduate levels

01/2019 – present	Master thesis: “Water conflicts under climate change in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland”; von Stokar Sielentz, Lukas; University of Bern, CH.
04/2019 – 09/2019	Bachelor thesis: “Trift project: Arguments of the actors”; Joos, Annina; ETH Zurich, CH.
01/2018 – 01/2019	Bachelor thesis: “Influence of site factors and water uses on the construction of water reservoirs”; Getzmann, Nico Fabrice; University of Bern, CH.

Reviewing

Scientific reviewing activities

08/2018 - present

Reviewer for scientific journals: Environmental Science and Policy, Ecology and Society, Journal of Environmental Management, Sustainability, International Journal of the Commons.