Nicolas Steeb

Function

Scientific staff member

Mountain Hydrology and Mass Movements

Torrents and Mass Movements

Contact

nicolas.steeb(at)wslto make life hard for spam bots.ch

+41 44 739 22 69+41 44 739 22 69

Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL
Zürcherstrasse 111
8903 Birmensdorf

Site

Birmensdorf Bi LG D 06

Research interests

Sustainable water resources management is one of the biggest challenges of the 21th century. It requires a balance of interests between water use, water protection and flood control. Within this nexus my research focus lies on the field of river management, respectively in the understanding of fluvial and geomorphological processes and related natural hazards.

Specifically my interests are:

Large wood in torrents and rivers

Fluvial geomorphology and ecological hydraulic engineering

Interaction of water, forest and natural hazards

Hydrological extreme events

GIS modeling

Education and employment

Since 2015: Scientific employee with the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, research unit «Mountain Hydrology and Mass Movements»

2013-2014: Master of Advanced Studies in Sustainable Water Resources. Institute of Environmental Engineering (IfU), ETH Zürich. Thesis «River-Monitoring in the Canton Thurgau»

2013: Employment with Pöyry Schweiz AG in Zürich, Water and Environment section. River assessments in the Canton St. Gallen (ecomorphology, hydraulic engineering register& neophytes), data management in GIS

2012: Internship at the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) in Berne, Section for Rural Development. Regional development projects, natural resources, sustainability assessments and controlling

2005 – 2011: Master of Science in Geography at the University of Zürich. Minors in Environmental and Earth Sciences. Thesis «Requirements for a Water Exchange in Southern Alberta – A Stakeholder Assessment»

FURTHER INFORMATION

Projects

SedSlope

This project aims at assessing the contribution of sediment erosion from steep slopes adjacent to channel beds to the sediment transport in small catchments.

EXAR

The main goal of the EXAR project is to create a consistent data set in order to assess the hazard for riparian infrastructure caused by extreme flood events on the rivers Aare and Rhine.

WOODFLOW

Wood in rivers fulfills important ecological functions. However, in case of flood events large wood may become a considerable source of danger. The aim of the research program WoodFlow is to better understand large wood dynamics in order to minimize associated risks.

Publications WSL

Scientific publication article peer reviewed

Rickenmann, D.; Ammann, L.; Nicollier, T.; Boss, S.; Fritschi, B.; Antoniazza, G.; Steeb, N.; Chen, Z.; Wyss, C.; Badoux, A., 2022: Comparison of calibration characteristics of different acoustic impact systems for measuring bedload transport in mountain streams. Earth Surface Dynamics, 10, 6: 1165-1183. doi: 10.5194/esurf-10-1165-2022

Kauzlaric, M.; Nicolet, G.; Viviroli, D., 2021: Entwicklung hydrometeorologischer Grundlagen. In: Andres, N.; Steeb, N.; Badoux, A.; Hegg, C. (eds), 2021: Extremhochwasser an der Aare. Hauptbericht Projekt EXAR. Methodik und Resultate. Birmensdorf, Eidg. Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft WSL. 29-37.

Andres, N.; Hegg, C., 2021: Projektorganisation. In: Andres, N.; Steeb, N.; Badoux, A.; Hegg, C. (eds), 2021: Extremhochwasser an der Aare. Hauptbericht Projekt EXAR. Methodik und Resultate. Birmensdorf, Eidg. Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft WSL. 15-16.

Andres, N.; Hegg, C., 2021: Einleitung und Projektauftrag. In: Andres, N.; Steeb, N.; Badoux, A.; Hegg, C. (eds), 2021: Extremhochwasser an der Aare. Hauptbericht Projekt EXAR. Methodik und Resultate. Birmensdorf, Eidg. Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft WSL. 11-13.

Andres, N.; Badoux, A.; Dang, V.; Hingray, B.; Hunziker, R.; Irniger, A.; Müller, M.; Pfäffli, M.; Schwab, S.; Sutter, A.; Viviroli, D.; Hegg, C., 2021: Diskussion der Unsicherheiten und Limitationen. In: Andres, N.; Steeb, N.; Badoux, A.; Hegg, C. (eds), 2021: Extremhochwasser an der Aare. Hauptbericht Projekt EXAR. Methodik und Resultate. Birmensdorf, Eidg. Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft WSL. 203-206.

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Further scientific publications

Steeb, N.; Badoux, A.; Boes, R.M.; Gasser, E.; Rickenmann, D.; Rickli, C.; Ruiz-Villanueva, V.; Schalko, I.; Schmocker, L.; Schwarz, M.; Stoffel, M.; Weitbrecht, V., 2021: WoodFlow project - large wood management in rivers. In: Beyer Portner, N. (eds), 2021: 14th congress INTERPRAEVENT 2021. Natural hazards in a changing world. 14th congress INTERPRAEVENT 2021, Bergen, Norway. 275-283.

Extremhochwasser an der Aare. Hauptbericht Projekt EXAR. Methodik und Resultate

Die Studie «Extremhochwasser an der Aare» (Projekt EXAR) liefert einheitliche Grundlagen für die Beurteilung der standortspezifischen Hochwassergefährdung wichtiger Bauten, Anlagen und Infrastrukturen im Einzugsgebiet der Aare. In einer ersten Inwertsetzung liegen für fünf Standorte detaillierte Ergebnisse vor.

WSL Berichte 104

2021

Download

Rickenmann, D.; Steeb, N.; Badoux, A., 2018: Improving bedload transport determination by grain-size fraction using the Swiss plate geophone recordings at the Erlenbach stream. In: Paquier, A.; Rivière, N. (eds), 2018: River flow 2018 - ninth international conference on fluvial hydraulics. River Flow 2018, Lyon-Villeurbanne. (8 pp.). doi: 10.1051/e3sconf/20184002009

Ruiz-Villanueva, V.; Badoux, A.; Boes, R.M.; Rickenmann, D.; Rickli, C.; Schalko, I.; Schmocker, L.; Schwarz, M.; Steeb, N.; Stoffel, M.; Weitbrecht, V., 2016: Large wood research in Swiss watercourses. In: Constantinescu, G.; Garcia, M.; Hanes, D. (eds), 2016: River flow 2016. Proceedings of the international conference on fluvial hydraulics. River flow 2016, St. Louis. 2307-2314.

Steeb, N.; Rickenmann, D.; Rickli, C.; Badoux, A.; Waldner, P.; Stetter, F., 2016: Size reduction of large wood in steep mountain streams. In: Constantinescu, G.; Garcia, M.; Hanes, D. (eds), 2016: River flow 2016. Proceedings of the international conference on fluvial hydraulics. River flow 2016, St. Louis. 2310-2325.

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Magazine article and brochures

Rickli, C.; Graf, F.; Studer, M.; Steeb, N., 2022: Massnahmen und Untersuchungen in den Runsen Hexen- und Schwandrübi in Dallenwil (NW). Ingenieurbiologie: Mitteilungsblatt, 21-28.

Steeb, N.; Badoux, A.; Bialek, R.; Bogner, K.; Hug Peter, D.; Kellner, E.; Lienert, C.; Willemse, S.; Zappa, M.; Stähli, M., 2022: Vorhersage und Warnung von Unwettern in der Schweiz. Das Zusammenwirken von Bund und Kantonen anhand von zwei Fallbeispielen im Jahr 2020. Wasser, Energie, Luft, 114, 2: 98-104.

Steeb, N., 2019: Verkleinerungsprozesse von Schwemmholz bei Hochwasser. Ingenieurbiologie: Mitteilungsblatt, 7-13.

Steeb, N.; Kuratli, B.; Rickli, C.; Badoux, A.; Rickenman, D., 2017: GIS-Modellierung des Schwemmholzpotentials in alpinen Einzugsgebieten. FAN Agenda, Fachleute Naturgefahren Schweiz, 9-12.

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Other publications

Badoux, A., Böckli, M,. Rickenmann, D., Rickli, C., Ruiz-Villanueva, V., Zurbrügg, S., & Stoffel, M. (2015). Large wood transported during the exceptional flood event of 24 July 2014 in the Emme catchment (Switzerland). Proceedings of the Third International Conference Wood in World Rivers, 108-110.

Böckli, M., Badoux, A, Rickli, C., Rickenmann, D., Ruiz-Villanueva, V., Zurbrügg, S., Stoffel, M. (2016). Large wood-related hazards during the extreme flood of 24 July 2014 in the Emme catchment (Switzerland). Interpraevent 2016, 190-191.

Rickenmann, D., Waldner, P., Usbeck, T., Köchli, D., Sutter, F., Rickli, C., & Badoux A. (2015). Large wood transport during the 2005 flood events in Switzerland. Proceedings of the Third International Conference Wood in World Rivers, 124-126.

Ruiz-Villanueva, V., Badoux, A., Boes, R., Rickenmann, D., Rickli, C., Schalko, I., Schmocker, L., Schwarz, M., Steeb, N., Stoffel, M., Weitbrecht, V. (2016). Large wood research in Swiss watercourses. River Flow 2016, 2307-2314.

Ruiz-Villanueva, V., Badoux, A., Boes, R., Rickenmann, D., Rickli, C., Schalko, I., Schmocker, L., Schwarz, M., Steeb, N., Stoffel, M., Weitbrecht, V. (2016). Large wood management in rivers – a practice-oriented research project in Switzerland. Interpraevent 2016, 244-245.

Empirical relations between large wood transport and catchment characteristics. EGU 2017, Vol. 19, 4367.

Steeb, N., Rickenmann, D., Rickli, C., Badoux A. & Waldner, P. (2016). Size reduction of large wood in steep mountain streams. River Flow 2016, 2320-2325.