2020-2022: Unravelling the dynamics and impacts of sediment-laden flows in urban areas in southern Chile as a basis for innovative adaptation (SEDIMPACT)
Financed by the The National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development of the Government of Chile
This project focuses on the impacts generated in urban areas along important transport routes by sediment-laden flows accompanied by intense large wood transport. Two main goals are defined: (1) Determine the damage susceptibility of exposed buildings as a consequence of both their geometrical characteristics and the sediment-laden flow impacts. (2) Generalize the gained insights with respect to the vulnerability of the single buildings (i.e. the individual element scale) to a convenient sub-urban district scale and detect additional spatial susceptibility patterns.Info
2018-2022: Monitoring, modeling and integration of methods for the control of active processes in mountains (PROMONTEC)
Financed by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness Barcelona, Spain
The aim of this project is to improve the knowledge of natural processes and related hazards, such as flash floods, by integrating different methods (field surveys, remote sensing, numerical modelling).Particularly, we look at the bio-geomorphodynamic river response to floods to improve flood hazard assessment in the Francolí River (western Mediterranean basin)
2016-2019: Impact of the dam reservoir-induced base-level rise on the hydrodynamics and vegetation pattern in the channel and on floodplain of gravel-bed mountain rivers
2019: Physical modelling of permeable sediment traps in the presence of wood
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH, Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW)
2017-2019: Climate Change and its consequences on Hydrology in Switzerland, Floods Synthesis Chapter Hydro CH-2018-Floods
Financed by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN-BAFU)
2016-2019: Evaluation of flood risks associated to driftwood in managed river sections (BOIFIMU)
Financed by the University of Lyon and Le Centre national de la recherche scientifique-CNRS, France
2015-2019: Large wood management in rivers in Switzerland (WoodFlow)
Financed by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN-BAFU)
Despite the positive contributions of instream large wood (LW) to river ecosystems, LW may also induce risks for human populations, particularly at critical sections such as bridges and weirs. Therefore, the challenge of a better large wood management strategy is to maintain the equilibrium of good ecological and hydromorphological conditions of rivers, and analyze and manage potential risks. This was the aim of the WoodFlow project (Schwemmholz Management Projekt), which contributed to the development of a federal management strategy in Switzerland and helped to evaluate and modify established protection concepts.
2016-2017: Natural risks in mountain areas and their effects in river morphology (REDES)
Financed by the Chilean National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICYT)
2012-2015: FLORIST Flood risk on the northern foothills of the Tatra Mountains
Financed by a SNSF Polish-Swiss Research Programme
The project focused around four competence clusters: observation-based climatology, model-based climate change projections and impact assessment, dendrogeomorphology, and impact of large wood on fluvial processes. The knowledge generated in the FLORIST project impacted on understanding and interpretation of flood risk on the northern foothills of the Tatra Mountains, in the past, present, and future. It helped solving important practical problems related to flood risk reduction strategies and flood preparedness.
