What are Alpine Streams?
What are Alpine Streams?
Alpine streams, torrents, and mountain rivers of the Alps and the Alpine foothills are defined as permanently or temporarily flowing watercourses in which discharge and sediment transport processes occur in irregular channel beds with stream-like sections, typically characterised by high bed roughness and pronounced gradients. Sudden precipitation events and rapid snowmelt in the catchment areas of these watercourses generally lead to short-term, substantial increases in discharge, mobilising solid material and bedload, which are transported through the watercourse and either deposited within or outside the riverbed, or discharged into a receiving water body.
Alpine streams in Central Europe, as found in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, and Slovenia, represent ecologically valuable landscapes appreciated for their natural character. However, they are also vulnerable to natural hazards such as heavy rainfall, floods, flash floods, and debris flows, which can have severe impacts on people and property. The management of these hazards has a long tradition, involving both local knowledge and structural protective measures such as levees and concrete constructions. In the second half of the 20th century, preventive, non-structural, and organisational measures became increasingly important as part of integrated risk management, with ecologically sustainable solutions also playing a role.
What does science contribute to this?
What does science contribute to this?
Science contributes in particular by researching and forecasting natural hazards in alpine regions, continuously expanding our understanding of the underlying processes. Torrent research focuses on the characteristics and dynamics of alpine streams, especially torrents and their catchments, as well as their impacts on downstream areas. This includes hydrological, geomorphological, hydromorphodynamic and ecological aspects, as well as hydraulic engineering issues related to natural hazard protection and the sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems.
Topics of the research group
Topics of the research group
Under the leadership of Dr. Ivo Baselt, the research group focuses on various aspects of running waters in alpine regions and the associated natural hazards. Alpine streams, serving as a crucial link between alpine mass movements and downstream watercourses, represent an important interdisciplinary field of research. The scientific investigations particularly span the following disciplines:
- Geology, Geography and Geophysics: geological characteristics of the catchment area, hydrogeological properties of the soil, topography, land use
- Catchment Hydrology: seasonal climate, weather, and temperature patterns, precipitation events, and surface runoff formation
- Hydrodynamics in torrent channels: measurement, analysis, and forecasting of discharge, flow velocity, and flow depth; derivation of relevant bed shear stresses
- Flood Forecasting and Management: development of methods for predicting flood events in torrents; planning of flood protection and management measures
- Geomorphology and Hydromorphodynamics: morphological characteristics of torrents, shape of riverbeds and banks; investigation of sediment transport processes, erosion, and deposition
- Torrent Control Engineering: investigation and design of control and protection structures to prevent or mitigate natural hazards; bed and bank stabilisation, river regulation, combined technical-biological protection measures, nature-based solutions, instream river training
- Ecology, Aquatic Systems and Biodiversity: assessment of the impact of torrents on surrounding ecosystems and biodiversity; study of how plants and animals adapt to the specific conditions in torrents
- Climate Change Adaptation: analysis of the effects of climate change on alpine torrent catchments and the development of adaptation strategies
