Publications related to Stream restoration

Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Flow and Hydrochemistry in Drainage Networks

Despite their high ecological value, non-perennial streams have received less attention than their perennial counterparts. This doctoral thesis addresses this disparity by advancing knowledge on the dynamics of the drainage density and hydrologic processes ...

EPFL2024

Simulation of fine sediment deposition on floodplains

Giovanni De Cesare, Carmelo Juez Jiménez

Rivers extend beyond the channels that are typically associated with this word. Of particular interest are flood plains, where important hydro- and morphodynamic processes occur as a result of recurrent flooding. Ecologically, they also support the establi ...

2023

Hydromorphological assessment of sediment augmentation measures in gravel-bed rivers

Christian Mörtl

In the riverine environment, the riverscape, sediment and flow regime are essential drivers for natural habitat dynamics. Today, most water courses in Europe are regulated, and their natural dynamics are impaired. Flood releases coupled with the artificial ...

EPFL2023

Short-term dynamics of drainage density based on a combination of channel flow state surveys and water level measurements

Andrea Rinaldo, Izabela Bujak-Ozga, Jana Freiin von Freyberg

Headwater streams often experience intermittent flow. Consequently, the flowing drainage network expands and contracts and the flowing drainage density (DD) varies over time. Monitoring the DD dynamics is essential to understand the processes controlling i ...

Wiley2023

Inception of Regular Valley Spacing in Fluvial Landscapes: A Linear Stability Analysis

Sara Bonetti, Shashank Kumar Anand

Incipient valley formation in mountainous landscapes is often associated with their presence at a regular spacing under diverse hydroclimatic forcings. Here we provide a formal linear stability theory for a landscape evolution model (LEM) representing the ...

2022

Effect of blocked driftwood on the hydraulic performance of a gated standard weir

Giovanni De Cesare, Michael Pfister, Loïc Bénet

Driftwood belongs to riverine ecosystems and is stored and transported in every natural stream. Hydraulic structures built in streams typically alter the flow characteristics and might consequently get in conflict with driftwood. The latter can get trapped ...

International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR)2022

Untersuchung der ökomorphologischen Wirksamkeit von Sedimentzugaben unterhalb von Talsperren [Assessment of the eco-morphological effectiveness of sediment augmentation downstream of dams]

Giovanni De Cesare, Christian Mörtl

The regulation of discharge and the retention of sediments in reservoirs disturb the natural water dynamics in residual flow stretches below reservoirs. However, a dynamic river morphology as well as near-natural hydrological hydrographs are fundamental ...

ETH2021

Effect thresholds of metals in stream sediments based on in situ oligochaete communities

Benoît Jean Dominique Ferrari, Régis Lionel Vivien, Maria del Carmen Casado Martinez

Aquatic oligochaetes, comprising a large number of species showing various degrees of resistance to chemical pollution, are recognized as valuable bioindicators of sediments’ quality. In the Geneva area (Switzerland), oligochaete tools were previously test ...

2020

Carbon fluxes and productivity regimes in Alpine streams

Marta Boix Canadell

High-altitude catchments have a major role in the transport of organic matter to streams due to the storage of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in soils and glacier ice and the subsequent mobilization during the melting processes. Yet, stream function goes b ...

EPFL2020

Erosion, transport and deposition of a sediment replenishment under flood conditions

Anton Schleiss, Mário Jorge Rodrigues Pereira Da Franca, Severin Stähly, Christopher Robinson

River reaches downstream of dams with constant residual discharge often lack sediment supply and periodic high flows due to dam sediment retention and flow regulation, respectively. To test a novel multi-deposit methodology for defining environmental flows ...

2020

Design of sediment detention basins: Scaled model experiments and application

Anton Schleiss, Sebastian Schwindt, Mona Jafarnejad Chaghooshi, Anita Hélène Roth

Sediment detention basins are implemented on mountain rivers to trap solid material that may aggravate the flooding of downstream settlements. However, retention structures built in the past may unnecessarily retain sediment during non-hazardous flood even ...

2020

Morphology and morphodynamics of braided rivers: an experimental investigation

Daniel Vito Papa

Braided rivers form some of the most fascinating fluvial patterns found on Earth. They are identifiable by their unique morphology of complex networks of intertwined channels that spread across wide floodplains. Detailed knowledge of their dynamics is need ...

EPFL2020

Microbial Ecology of Methanotrophy in Streams Along a Gradient of CH4 Availability

Tom Ian Battin, Hannes Markus Peter, Paraskevi Pramateftaki, Alexandre Bagnoud

Despite the recognition of streams and rivers as sources of methane (CH4) to the atmosphere, the role of CH4 oxidation (MOX) in these ecosystems remains poorly understood to date. Here, we measured the kinetics of MOX in stream sediments of 14 sites to res ...

Frontiers Media SA2020

Assessing Subaquatic Mass Movement Hazards: an Integrated Observational and Hydrodynamic Modelling Approach

Alfred Johny Wüest, Damien Bouffard, Nathalie Dubois, Carl Love Mikael Råman Vinnå

High-resolution lake and reservoir bathymetric surveys can pinpoint locations that may experience underwater landslides (subaquatic sedimentary mass movements). These can pose a risk to underwater and shoreline infrastructure. This paper outlines an approa ...

2020

Stream Temperature Evolution in Switzerland: Recent past and future

Michael Lehning, Wolf Hendrik Huwald, Adrien Michel, Bettina Schaefli, Nander Wever, Tristan Jonas Brauchli

Climate change has already affected many components of our natural environment which are well described in the literature. Water temperature has received less interest despite the fact that it is recognized as key variable for assessing water quality of fr ...

2020

Nitrate removal and young stream water fractions at the catchment scale

Paolo Benettin, Li Li

Despite extensive research on nitrate export and removal, nutrient contamination remains a major threat to water bodies worldwide. At the local scale, nitrate removal is governed by biogeochemical conditions that vary in space and time, making integration ...

WILEY2020

A case-study evaluating river rehabilitation alternatives and habitat heterogeneity using the hydromorphological index of diversity

Anton Schleiss, Walter Gostner

Concurrent rehabilitation alternatives were evaluated for a 1900 m reach of the River Etsch in northern Italy using a recently developed Hydro Morphological Index of Diversity (HMID) model. HMID is a new tool enabling quantitative assessments of river rest ...

2019

Design of Riverbank Riprap Using Large, Individually Placed Blocks

Anton Schleiss, Michael Pfister, Mário Jorge Rodrigues Pereira Da Franca, Mona Jafarnejad Chaghooshi

The protection of river banks in mountain rivers by riprap requires large blocks with weights typically exceeding 1 t. Thus, the blocks have to be placed individually. Such packed riprap has a relatively small spacing between the blocks. Consequently, the ...

2019

Pioneer plant Phalaris arundinacea and earthworms promote initial soil structure formation despite strong alluvial dynamics in a semi-controlled field experiment

Claire Guenat, Pascal Turberg, Renée-Claire Le Bayon, Andreas Cedric Schomburg, Muhammad Riaz

Soil structure formation is among the most important processes in riverfloodplains which are strongly influ-enced by alluvial dynamics. In the context of river restoration projects, a better understanding of soil structureformation in habitats adjacent to ...

2019

Hydrological and hydraulic solutions for the sustainability of habitat life in human altered streams

Amin Niayifar

In this thesis, I aim to contribute to the research towards improving the sustainability of habitat life in streams affected by anthropogenic activities. With the growing trend of altering natural water regimes due to hydropower operations, irrigation, and ...

EPFL2019