Research Interests

Geomorphology, sedimentology, and mechanics of debris flows and rock avalanches; landslide initiation; warning systems; sediment transport in steep channels.

Professional Experience

2001-present

WSL, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Birmensdorf, Switzerland. Scientific coordination for the Illgraben debris flow observation station, numerical simulation of debris flow and rock avalanche runout.

1996-2000

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH),Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW), Zurch, Switzerland. Post-doctoral assoicate in the river engineering and numerical modeling sections.

Selected Projects

Runout modeling of hillslope debris flows (BAFU)

Triggering of mass movements in steep terrain (CCES-TRAMM)

Quantification of sediment transfer in an exceptionally active Alpine catchment (SNF)<br/>

Education

The Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Geography and Environmental Engineering, Baltimore MD, USA: Ph.D., 1997.<br/>

University of Minnesota, Dept. of Geology and Geophysics, Minneapolis MN, USA: B.Sc. in Geology, 1988.<br/><br/><br/>

Projekte

TRAMM was a research project of the ETH Competence Centre of Environment and Sustainability (CCES) from 2006 to 2015 with the aim to better understand mechanisms of rapid mass movements.

Landslides and debris flows are hazardous phenomenon in Switzerland and worldwide. We combine field measurements, numerical modelling and laboratory experiments to further our mechanistic understanding of the motion of these types of mass movements.

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

The CCAMM cluster "Cascading Processes"develops knowledge and models that can be used to anticipate future cascading events.

The rock slope instability "Spitze Stei" constitutes a risk for the touristic infrastructure around lake Öschinensee and the village Kandersteg. Our project task will investigate the mechanisms which led to the slope destabilisation and analyse scenarios for slope failures.

Ziel dieses Projekts ist die Weiterentwicklung von Modellen zur Vorhersage von Ausmass und Häufigkeit von Murgangereignissen in einem sich ändernden Klima.

Publikationen

Bartelt P., McArdell B., Bühler Y., Graf C. (2024) Zweiphasenmodellierung von Murgängen für die Überprüfung von Schutzmassnahmen. In I. Schalko, D. Farshi, & A. Badoux (Eds.), WSL Berichte: Vol. 155. Fachtagung Wildbäche 2024: Modellierung von Wildbachprozessen. Birmensdorf: Eidg. Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft WSL. 49-58. doi:10.55419/wsl:37776 Institutional Repository DORA

Bolliger D., Schlunegger F., McArdell B.W. (2024) Comparison of debris flow observations, including fine-sediment grain size and composition and runout model results, at Illgraben, Swiss Alps. Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci. 24(3), 1035-1049. doi:10.5194/nhess-24-1035-2024 Institutional Repository DORA

Cavagnaro D.B., McCoy S.W., Kean J.W., Thomas M.A., Lindsay D.N., McArdell B.W., Hirschberg J. (2024) A robust quantitative method to distinguish runoff-generated debris flows from floods. Geophys. Res. Lett. 51(15), e2024GL109768 (11 pp.). doi:10.1029/2024GL109768 Institutional Repository DORA

Könz A.L., Hirschberg J., McArdell B.W., Mirus B.B., de Haas T., Bartelt P., Molnar P. (2024) Debris-flow entrainment modelling under climate change: Considering antecedent moisture conditions along the flow path. Earth Surf. Process. Landf. 49(10), 2950-2964. doi:10.1002/esp.5868 Institutional Repository DORA

Könz A.L., Hirschberg J., McArdell B.W., Mirus B.B., de Haas T., Bartelt P., Molnar P. (2024) Hydrologisch informierte Murgangmodellierung mit RAMMS. Kann das Erosionsverhalten von Murgängen anhand der Sättigungsbedindungen vorhergesagt werden? FAN Agenda. (1), 22-27. Institutional Repository DORA

Meyrat G., Munch J., Cicoira A., McArdell B., Müller C.R., Frey H., Bartelt P. (2024) Simulating glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs) with a two-phase/layer debris flow model considering fluid-solid flow transitions. Landslides. 21, 479-497. doi:10.1007/s10346-023-02157-w Institutional Repository DORA

Rickenmann D., Yafyazova R.K., McArdell B.W., Stepanov B. (2024) Natural debris flows and field experiments in Kazakhstan. (WSL Berichte, Report No.: 154). Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL. 142 p. Institutional Repository DORA

Rickli C., Graf F., McArdell B., Steeb N., Rickenmann D., Badoux A. (2024) Erosion an steilen Hängen. (WSL Berichte, Report No.: 158). Eidg. Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft WSL. 80 p. doi:10.55419/wsl:38390 Institutional Repository DORA

Spielmann R., Hirschberg J., Åberg A., Huber S., Boss S., Graf C., … Aaron J. (2024) Murgangbeobachtung mit hochauflösenden 3D-Laserscannern. FAN Agenda. (1), 17-21. Institutional Repository DORA

Zhao Y., Take W.A., Kaitna R., McArdell B.W., McElwaine J.N., Bowman E.T. (2024) Fluid effects in model granular flows. Granul. Matter. 26(1), 2 (26 pp.). doi:10.1007/s10035-023-01365-4 Institutional Repository DORA

Åberg A., Aaron J., McArdell B.W., Kirchner J., de Haas T., Hirschberg J. (2024) Field validation of the superelevation method for debris-flow velocity estimation using high-resolution lidar and UAV data. J. Geophys. Res. F. 129(11), e2024JF007857 (18 pp.). doi:10.1029/2024JF007857 Institutional Repository DORA

Aaron J., Spielmann R., McArdell B.W., Graf C. (2023) Debris-flow monitoring with high-frequency LiDAR scanners: a new method to infer the internal dynamics of debris flows. In M. Pirulli, A. Leonardi, & F. Vagnon (Eds.), E3S web of conferences: Vol. 415. 8th international conference on debris flow hazard mitigation (DFHM8). Les Ulis Cedex A: EDP Sciences. 01001 (4 pp.). doi:10.1051/e3sconf/202341501001 Institutional Repository DORA

Aaron J., Spielmann R., McArdell B.W., Graf C. (2023) High‐frequency 3D LIDAR measurements of a debris flow: a novel method to investigate the dynamics of full‐scale events in the field. Geophys. Res. Lett. 50(5), e2022GL102373 (10 pp.). doi:10.1029/2022GL102373 Institutional Repository DORA

Bowman E.T., Fawley A., Kaitna R., Li S., McArdell B., McElwaine J., … Zhao Y. (2023) The Rosetta Stone Project - Integrating experimental results on debris flow mechanics across the scales: next results. In M. Pirulli, A. Leonardi, & F. Vagnon (Eds.), E3S web of conferences: Vol. 415. 8th international conference on debris flow hazard mitigation (DFHM8). Les Ulis Cedex A: EDP Sciences. 02003 (4 pp.). doi:10.1051/e3sconf/202341502003 Institutional Repository DORA

Hirschberg J., McArdell B.W., Könz A.L., Christen M., Molnar P., Bartelt P. (2023) Entrainment maps considering hydrological conditions for mass movement runout modelling: application to debris-flow bulking at Pizzo Cengalo. In M. Pirulli, A. Leonardi, & F. Vagnon (Eds.), E3S web of conferences: Vol. 415. 8th international conference on debris flow hazard mitigation (DFHM8). Les Ulis Cedex A: EDP Sciences. 01010 (4 pp.). doi:10.1051/e3sconf/202341501010 Institutional Repository DORA

McArdell B.W., Hirschberg J., Aaron J., Badoux A. (2023) Evaluation of a method to calculate debris-flow volume based on observations of flow depth. In M. Pirulli, A. Leonardi, & F. Vagnon (Eds.), E3S web of conferences: Vol. 415. 8th international conference on debris flow hazard mitigation (DFHM8). Les Ulis Cedex A: EDP Sciences. 02012 (4 pp.). doi:10.1051/e3sconf/202341502012 Institutional Repository DORA

Meyrat G., Bartelt P., McArdell B. (2023) A dilatant two-phase debris flow model with erosion validated by full-scale field data from the Illgraben test station. In M. Pirulli, A. Leonardi, & F. Vagnon (Eds.), E3S web of conferences: Vol. 415. 8th international conference on debris flow hazard mitigation (DFHM8). Les Ulis Cedex A: EDP Sciences. 01015 (4 pp.). doi:10.1051/e3sconf/202341501015 Institutional Repository DORA

Meyrat G., McArdell B., Müller C.R., Munch J., Bartelt P. (2023) Voellmy-type mixture rheologies for dilatant, two-layer debris flow models. Landslides. 20, 2405-2420. doi:10.1007/s10346-023-02092-w Institutional Repository DORA

Rickli C., Graf F., Badoux A., McArdell B., Steeb N., Rickenmann D. (2023) Untersuchungen zu Erosion in steilen Bacheinhängen. FAN Agenda. 2, 15-21. Institutional Repository DORA

Spielmann R., Aaron J., McArdell B.W. (2023) Inferring spatial variations in velocity profiles and bed geometry of natural debris flows based on discharge estimates from high-frequency 3D LiDAR point clouds; illgraben, Switzerland. In M. Pirulli, A. Leonardi, & F. Vagnon (Eds.), E3S web of conferences: Vol. 415. 8th international conference on debris flow hazard mitigation (DFHM8). Les Ulis Cedex A: EDP Sciences. 01024 (4 pp.). doi:10.1051/e3sconf/202341501024 Institutional Repository DORA

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