Dr. Brian McArdell

Fonction

collaborateur scientifique

Hydrologie de montagne et mouvements de masse

Torrents et mouvements de masse

Contact

brian.mcardell(at)wslto make life hard for spam bots.ch

+41 44 739 24 42+41 44 739 24 42

Institut fédéral de recherches sur la forêt, la neige et le paysage WSL
Zürcherstrasse 111
8903 Birmensdorf

Site

Birmensdorf Bi LG E 23

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)

Education

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

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

FURTHER INFORMATION

Projects

Dynamics of the rock slope instability "Spitze Stei"

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.

CCAMM II: Cascading Processes

The CCAMM cluster "Cascading Processes"develops knowledge and models that can be used to anticipate future cascading events. At "Spitze Stei", Kandersteg BE, we study the cascading processes: rock slope instability, debris flow, rock/snow avalanches and lake outburst floods.

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.

Measuring and Modelling Catastrophic Landslides and Debris Flows

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.

Sediment Cascades in Alpine Mass Movements

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

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Publications WSL

Scientific publication article peer reviewed

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. Geophysical Research Letters, 50, 5: e2022GL102373 (10 pp.). doi: 10.1029/2022GL102373

Walter, F.; Hodel, E.; Mannerfelt, E.S.; Cook, K.; Dietze, M.; Estermann, L.; Wenner, M.; Farinotti, D.; Fengler, M.; Hammerschmidt, L.; Hänsli, F.; Hirschberg, J.; McArdell, B.; Molnar, P., 2022: Brief communication: an autonomous UAV for catchment-wide monitoring of a debris flow torrent. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 22, 12: 4011-4018. doi: 10.5194/nhess-22-4011-2022

Taylor-Noonan, A.M.; Bowman, E.T.; McArdell, B.W.; Kaitna, R.; McElwaine, J.N.; Take, W.A., 2022: Influence of pore fluid on grain-scale interactions and mobility of granular flows of differing volume. Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface, 127, 12: e2022JF006622 (25 pp.). doi: 10.1029/2022JF006622

Wenner, M.; Allstadt, K.; Thelen, W.; Lockhart, A.; Hirschberg, J.; McArdell, B.W.; Walter, F., 2022: Seismometer records of ground tilt induced by debris flows. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 112, 5: 2376-2395. doi: 10.1785/0120210271

Belli, G.; Walter, F.; McArdell, B.; Gheri, D.; Marchetti, E., 2022: Infrasonic and seismic analysis of febris-flow events at Illgraben (Switzerland): Relating signal features to flow parameters and to the seismo-acoustic source mechanism. Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface, 127, 6: e2021JF006576 (20 pp.). doi: 10.1029/2021JF006576

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Further scientific publications

Rickli, C.; Galletti, M.; Loup, B.; Badoux, A.; McArdell, B., 2021: WSL-Rutschungsdatenbank: geologische Aspekte bei der Dokumentation von flachgründigen Rutschungen und Hangmuren. Swiss-Bulletin für angewandte Geologie, 26, 1: 75-82.

McArdell, B.W.; Sartori, M., 2021: The Illgraben torrent system. In: Reynard, E. (eds), 2021: Landscapes and landforms of Switzerland. Cham, Springer. 367-378. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-43203-4_25

Gruner, U.; Louis, K.; McArdell, B., 2018: Bergstürze - Begriff, Ursachen und Einflussfaktoren, Prozessauslösung, Häufigkeit, Prozesskette und Umgang mit Bergsturzproblematik (Beitrag AGN). Swiss-Bulletin für angewandte Geologie, 23, 1: 7-18.

Arattano, M.; Coviello, V.; Abancó, C.; Hürlimann, M.; McArdell, B.W., 2016: Methods of data processing for debris flow seismic warning. International Journal of Erosion Control Engineering, 9, 3: 114-121. doi: 10.13101/ijece.9.114

Rickli, C.; McArdell, B.; Badoux, A.; Loup, B., 2016: Database shallow landslides and hillslope debris flows. In: Koboltschnig, G. (eds), 2016: 13th congress INTERPRAEVENT 2016. 30 May to 2 June 2016. Lucerne, Switzerland. Extended abstracts "Living with natural risks". 13th congress INTERPRAEVENT 2016, Lucerne, Switzerland. 242-243.

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Magazine article and brochures

Hirschberg, J.; McArdell, B.W.; Molnar, P., 2021: Klimawandelauswirkungen auf Murgänge und Sedimentfrachten im Illgraben. Die Rolle der Sedimentproduktion und der natürlichen Klimavariabilität. FAN Agenda, Fachleute Naturgefahren Schweiz, 10-17.

Graf, C.; Badoux, A.; McArdell, B.; Collet, M.; Boss, S.; Huguenin, P., 2018: Erneuerung Murgangwaage im Illgraben. FAN Agenda, Fachleute Naturgefahren Schweiz, 5-9.

Walser, M.; McArdell, B.; Huggel, C.; Graf, C., 2014: Inwiefern eignen sich numerische Modellsimulationen für die Gefahrenkartierung von Murgängen - ein Vergleich. FAN Agenda, Fachleute Naturgefahren Schweiz, 21-23.

Walser, M.; Huggel, C.; McArdell, B.; Graf, C., 2014: Gefahrenkartierung von Murgängen. Numerische Modellsimulationen im Vergleich zu empirischen, analytischen Methoden. Wasser, Energie, Luft, 106, 3: 215-218.

Graf, C.; Badoux, A.; McArdell, B.W., 2009: Alarmsystem Illgraben - Erfahrungen während der Pilotbetriebsphase. Wasser, Energie, Luft, 101, 2: 101-107.

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