Author(s): Niki Beyer Portner; Jean-Louis Boillat
Linked Author(s): Niki Beyer Portner
Keywords: Soil erosion; Sediment detachment; Sediment transport; Alpine watersheds; Numerical simulation; Steep slopes; Artificial reservoirs; Dead storage
Abstract: Most Swiss dams were built thirty to sixty years ago. Their dead storage, designed to accumulate the sediment yield, is in some particular cases nearly filled. This can present problems for the exploitation or even affect the safe operation of the bottom outlet devices. In order to improve the knowledge of the sediment yield to the alpine reservoirs, the authors studied the importance of surface erosion in the Swiss Alps. Laboratory tests with a rainfall simulator were performed on typical alpine soil, in order to evaluate the individual influence of the most important parameters like slope steepness, rainfall and soil characteristics. Finally a numerical erosion model for alpine watersheds was established and calibrated with the test results.
Year: 1999