1,2,1- 1BOKU University, Department of Landscape, Water and Infrastructure, Institute of Mountain Risk Engineering, Vienna, Austria (sophie.kienesberger@students.boku.ac.at)
- 2Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- 3Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
In alpine torrents, the transport of large wood plays a significant role in the development of multi-hazard chains, while also contributing to channel complexity, sediment regulation, and the ecological functioning of mountain stream ecosystems, its mobilization during extreme events increases the risk of damage for infrastructures. The interaction between large wood, sediment and infrastructure such as engineering structures can lead to hazards, due to the formation of wood jams, related backwater effects, overtopping and unexpected morphological changes. Therefore, understanding the transport dynamics of large wood is fundamental for the design of resilient torrent control measures.
The Rindbach catchment in Ebensee close to the Traunsee (Austria) serves as a representative case study area for these processes. This torrent has a history of high wood recruitment driven by deforestation and avalanches such as the Häuseleckgraben avalanche in 2009 which delivered about 1,000 m3 of wood into the channel. A wood retention rack was built as part of a project by the Austrian Service for Torrent and Avalanche Control (WLV), after the flood event in 2013 that demonstrated the vulnerability of local settlements to wood-laden floods.
To analyze the potential formation of wood jams at the retention structure, the 2D numerical model IberWood is used. The methodology focuses on the interaction between channel morphology, hydraulic flow conditions and the variable transport pattern of large wood. To analyze the systematic response of the torrent to varying wood loads, historical high-flow conditions like the event in 2013 are used as a reference framework. The focus lies on identifying the amount of wood needed to clog the retention structure and affect its discharge capacity. The aims of this study are to provide valuable insights into the optimization of technical wood retention in torrential catchments and to contribute to the development of more resilient hazard mitigation measures in the Alps.
How to cite: Kienesberger, S., Schalko, I., Ruiz-Villaneva, V., and Scheidl, C.: Evaluation of Large Wood Accumulation Processes at a Retention Structure in the Rindbach Alpine Torrent (Austria): A Numerical Study, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-10772, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-10772, 2026.
