What we do

We, the team of the Chair of Physcial Geography, share a strong research interest in geomorphology and hydrology, including natural hazards arising from the respective processes. In research and teaching, we have developed a focus on methods for surveying surfaces and analysing digital elevation models. Using different techniques, we produce such models from the air (airborne LiDAR, drone-based imagery, historical aerial photos), ground (terrestrial LiDAR and photos) and even underwater (echosounding). Multitemporal surveys enable us to quantify topographic changes associated with erosion and deposition. We establish networks of sediment transfer pathways to assess the sediment connectivity at different spatial and temporal scales. Last not least, digital elevation models form the basis for susceptibility and simulation models needed for various purposes, from digital geomorphological mapping to natural hazards assessment.

Major research projects include SEHAG (Sediment cascades in Alpine Geosystems), SedAlp (Integrated management of sediment transport in Alpine basins), and PROSA (High-resolution measurements of morphodynamics in rapidly changing PROglacial Systems of the Alps). Since 2019, we have been working in the SEHAG research unit focusing on the SEnsitivity of High Alpine Geosystems to climatic change since the end of the Little Ice Age. While most of our research projects has been concentrated in the Alps, we also worked in different environments such as Tuscany (badland erosion and mass movements), Lebanon (digital morphometry applied to archaeological problems) and Crete (coastal morphology in response to large earthquakes). See our list of publications and research projects to learn more.