Research interests

Initiation and dynamics of gravitational mass flows - Alpine geomorphology - Mitigation measures against mountain hazards - Impact of climate change on mountain hazards - Risk management of natural hazards
 

In my research, I focus on the initiation, movement, and deposition of mountain hazard processes within the framework of engineering risk assessment. A key area of interest is the flow behavior of gravitational mass movements such as debris flows and rock avalanches, and their interactions with structural mitigation measures.

Our work combines field monitoring in torrent catchments with laboratory experiments on particulate systems. A central goal is to transfer methods developed in the lab—such as techniques for measuring basal stresses and velocity profiles—into real-world, natural environments. This multi-scale approach supports the development and validation of numerical simulation tools, including DebrisFrame, an open-source platform currently under development to aid applied hazard and risk assessments.

Another research focus is the investigation of hydro-meteorological and geomorphological trigger conditions for torrent processes, and how climate change may influence the frequency and magnitude of such events. By advancing a process-based understanding of initiation mechanisms, we aim to build a quantitative framework for predicting torrential processes and sediment transfer in mountainous regions under changing climatic conditions.

Current group members

Georg Nagl (Post-doc)

Maximilian Ender (PhD student; topic: Dynamics and Flow Behavior of Natural Debris Flows)

Felix Klein (PhD student; topic: Flow Behavior of Granular Suspensions on a Laboratory Scale)

Julian Lahrssen (PhD student; topic: Development of the open-source simulation tool DebrisFrame)

Current projects

DebrisFrame - The Open Source Debris Flow Framework (DebrisFrame). Collaboration project, funding organization: Bundesministium für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Regionen und Wasserwirtschaft, Abteilung III/4 – Wildbach und Lawinenverbauung und Schutzwaldpolitik, duration: 01.2025 – 12.2027 (PI). 

Safety assessment Verbund (CLIMPACT4VERBUND). Funding: VERBUND Energy4Business GmbH, duration: 11.2024 - 10.2027 (partner). 

Long-term relationship of debris flows and climate change (DFClim). Funding: FWF Österreichischer Wissenschaftsfonds, ESPRIT Program (host). 

Murgangmonitoring Rauris [Debris flow monitoring Rauris] (MurMo). Funding: Bundesministium für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Regionen und Wasserwirtschaft, Abteilung III/4 – Wildbach und Lawinenverbauung und Schutzwaldpolitik, duration: 10.2024 – 09.2027 (PI).

Flow behavior of debris flows at different scales (Behave). Funding organization: FWF Österreichischer Wissenschaftsfonds, project no. PAT2495323, duration: 12.2024 – 11.2028 (PI).

Doctoral school Hazards and risks in alpine regions under global change (HADRIAN). Funding organization: University of Natural Resouces and Life Sciences, Vienna, duration: 10.2021 – 09.2026 (co-PI). 

Teaching

871.322 Mountain Hazard Processes (co-teaching)

871.358 Dynamics of Geophysical Flows

871.192 Wildbach- und Lawinenverbauung (co-teaching)

871.312 Naturgefahren

871.343 Wassergefahren - Analyse und Bewertung (co-teaching)

872.318 Climate change impacts on hazards in mountain regions (co-teaching)

870.408  Integrative and interdisciplinary research methods for natural hazards and risks II (co-teaching)

 

Find here a list of topics for a master thesis

Publications

Full list (BOKU site with link to CV)

Full list (Google scholar)

 

Selected publications

Jacquemart, M., Weber, S., Chiarle, M., Chmiel, M., Cicoira, A., Eckert, N., Gaume, J., Giacona, F., Hirschberg, J., Kaitna, R., Magnin, F., Mayer, S., Moos, C., van Herwijnen, A., Stoffel, M. (2024): Detecting the impact of climate change on alpine mass movements in observational records from the European Alps. Earth-Science Reviews 104886 (doi: 10.1016/j.earscirev.2024.104886).

Kaitna, R., Prenner, D., Switanek, M., Maraun, D., Stoffel, M., Hrachowitz, M. (2023): Changes of hydro-meteorological trigger conditions for debris flows in a future Alpine climate. Science of the Total Environment, 872, 162227, doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162227

Nagl, G., Huebl, J., Kaitna, R. (2020): Velocity profiles and basal stresses in natural debris flows. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (doi.org/10.1002/esp.4844).

Fischer, J.T., Kaitna, R., Heil, K., Reiweger, I. (2018): The heat of the flow - thermal equilibrium in gravitational mass flows. Geophysical Research Letters (doi: 10.1029/2018gl079585).

Prenner, D., Kaitna, R., Mostbauer, K., & Hrachowitz, M. (2018): The value of using multiple hydrometeorological variables to predict temporal debris flow susceptibility in an Alpine environment. Water Resources Research 54 (doi: 10.1029/2018WR022985).

Ballesteros-Cánovas, J.; Stoffel, M.; Corona, C.; Schraml, K.; Gobiet, A.; Tani, S.; Sinabell, F.; Fuchs, S. & Kaitna, R. (2016): Debris-flow risk analysis in a managed torrent based on a stochastic life-cycle performance. Science of The Total Environment 557, 142-153 (doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.036)

Kaitna, R.; Palucis, M.; Yohannes, B.; Hill, K. & Dietrich, W.E. (2016): Effects of Coarse Grain Size Distribution and Fine Particle Content on Pore Fluid Pressure and Shear Behavior in Experimental Debris Flows. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface (doi: 10.1002/2015JF003725)

Leonardi, A.; Cabrera, M.; Wittel, F. K.; Kaitna, R.; Mendoza, M.; Wu, W. & Herrmann, H. J. (2015): Granular front formation in free-surface flow of concentrated suspensions. Physical Review E 92, 052204 (doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.92.052204)

Schraml, K., Thomschitz, B., McArdell, B.W., Graf, C., Kaitna, R. (2015): Modeling debris-flow runout patterns on two alpine fans with different dynamic simulation models. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 15, 1483–1492 (doi:10.5194/nhess-15-1483-2015).

Kaitna, R., Dietrich, W.E., Hsu, L. (2014): Surface slopes, velocity profiles and fluid pressure in coarse-grained debris flows saturated with water and mud. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, vol. 741, pp. 277-403 (doi: 10.1017/jfm.2013.675). [Awarded with the Best Paper Award of the “Jubiläumsfonds der Stadt Wien”]

Schneider, D., Huggel, C., Haeberli, W., Kaitna, R. (2011): Unraveling driving factors for large rock-ice avalanche mobility. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. (doi: 10.1002/esp.2218).

Kaitna, R., Chiari, M., Kerschbaumer, M., Kapeller, H., Zlatic-Jugovic, J., Hengl, M., Huebl, J. (2011): Physical and numerical modelling of a bedload deposition area for an Alpine torrent. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 11: 1589-1597 (doi:10.5194/nhess-11-1589-2011).

Fuchs, S.; Kaitna, R.; Scheidl, C. & Huebl, J. (2008): The application of the risk concept to debris flow hazards. Geomechanics and Tunnelling 1, 120-129 (doi: 10.1002/geot.200800013).

Kaitna, R., Rickenmann, D. (2007): A new experimental facility for laboratory debris flow investigation. Journal of Hydraulic Research. Vol.45, No.6, pp. 797-810.