News
Install DAS cable in Illgraben
Digging a trench to bury DAS cable.
When and Where?
2025-11-10 to 2025-11-13, Illgraben, Switzerland
What I have done?
Thanks to an invitation from Fabian Walter (WSL) and Felix Blumenschein (WSL),
I joined Felix, Christoph Wetter (WSL), and Wenchao Chen (GFZ) to deploy DAS cable for debris flow monitoring.
Previous installations in the lower channel bank showed that shallow burial in soft forest soil resulted in poor coupling.
This time, we completed full trenching along approximately 200 m.
The work involved excavating to a depth of 25–45 cm, placing a protective sand layer, adding a gravel layer,
and then backfilling with mixed material topped with soft soil.
The improved method significantly enhanced data quality—comparable to the new dam installation—though it reduced our progress by about 30%.
Looking forward to seeing what the data reveals after next summer's mudslide season!