environment and climate research
Actively restored forests recover above ground biomass faster than areas left to regenerate naturally after being logged, according to a long-term study on Borneo lowland rainforest led by the University of Dundee, Aberdeen and ETH Zurich.
In Agatha Christie's novel The Pale Horse, the victims die of thallium poisoning. The author describes the action of the poison: the initial symptoms are similar to those of influenza; later signs include hair loss and stripes on the fingernails - at which point it is too late to administer an antidote.
Lithium-ion batteries contain salts rich in fluorine, which decompose in humid air to toxic, highly corrosive hydrogen fluoride. The hazardous nature of this substance makes recycling more difficult and more expensive. A research project entitled "Fluoribat" is now being launched at Empa to solve this problem. This could help to make the life cycle of a rechargeable battery less expensive and at the same time safer.
New Guinea is the most floristically diverse island in the world, an international collaboration led by the University of Zurich has shown. The study presents a list of almost 14,000 plant species, compiled from online catalogues and verified by plant experts. The results are invaluable for research and conservation, and also underline the importance of expert knowledge in the digital era.
Biodiversity and thus the state of river ecosystems can now be predicted by combining environmental DNA with hydrological methods, researchers from the University of Zurich and Eawag have found. Using the river Thur as an example, the approach allows areas requiring conservation to be identified in order to initiate protective measures.
An international consortium of scientists has refined the map of caesium and plutonium radionuclide concentrations in soils in Switzerland and several neighbouring countries. Using an archive of European soil samples, the team led by Katrin Meusburger from the University of Basel, now at the WSL research institute, was able to trace the sources of radioactive fallout between 1960 and 2009. This study was published in Scientific Reports.
Selected Jobs
Head of Rock laboratory and deep geological disposal Federal Office of Topography swisstopo, Wabern
Wissenschaftliche/-r Mitarbeitende/-r Stadtökologie 80 % Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften - ZHAW, Wädenswil
Switzerland has been at the forefront of climate research. The Nobel Peace Prize 2007 went to Al Gore and all the members of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Among those honoured are a number of Swiss scientists. Switzerland has decided to strengthen its leading position in climate research through several research initiatives and programs.
Research institutions
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Eawag, the aquatic research institute, is part of the ETH group.
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The Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research is a leading institution for climate research based at the University of Bern.
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WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research in Davos is an Institute of the ETH Domain .
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The Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL in Birmensdorf/Zurich is an Institute of the ETH Domain .
Research programs
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NCCR Climate: The Swiss National Science Foundation SNSF funds a long term climate project under the National Centre for Competence in Research (NCCR) scheme, the NCCR Climate. This NCCR is a network grouping the universities of Bern, Fribourg and Geneva, the Zurich Federal Institute of Technology, a number of Federal agencies, and the Swiss Re reinsuring company. It was established in 2001 with the aim of contributing substantially towards this concern and to better understand the climate system by carrying out interdisciplinary research on its variability and its potential for change. It includes such topics as historical climate change, the development of computer models to diagnose and forecast climate events, and the impact of climate change on ecosystems.
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The World Climate Research Program WCRP is an international program sponsored by several international organisations. It identifies knowledge gaps, prioritizes needs and leads world-class research into climate variability and climate change to meet end-user requirements and policy needs.
Platforms
- Database allowing an overview of environmental research in the broad sense, covering themes as varied as the origins of the Earth, the understanding of natural processes or the solving of concrete environmental problems.
- The platform for cleantech, launched by the Swiss Government, provides all kind of information on cleantech for researchers and companies (only in German and French). Cleantech cover all products and services having a positive and sustainable effect on environment and climate.
Forums
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Proclim is the Swiss forum for climate and global change issues. It seeks to facilitate both integrated research activities and the necessary linkages among scientists, policy-makers and the public at home and abroad . Its aims are the integration of Swiss research in international programs , s upport for interdisciplinary collaboration and dialog and information exchange and dialog with decision makers.
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The Swiss Committee on Polar Research (SCP) is a common forum of the Swiss Scientific Academies. Its main tasks are the national spreading of polar research results and informations through public events and publications.
Other useful links
- Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology
- Swiss Biological Records Center ( Centre Suisse de Cartographie de la Faune) gathers, manages and diffuses information on the distribution and the ecology of fauna in Switzerland.
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Swiss Village in Masdar City: Masdar City, located in Abu Dhabi, is the world’s first carbon-neutral zero waste city. Switzerland is a close partner of Masdar City: A Swiss Village is being realised in the first construction phase of Masdar – the opening is scheduled for 2011. The Swiss Village is to offer a balanced mix of uses with offices, research labs and light manufacturing facilities, restaurants and shops, a Swiss business hub, a Swiss private school, apartments as well as the Swiss Embassy and an embassy residence.
Associations and agencies for renewable energies
- Information about solar energy at Swissolar, the Swiss Association for solar energy.
- The association for geothermic power Geothermie fosters the use of geothermic energy in Switzerland.
- The Agency for renewable energies and energy efficacy (AEE) lobbies for renewable energies.
Portals in the field of renewable energies
- www.energieforschung.ch, a page of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), provides information about activities of the Swiss Government.
- The platform for cleantech, launched by the Swiss Government, provides all kind of information on cleantech for researchers and companies (only in German and French). Cleantech cover all products and services having a positive and sustainable effect on environment and climate.
Last job offers
- Computer Science - 13.8
Dozentin / Dozent mit Schwerpunkt Information und Cyber Security (70-100%) - Computer Science - 13.8
Vizedirektor*in Ausbildung 80-100% - Electroengineering - 13.8
Leiterin / Leiter des Kompetenzzentrums Autonomous Systems & Robotics (80-100%) - Physics - 12.8
PHD Position on Highly-Nonlinear Integrated Optics - Earth Sciences - 10.8
Head of Rock laboratory and deep geological disposal - Administration - 7.8
Fachverantwortliche/r Geschäftsstelle Weiterbildung (90–100 %) - Computer Science - 7.8
HSLU-I Assistentin / Assistenten Wirtschaftsinformatik (20-40%)