Eidg. Forschungsanstalt WSL

25 Jahre nach Lothar: Wie der Orkan den Wald umbaute Am Morgen des 26. Dezember 1999 fegte der Orkan «Lothar» über die Schweiz und warf rund 14 Millionen Kubikmeter Holz zu Boden, das Dreifache der jährlichen Holzschläge. WSL-Expertinnen und Experten beantworten zahlreiche Fragen dazu, wie es dem Wald 25 Jahre danach geht. Es war mit Abstand der heftigste Wintersturm in Europa und in der Schweiz, was die Waldschäden betrifft. Die WSL-Forschenden begannen langfristige Beobachtungen zur Erholung und Entwicklung des Waldes und leiten daraus die folgenden Erkenntnisse ab. Mehr lesen: https://lnkd.in/dQEK-8fv #Wald #Sturm #Biodiversität #Naturgefahren Federal Office for the Environment FOEN WaldSchweiz Verband der Waldeigentümer Schweizerischer Forstverein 📷 Reinhard Lässig

New interesting PostDoc in the frame of a European project :)

The job title might be Videojournalist, but being part of the Multimedia department at SWI swissinfo.ch means you can also get a chance to turn your video reportage into a podcast! 🎥 At the end of the summer my colleague Luigi Jorio and I walked on the Rhône glacier to see how scientists from the Eidg. Forschungsanstalt WSL were filtering melt water to collect microorganisms. Michele Andina then went to the lab where they analyse the filters and filmed the second part of the reportage. 🎙️And from the audio material in the video a podcast was born! I talked to Jo Fahy about our reportage for the last episode of the season on "The Swiss Connection", out now wherever you get your podcasts: https://lnkd.in/dbc9EF4x

🌱The first eDNA analyses are underway at the brand new eDNA Clean Lab at the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) College of Natural Resources! 🌏 ETH4D PhD Fellow Karma Sherub and his supervisor, Prof. Dr. Loïc Pellissier have helped make the lab a reality. The new lab is now fully operational to drive training, teaching, and research using eDNA technology to study biodiversity from environmental samples like water, air, and soil. This initiative strengthens Bhutan’s commitment to science-based conservation, empowering efforts to protect the country’s rich natural heritage. Here is what the group has to say about this exciting news: “We are thrilled to announce the establishment of clean laboratory for environmental DNA (eDNA) studies in Bhutan at College of Natural Resources. This represents a milestone for our project and will revolutionize how we monitor biodiversity, study ecosystems, and guide conservation strategies in Bhutan. This initiative is strengthened through collaborations with ETH Zürich, Eidg. Forschungsanstalt WSL, WWF-US, WWF Bhutan, College of Natural Resources, Royal University of Bhutan, and the Department of Forest and park services, MoAF, Bhutan. Together, we aim to enhance conservation efforts, protect endangered species, and better understand changing biodiversity. With this clean lab, Bhutan steps forward as a hub for innovative biodiversity research and reinforces its commitment to safeguarding nature for future generations.”

Wind baut Schneekristalle um – und Klimamodelle Versuche des SLF im Windkanal zeigen, wie sich Schneekristalle im Wind verändern. Die Erkenntnisse könnten Klimaforschende zwingen, ihre Modelle anzupassen – insbesondere in den Polarregionen, wo Schneeverfrachtung durch starke Winde weit verbreitet ist. Mehr dazu im News-Beitrag: https://lnkd.in/eXYyxDhk #SLF #SLFDavos #Schnee #Wind #Metamorphose #Klima 🎥 B. Kittl

Finalement en français : Avalanches - le livre Dans ce guide pratique, rédigé par de grands experts en avalanches, les amateurs de sports d'hiver trouveront toutes les informations pour approfondir leurs connaissances concernant la neige et ses métamorphoses. Basé sur une méthode d'évaluation simple et éprouvée, enrichi d'études de cas éclairantes, ce livre présente les fondamentaux pour comprendre les avalanches et prendre des décisions en limitant le risque encouru. Un manuel indispensable pour les randonneurs à ski, en snowboard et en raquettes à neige, ainsi que pour les freeriders de tous niveaux. Plus d'informations : https://lnkd.in/euEJJcQA #SLF #SLFDavos #avalanche #neige #hiver #freeride #ski #snowboard

More precise snowmelt forecasts: SLF researchers have used satellite data to optimize their models, which they use to predict how much snow there is and when and where it will melt. This progress is important in order to be able to warn of floods and inundations in good time. The big question every spring: when will the snow start to melt? Is there a threat of flooding, how much snowmelt can be expected, when will the Alps be free of snow? Researchers at the SLF have used high-resolution satellite data to make their forecasting models even more precise. "One specific challenge is ensuring that the snow cover in the models starts to melt at the right moment," explains snow hydrologist Bertrand Cluzet from the Operational Snow Hydrology Service (OSHD) at the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF. He analyzed radar satellite data from 2017 to 2021 and extracted specific information on whether there is liquid water in the snowpack or not. He integrated this into the models. More information in the news article: https://lnkd.in/esspxhpD #SLF #SLFDavos #snow #hydrology #flood 📷️ B. Cluzet

Take a moment to help TAMERS-project, led by our member organisation Eidg. Forschungsanstalt WSL , with their survey on the perception and acceptance of current and future adaptive forest management actions and the management of forest genetic resources across Europe. Link to survey: https://lnkd.in/dJ7nkjqM

Klimawandel wird Buchen massiv zusetzen In den Jahren 2004 und 2005 publizierten zwei Teams aus Forscherinnen und Forschern zwei wichtige Studien zur Zukunft der Buche. Das eine sagte der Baumart aufgrund des Klimawandels eine eher düstere Zukunft voraus. Das andere warnte vor Panikmache und bescheinigte der Buche eine hohe Anpassungsfähigkeit. Forschende der Eidg. Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft WSL haben nun beide Studien mit neuen Daten unter die Lupe genommen. Sie kommen zum Schluss: Die düstere Prognose wird wohl eintreffen. Der Klimawandel wird der Buche massiv zusetzen, schlussfolgern die Forschenden. «Die Buche wird nicht nur auf Grenzstandorten, an denen sie schon heute keine optimalen Bedingungen vorfindet, sondern in weiten Teilen ihres mitteleuropäischen Verbreitungsgebiets deutlich an Dominanz einbüssen und Flächen verlieren», sagt Hauptautor der Studie und WSL-Forscher Arthur Gessler. Leiden werde der Baum insbesondere an den immer extremer werdenden Trockenjahren. «Die Trockenheit kann zum teilweisen Absterben der Krone führen, was im Folgejahr oft den Tod des Baumes bedeutet», sagt Gessler. https://lnkd.in/dAcudF8F IUFRO - International Union of Forest Research Organizations, WaldSchweiz Verband der Waldeigentümer, Federal Office for the Environment FOEN #wald #forest #drought #trockenheit #buche #beech #forest #climatechange #klimawandel 📷Ulrich Wasem

Translating science into action and engage in biodiversity policy-making 🔬📊 At the end of a research project, early-career scientists often face the questions: What now? How can my results find their way into practice? How can I contribute my knowledge to the political debate? To support researchers in addressing the challenges of #biodiversity conservation, the Blue-Green Biodiversity Research Initiative of #Eawag and Eidg. Forschungsanstalt WSL and the Universität Zürich | University of Zurich organised a two-day workshop in November called “Capacity Building Workshop on Effective Science-Policy Collaboration in Biodiversity Management”. The workshop provided junior researchers with practical approaches for effective #collaboration between #science and #politics. The aim was to give them tools that they can use to actively shape biodiversity policy in #Switzerland and globally. 💡 “For example, it is crucial to establish close contacts with relevant stakeholders right at the beginning of a research project and to build a basis of trust between science, practice and political decision-makers,” says Dechen Lham, postdoctoral researcher at Eawag and WSL and coordinator of the workshop. 💡 “In light of the current discussions on biodiversity, it is important that young researchers become active not only in science, but also in the political shaping of biodiversity and effectively contribute their research results to political processes,” says Dechen L. #bgb #policymaking #scientists #aquaticresearch #earlycareer #postdoc