New events and activities

  Weather:   See Swiss weather forecast and radar      Codes:   Download codes

 

2008
[2/11/2008] Paper:

Thuiller W, Albert C, Araújo MB, Berry PM, Cabeza M, Guisan A, Hickler T, Midgley GF, Paterson J, Schurr FM, Sykes MT,Zimmermann NE, 2008. Predicting global change impacts on plant species’ distributions: Future challenges. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 9: 137-152.
 

 

 2007

[11/29/2007] Invited Lecture:

Zimmermann NE, 2007. Possible futures of mountain forests ­ a model-based assessment of global change effects at the landscape scale in Switzerland. Presented at the institute seminar of the University of York upon invitation by Prof. C.Thomas.
 
University of York
 
 

[11/09/2007] 2 Papers:

Gellrich M, Baur P & Zimmermann NE, 2007. Natural forest re-growth in the Swiss mountains: investigating patterns and causes on two different spatial and temporal scales. Environmental Modeling and Assessment 12: 269-278.

Rickebusch S, Gellrich M, Lischke H, Guisan A & Zimmermann NE, 2007. Combining probabilistic land-use change and forest dynamics modelling to simulate global change responses at the Alpine tree-line. Ecological Modelling 209(2-4): 157-168.
 

[11/08/2007] Invited Lecture:

Zimmermann NE, 2007. Wälder statt Gletscher? Unsere Alpen in 50-80 Jahren. 25 year anniversary special symposium of Geo7.
 
Geo7
 
 

[11/07/2007] Paper:

Guisan A, Zimmermann NE, Elith J, Graham C & the NCEAS species distribution modelling group, 2007 Comparing the performance of sixteen modelling techniques to predict species´ distribution from occurrence data: a case study with trees in Switzerland. Ecological Monographs 77(4): 615-630. [Appendices].
 

[10/26/2007] SUK-ETHZ Proposal HyperSwissNet is accepted:
HyperSwissNet is a National research and training network for hyperspectral remote sensing, designed to promote the training and research of the new APEX hyperspectral sensor. The project will be carried out in collaboration with the EU-funded Hyper-I-Net project.
My role: Workpackage Leader
 
[9/10/2007] Hearing Panel for EU-FP7 Call:

I served on the hearing panel of a call within FP7. Dates: September 24-27, 2007
 

[9/10/2007] Review Panel for EU-FP7 Call:

I served on a review panel of a call within FP7. Dates: September 10-14, 2007
 

[8/30/2007] CCES-ETH Proposal MAIOLICA is accepted:
The project "Modelling And experIments On Land-surface Interactions with atmospheric Chemistry and climAte" [MAIOLOCA]: will (i) improve our understanding of fundamental processes that contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including CH4, N2O, CO2, and H2O, from temperate, mid-latitude terrestrial and lake ecosystems and (ii) investigate the interactions and feedbacks among the terrestrial biosphere, atmospheric composition and climate..
My role: Workpackage Leader
 
CCES
 
[8/29/2007] Paper:

Zimmermann NE, Moisen GG, Edwards TC, Jr, Frescino TS & Blackard JA, 2007. Remote sensing-based predictors improve distribution models of rare, early successional and broadleaf tree species in Utah. Journal of Applied Ecology, 44: 1057-1067.   [+ Appendix S1].
 

[8/16/2007] Paper:

Thornton PE & Zimmermann NE, 2007. An improved canopy integration scheme for a land surface model with prognostic canopy structure. Journal of Climate, 20: 3902-3923.
 

[7/09/2007] Contribution to Conference Excursion:

Zimmermann NE, 2007. Climate change scenarios and the vegetation of the upper Engadin. Post-IALE World Congress Excursion July 14-20 2007, Switzerland.
 

[7/09/2007] Invited Lecture:

Zimmermann NE, 2007. Where do all these trees come from? Land abandonment and forest regeneration in the Swiss Alps. IALE World Congress July 9-12 2007, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
 
IALE
 
 

[5/29/2007] PhD thesis defense:
Lukas Mathys defends his PhD thesis at the University of Lausanne. Title: A discrete Forest in a continuous Landscape - Investigating Interactions between Natural Resource Management and Sustainable Development.
My role: Responsible Scientific Supervisor & Committee Member.
 
[05/01/2003] ISI recognition for "New Hot Paper":
The paper "Elith & al. [incl. Zimmermann, N.E.], 2006" is recogniced as one of the most cited papers in the fields environment/ecology among those published within the last two months (top 0.01%).
 
[7/10/2007] Paper:

Shiyatov SG, Terent'ev MM, Fomin VV & Zimmermann NE, 2007. Altitudinal and Horizontal Shifts of the Upper Boundaries of Open and Closed Forests in the Polar Urals in the 20th Century. Russian Journal of Ecology 38(4): 243-248. -->in Russian.
 

[7/05/2007] Paper:

Rickebusch S, Lischke H, Bugmann H, Guisan A & Zimmermann NE, 2007. Understanding the low-temperature limitations to forest growth through calibration of a forest dynamics model with tree-ring data. Forest Ecology and Management 246: 251-263.
 

[5/02/2007] Paper:

Gehrig-Fasel J, Guisan A & Zimmermann NE, 2007. Treeline shifts in the Swiss Alps: Climate Change or Land Abandonment? Journal of Vegetation Science 18: 571-582.  [+ Appendix].
 

[4/17/2007] Paper:

Guisan A, Graham C, Elith J, Huettman, F. & the NCEAS species distribution modelling group (incl. NE Zimmermann) 2007. Sensitivity of predictive species distribution models to change in grain size: insights from a multi-models experiment across five continents: Diversity and Distribution 13: 332-340.
 

[4/12/2007] PhD thesis defense:
Jacqueline Gehrig-Fasel defends her PhD thesis at the University of Lausanne. Title: Treeline and climate change: analyzing and modeling patterns and shifts in the Swiss Alps.
My role: Responsible Scientific Supervisor & Committee Member.
 
[04/04/2007] ISI recognition for "Fast Breaking Paper":
The paper "Elith & al. [incl. Zimmermann, N.E.], 2006" is recognized to be among the top 1% cited papers in the fields environment/ecology within the last year.
 
[3/21/2007] Paper:

Rutherford GN, Guisan A & Zimmermann NE, 2007. Evaluating sampling strategies and logistic regression methods for modelling complex land cover changes. Journal of Applied Ecology 44: 414-424.
 

[2/23/2007] Paper:

Leyk S & Zimmermann NE, 2007. Improving land cover change analysis based on uncertain survey maps: predictive map correction and area estimations using Fuzzy Sets. Landscape Ecology 22: 257-272.
 

[2/20/2007] Teaching advanced class at University of Helsinki:
Antoine Guisan & Niklaus E. Zimmermann. Title: Predictive habitat distribution modelling in ecology. Dept. of Biological and Environmental Sciences. February 20-22, 2007.
 
University of Helsinki
 
[2/02/2007] PhD thesis defense:
Mario Gellrich defends his PhD thesis at the University of Freiburg. Title: Understanding and Modelling the Abandonment of agricultural land-use in the mountains of Switzerland.
My role: Responsible Scientific Supervisor.
 
[1/08/2007] 2 Papers:

Gellrich M, Baur P, Koch B & Zimmermann NE, 2007. Agricultural land abandonment and natural forest re-growth in the Swiss mountains: A spatially explicit economic analysis. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 118: 93-108.

Gellrich M, & Zimmermann NE, 2007. Land abandonment in the Swiss mountains: A spatial statistical analysis at the regional scale. Landscape and Urban Planning 79: 65-76.
 

[01/01/2007] Start of new EU-project:
The EU-FP6 IP EcoChange has started officially.
EcoChange project
 
My role: Co-initiator (with Pierre Taberlet, UJF Grenoble), activity leader & workpackage leader.

 

 2006

[31/12/2006] 2 Papers:

Mathys L, Zimmermann NE, Zbinden N & Suter W, 2006. Identifying habitat suitability for hazel grouse Bonasa bonasia at the landscape scale. Wildlife Biology 12(4): 357-366.

Cunningham C, Zimmermann NE Stöckli V & Bugmann H, 2006. Growth response of Norway spruce saplings to artificial browsing, black snow mold, and ground vegetation in forest gaps in the Swiss Alps. Canadian Journal of Forestry Research 36: 2782-2793.
 

[31/12/2006] End of EU-project:
The EU-FP6 project IntraBioDiv has ended officially.
IntraBioDiv
 
[11/11/2006] Paper:

Lischke H, Zimmermann NE, Bolliger J, Rickebusch S & Löffler TJ, 2006. TreeMig: A forest-landscape model for simulating spatio-temporal patterns from stand to landscape scales. Ecological Modelling, 199: 409-420.

[10/23/2006] 2 Papers:

Edwards TC, Jr, Cutler R, Zimmermann NE, Geiser L & Moisen GG, 2006. Effects of sample survey design on the accuracy of classifiation models in ecology. Ecological Modelling 199: 132-141.

Moisen GG, Freeman EA, Blackard JA, Zimmermann NE & Edwards TC, Jr, 2006. Predicting tree species presence and basal area in Utah - A comparison of generalized additive models, stochastic gradient boosting, and tree-based methods. Ecological Modelling 199: 176-187.
 

[09/12/2006] 2 Papers:

Maggini R, Lehmann A, Zimmermann NE & Guisan A, 2006. Improving generalized regression analysis for spatial predictions of forest communities. Journal of Biogeography, 33, 1729-1749.

Randin CF, Dirnböck T, Dullinger S, Zimmermann NE, Zappa M & Guisan A, 2006. Are species distribution models transferable in space? Journal of Biogeography, 33, 1689-1703.
 

[07/11/2006] PhD thesis defense:
Sophie Rickebusch defends her PhD thesis at UNIL, Lausanne. Title: Modelling tree population dynamics at the Alpine and Boreal tree-line ecotones in response to climate and land-use change
My role: Responsible Supervisor & Committee Member.
 
[07/01/2006] New position, and start of NEW WSL:
I start my new position as "Head of Research Unit" Land Use Dynamics" at WSL.
 
[06/15/2006] PhD thesis defense:
Catherine Cunningham defends her PhD thesis at ETHZ, Zürich. Title: Growth of Norway spruce saplings: Exploring the influence of spring conditions through observation, experiment, and model simulation
My role: Co-Supervisor & Committee Member.
 
[6/6/2006] Paper:

Mathys L, Ginzler C, Zimmermann NE, Brassel P & Wildi O, 2006. Sensitivity assessment on continuous landscape variables to classify a discrete forest area. Forest Ecology and Management 229(1-3): 111-119.
 
 

[05/17/2006] NATURE Highlights:
The paper by Elith J et al., published in 2006 in Ecography was discussed in the NATURE Highlights section. It is already the most downloaded paper in Ecography since the beginning of the year.
 
[04/27/2006] EU FP6-2005 IP ECOCHANGE likely to be funded:
The EU-project EcoChange, centered around assessing and forecasting global change impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems has clearly passed all necessary thresholds and the consortium was invited to contract negotiaions.
My role: Initiator, Acitivity Leader, Workpackage Leader
 
[04/17/2006] Paper:

Elith J, Graham CH, Anderson RP, Dudik M, Ferrier S, Guisan A, Hijmans RJ, Huettmann F, Leathwick J, Lehmann A, Li J, Lohmann LG, Loiselle BA, Manion G, Moritz C, Nakamura M, Nakazawa Y, Overton JM, Peterson AT, Phillips SJ, Richardson K, Scachetti-Pereira R, Schapire R, Soberón J, Williams S, Wisz MS & Zimmermann NE, 2006. Novel methods improve prediction of species’ distributions from occurrence data. Ecography, 29: 129-151.
 

[03/27/2006] Paper:

Guisan A, Broennimann O, Engler R, Vust M, Yoccoz NG,Lehmann A & Zimmermann NE, 2006. Using niche-based distribution models to improve the sampling of rare species. Conservation Biology 20(2): 501-511.
 

[03/09/2006] PhD thesis defense:
Gillian Rutherford defends her PhD thesis at ETHZ, Zürich. Title: The use of land-use statistics to investigate large-scale successional processes.
My role: Responsible Supervisor & Committee Member.
 
[03/08/2006] New position offered:
In the course of the re-organization at WSL, I was offered the position "Head of the Research Unit" Land Use Dynamics" at WSL. This position is to be started at the start of the new structure (7/1/06) after finishing the re-organization.
 
[02/16/2006] Paper:

Cunningham C, Zimmermann NE Stöckli V & Bugmann H, 2006. Growth of Norway spruce saplings in subalpine forests in Switzerland: Does spring climate matter? Forest Ecology and Management, 228(1-3): 19-32.
 

[01/01/2006] Start of new EU-project:
The EU-FP6 IP MILLENIUM has started officially.
MILLENIUM project
 
My role: Workpackage leader.

 

 2005

[12/31/2005] Most cited & most downloaded since 2000:
In an Editorial Commentby SE Jørgensen the paper by "Guisan, A. & Zimmermann, N.E., 2000" was identified as the most downloaded and most cited paper by far over the whole period of 2000-2005 in the journal Ecological Modelling.
 
[11/30/2005] End of EU-project:
The EU-FP5 project PINE has ended officially.
PINE project
 
[10/25/2005] Paper:

Dobbertin M, Mayer P, Wohlgemuth T, Feldmeyer-Christe E, Graf U, Zimmermann NE & Rigling A, 2005. The decline of Pinus sylvestris L. forests in the Swiss Rhone valley - a result of drought stress? Phyton Ann. Rei. Bot. 45: 153-156.
 

[08/24/2005] Paper:

Jolly WM, Dobbertin M, Zimmermann NE & Reichstein M 2005. Divergent vegetation growth responses to the 2003 heat wave in the Swiss Alps. Geophysical Research Letters 32: L18409.
 

[07/04/2005] PhD thesis defense:
Stefan Leyk defends his PhD thesis at UNIZH, Zürich. Title: Computing the Past - Utilizing Historical Data Sources for Map-Based Retrospective Landscape Research
My role: Responsible Supervisor & Committee Member.
 
[06/03/2005] Paper:

Edwards TC, Jr, Cuttler R, Zimmermann NE, Geiser L & Alegria J, 2005. Model-based stratifications for enhancing the detection of rare ecological events: Lichens as a case study. Ecology 86(5): 1081-1090.
 

[05/20/2005] Paper:

Dobbertin M, Hilker N, Rebetez M, Zimmermann NE, Wohlgemuth T & Rigling A, 2005. The upward shift in altitude of pine mistletoe (Viscum album ssp. austriacum) in Switzerland ¯ the result of climate warming? International Journal of Biometeorology 50: 40-47.
 

[05/15/2005] Most downloaded in 2004:
After being the most downloaded in 2001, 2002 & 2003, the paper "Guisan, A. & Zimmermann, N.E., 2000" is again the most downloaded paper in 2004 from the homepage of the journal Ecological Modelling.
 
[05/09/2005] Review Panel for Call FP6-2004-Infrastructures-5:
I served on the review panel for call FP6-2004-Infrastructures-5 of the 6th framework programme.
 
[01/01/2005] Paper:

Schwarz M & Zimmermann NE, 2005. A new GLM-based method for mapping tree cover continuous fields using MODIS reflectance data. Remote Sensing of Environment 95:428-443.
 

 

 2004

[11/25/2004] Paper:

Schwarz M, Zimmermann NE, Wildi O & Kienast F, 2004. Erfassen kontinuierlicher Bodenbedeckungsdaten anhand von MODIS Daten in der Schweiz. Botanica Helvetica 114(2): 151-167.
 

[05/10/2004] Paper:

Leyk S & Zimmermann NE, 2004. A predictive uncertainty model for field-based survey maps using Generalized Linear Models. In: Egenhofer M, Freksa C, Harvey M (Eds.), Third International Conference, GIScience 2004. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, LNCS 3234, pp. 191-205.
 

[06/06/2004] 2 Papers:

Wildi O, Feldmeyer-Christe E, Ghosh S & Zimmermann NE, 2004. A comment on vegetation monitoring approaches. Community Ecology 5: 1-5.

Schaepman ME, Koetz B, Schaepman-Strub G, Zimmermann NE & Itten KI, 2004. Quantitative retrieval of biogeophysical characteristics using imaging spectroscopy: a mountain forest case study. Community Ecology 5: 93-104.
 

[04/15/2004] Most downloaded in 2003:
After being the most downloaded in 2001 & 2002, the paper "Guisan, A. & Zimmermann, N.E., 2000" is again the most downloaded paper in 2003 from the homepage of the journal Ecological Modelling.
 
[03/15/2004] Paper:

Powell JA & Zimmermann NE, 2004. Multi-scale analysis of seed dispersal and the resolution of Reid's Paradox. Ecology 85(2):490-506.
 

[03/01/2004] SAEFL-Project HiVar-TWW started:
The project "Analyis of the historical range of variability in dry and nutrient-poor meadows in Switzerland" has been started. It aims at developing a methods to assess likely future changes of monitoring objects mapped within TWW. My role is: Project leader.
 
[01/01/2004] Start of new EU FP6 project:
IntraBioDiv: Tracking surrogates of intraspecific diversity.
My role is: Workpackage leader.

IntraBioDiv
 

 

 2003

[05/23/2003] EU FP6-2003 project IntraBioDiv likely to be funded:
The EU-project IntraBioDiv, centered around mapping and modelling of intra- and interspecific plant diversity as well as of habitats has clearly passed all necessary thresholds (21 pts.), it has been evaluated at a score of 26.5 pts out of 30 pts. My responsibility is for work package 5 (habitat diversity) and I am addi- tionally involved in the modelling of intra- and interspecific diversity and combined data analyses.
 
[05/05/2003] Review Panel for Call FP6-2002-Space-1:
I served on the review panel for call FP6-2002-Space-1 of the 6th framework programme.
 
[05/01/2003] ISI recognition for "New Hot Paper":
The paper "Guisan, A. & Zimmermann, N.E., 2000" is recogniced as one of the most cited papers in the fields environment/ecology among those published within the last two months (top 0.01%).
 
[04/15/2003] Most downloaded in 2002: After being the most downloaded in 2001, the paper "Guisan, A. & Zimmermann, N.E., 2000" is again the most downloaded paper in 2002 from the homepage of the journal Ecological Modelling.
 
[03/24/2003] Workshop:
State of the art in vegetation monitoring approaches.
I am chairing the session "GIS, remote sensing and spatial modeling approaches".
Mar.24-26, 2003, WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
 
MODIS           The World           MODIS
 
 
[02/13/2003] TreeLine Group established:
The treeline group consisting of 5 PhD students is established. I am the responsible supervisor for these PhD's, which almost all deal with treelines in one way or another.
 

 

 2002

[08/01/2002] SAEFL-Project MfM-U started:
The project "Monitoring flankierende Massnahmen - Umwelt" has finally started. It aims at developing a long-term environmental monitoring of effects of trans-al- pine traffic upon ecosystems, habitats and society. My role is the project leader.
 
[09/01/2002] PINE-Project started:
The project PINE has started officially. My responsibility is for one workpackage and for one PhD student (S. Rickebusch). My role: Workpackage Leader.
PINE project
 
[04/29/2002] Most downloaded in 2001:
The paper "Guisan, A. & Zimmermann, N.E., 2002" is the most downloaded paper in 2001 from the homepage of the journal Ecological Modelling.
 
[03/28/2002] EU-Project accepted:
Hicks, S. et al. PINE: Predicting impacts on natural ecotones. A collaboration between Finland, Sweden, Germany, England, Slowenia and Switzerland. 3 years, ~$290'000.- (WSL part)
 
[02/01/2002] WSL-Project accepted:
Brändli, U.-B. & Zimmermann, N.E., 2002. TREELINE: Scenario modelling of Alpine treelines in Switzerland: Sensitivity to climate, land-use, and natural hazards. 3 years, ~$100'000.-
 

 

 2001

[11/07/2001] Paper:

Price, D.T., Zimmermann, N.E., van der Meer, P.J., Lexer, M.J., Leadley, P., Jorritsma, I.T.M., Schaber, J., Clark, D.F., Lasch, P., McNulty, S., Wu, J. & Smith, B., 2001. Regeneration in gap models: Priority issues for studying forest responses to climate change. Climatic Change 51(3/4): 475-508.
 

[10/13/2001] Final Report:

Zimmermann, N.E. & Roberts, D.W 2001. Final report of the MLP climate and biophysical mapping project. Scientific project report. WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland, 18 pp.
 

[06/19/2001] Article:

Zimmermann, N.E., 2001. Umfassender Blick auf die Erde: MODIS fördert das wissenschaftliche Überwachen von Landschaften. Solothurner Zeitung 19.6.2001: 25.
 

[06/02/2001] Article:

Zimmermann, N.E., 2001. Umfassender Blick auf die Erde: MODIS fördert das wissenschaftliche Überwachen von Landschaften. Aargauer Zeitung 2.6.2001: 24.
 

[05/17/2001] Paper:

Schloeder, C.A., Zimmermann, N.E. & Jacobs, M.J., 2001. Comparison of methods for interpolating soil properties using limited data. Soil Science Society of America Journal 65(2): 470-479.
 

[05/17/2001] Paper:

Kienast, F., Zimmermann, N.E., Wildi, O., 2000. Évolution possibles des aires de répartition des principales essences forestières en fonction des scénarios de changement climatique. Revue forestière française 52, numéro spécial 2000: 119-126.
 

[04/23/2001] Article:

Zimmermann, N.E. 2001. TERRA/MODIS - Ein umfassendes, satellitengestütztes Erdbeobachtungssystem. Inf.bl. Forsch.bereich Landsch., WSL 49:3-4.
 

[04/01/2001] Project start:
Zimmermann, N.E., Thornton, P.E., Jolly, W.M., Cherubini, P., Kienast, F., Kräuchi, N., Wildi, O., Dobbertin, M., Forster, T. & Schaub, M., 2001. Scaling carbon fluxes from stands to landscapes: Calibrating and testing Biome-BGC along multiple environmental gradients. WSL project, 24 months, ~$250'000.-
 
[04/01/2001] Project start:
Guisan, A., Gonseth, Y., Cherix, D., Zimmermann, N.E., Kienast, F., Edwards, T.C., Walter, T. & Weiss, A., 2001. Landscape potential for animal species survival, colonization and dispersal: a spatial simulation study. Swiss National Science Foundation, 36 months, ~$105'000.-
 
[03/01/2001] New position:
Associate Researcher in the Department Landscape Dynamics and Management at WSL.
 
[02/01/2001] Project start:
Zimmermann, N.E. & Roberts, D.W., 2001. Biophysical modeling of Northern Californian National Forests. USDA Forest Service, Modoc National Forest, 7 months, ~$15'000.-
 

 

 2000

[12/28/2000] Paper:

Guisan, A. & Zimmermann, N.E., 2000. Predictive habitat distribution models in ecology. Ecological Modelling 135(2-3):147-186.
 

[12/14/2000] Paper:

Bolliger, J., Kienast, F. & Zimmermann, N.E., 2000. Risks of global warming on montane and subalpine forests of Switzerland - a modeling case study. Regional Environmental Change 1(3-4): 99-111..
 

[06/01/2000] Project start:
Roberts, D.W., Zimmermann, N.E. & Buckley, T., 2001. Predicting the distribution and dynamics of forest vegetation in the central Rocky Mountains; leaf area, sapwood, and site water balance at the tree, stand, and landscape level. US National Science Foundation, 36 months, ~$290'000.-
 
[03/07/2000] Workshop:
New approaches to RS-based ecosystem modelling and monitoring
Transformation, Integration, and Application of MODIS sensor data.
Oct.3-5, 2000, WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
 
MODIS           The World           MODIS
 
 

 

 1999

[07/01/1999] Project start:
Lischke, H., Ammann, B., Roberts, D.W. & Zimmermann, N.E., 1999. Developing a physiologically mechanistic tree migration model and simulating Holocene spread of forest trees. Swiss National Science Foundation, 36 months, ~$130'000.-
 





© 1998-2012 WSL - - Last Update: Sat Feb 16 2008