Dr. Christoph Bachofen

As an urban plant ecophysiologist I'm interested in how the vegetation in urban systems interacts with the local microclimate. In particular, I study the mechanisms by which trees cope with extreme urban heat, and how their presence modulates the urban climate through transpiration cooling, shading and more. 

For my research, I combine mostly tree-level measurements, such as gas exchange and heat tolerance, with process-based modelling to scale to the urban canyon and beyond. I'm interested in comparing the acclimation of different species to contrasting environments in cities across climates to better understand underlying life-history traits and their plasticity, and thereby estimate the potential of urban trees for improving the urban microclimate.