Water resources and energy
Switzerland is regarded as the "water tower of Europe". This is mostly because a lot of water is stored in the form of snow and ice in our mountains. Under the influence of climate change the availability of these resources will likely change. We study the processes involved and identify the risks and opportunities arising from this, including for hydropower.
Index
Our snow and water run-off measurement networks throughout Switzerland record when and how much snow and water is available in specific locations. These measurements and the information derived from them allow for more reliable predictions to be made regarding water run-off levels. This is especially critical for optimising energy generation from hydropower.
Glaciers in retreat
One key climate change issue is to determine what consequences rising temperatures, melting glaciers and less frequent snowfall will have on water availability. To this end, we are examining the hydrological processes associated with glacial retreat. We explore the fundamental glaciological processes in laboratory and field studies in order to determine the former extent of glaciers and predict future water availability.