Media

Dr Harry Zekollari in The Straits Times

Dr Mylène Jacquemart in NZZ

Prof. Daniel Farinotti in DW

Dr Matthias Huss in Deutschlandfunk

Dr Matthias Huss in BBC News

Dr Harry Zekollari in The Brussels Times

Dr Mylène Jacquemart in Tagesschau

Dr Mylène Jacquemart in Spiegel

Dr Harry Zekollari in PhysOrg.com

On Wednesday, the glacier known as Birchgletscher collapsed under the weight of rock and debris from rock avalanches on Kleines Nesthorn. In a factsheet, ETH researchers explain the background to the catastrophic collapse that buried the village of Blatten.

A new study with ETH Zurich, finds that if global warming exceeds the Paris Climate Agreement targets, the non-polar glacier mass will diminish significantly. However, if warming is limited to 1.5°C, at least 54 per cent could be preserved—more than twice as much ice as in a 2.7°C scenario.

Dr Harry Zekollari, Prof. Daniel Farinotti in Issues.fr

Prof. Daniel Farinotti in ABC News

Dr Harry Zekollari in RCI Radio Canada

Dr Harry Zekollari in El Mundo

Dr Harry Zekollari in The Mountaineer

Dr Harry Zekollari in RFI (via AFP)

Dr Harry Zekollari in The Guardian

Dr Harry Zekollari in New York Times

Dr. Mylène Jacquemart, Dr. Matthias Huss in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

Dr Mylène Jacquemart in 20 Minuten

Dr Matthias Huss in watson

Dr Matthias Huss in SRF News

Dr Matthias Huss in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

Dr Matthias Huss in Tages Anzeiger

Hidden beneath the Antarctic ice lies a system of lakes and watercourses. A research team, including ETH researchers, has for the first time directly observed the subglacial streams of West Antarctica. Their study shows how individual flood events influence the melting of the ice.

Storage hydropower plants in the Alps play a major role in the electricity supply. However, sedimentation reduces their storage capacity year after year, which can also lead to safety issues at dams. ETH researchers and power plant operators are examining the effects of diverting fine sediments via the turbines.

Dr. Matthias Huss in SRF Echo der Zeit

Dr. Matthias Huss in Le Temps

Dr. Matthias Huss in watson

Dr. Matthias Huss in Tagesschau

Dr. Matthias Huss in SRF News

Switzerland’s glaciers are in increasingly poor shape. If greenhouse gas emissions are not cut drastically soon, they could cease to exist by 2100 – so says ETH Professor Daniel Farinotti in this ETH News interview to mark the first World Day for Glaciers.

Prof. Daniel Farinotti in Spiegel Online

Prof. Daniel Farinotti in Global Magazin

The Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geomatic Engineering at ETH Zurich is one of the best in the world: in the latest QS World University Rankings 2025, ETH is ranked second in Civil & Structural Engineering, marking a steady rise from 9th place in 2021.

Dr. Matthias Huss in 3sat

Prof. Daniel Farinotti in 20 Minuten

Glaciers around the world are shrinking at an alarming rate, threatening sea-level rise, water availability, biodiversity, and ecosystem stability. A new study led by researchers from ETH Zurich and Vrije Universiteit Brussel provides the most comprehensive projections to date, projecting the future of all 200,000 glaciers on Earth under the newest climate scenarios.

Dr. Andreas Bauder in Der Bund

From rockfall to ice avalanches: Climate change is intensifying natural hazards in the mountains in many places, posing particular challenges for the Alpine region. This is the result of a study jointly coordinated by glaciologist Mylène Jacquemart and permafrost expert Samuel Weber from ETH Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL. The international team has evaluated more than three hundred scientific papers from the past three decades.

With a varied programme and a public exhibition in the ETH main hall, this year's Energy Week from 4 to 8 November will not only highlight the challenges of the energy transition, but also present possible solutions. Three D-BAUG researchers are contributing to this year's programme: Professors Robert Boes, Eleni Chatzi and Adrienne Grêt-Regamey.

After the extreme circumstances encountered in 2022 and 2023, no relief is in sight for Swiss glaciers. Despite exceptionally large volumes of snow during the winter, a combination of temperatures in July and August that at times reached record levels and dust from the Sahara resulted in a loss of 2.5 percent of the glacier volume. This was reported by the Swiss Commission for Cryosphere Observation of the Swiss Academy of Sciences led by Dr. Matthias Huss.  

Dr. Matthias Huss in Tages Anzeiger

Dr. Matthias Huss in CNN

Prof. Robert Boes in Blick

Prof. Robert Boes in 20 Minuten

Mit einem intelligenten Einbezug der Talsperren lässt sich die Gefahr von Überschwemmungen im Bergkanton laut Experten senken.

Dr. Matthias Huss in ZDF

Dr. Matthias Huss in Spiegel Online

An international group of experts in mountain hydrology argue that the traditional understanding of the mountain water cycle has largely ignored the role that cryosphere-groundwater interactions play. This oversight could lead to incomplete or inaccurate predictions of water availability in mountain regions, especially in the context of climate change, the authors suggest in a recent Perspective Paper.

Prof. Robert Boes in Walliser Bote

Prof. Robert Boes in SRF News

Prof. Robert Boes in watson

Prof. Daniel Farinotti in Neue Schweizer Zeitung

Professor Daniel Farinotti investigates the evolution of glaciers and the implications for water resources. On the occasion of his promotion to Associate Professor of Glaciology in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, we asked him what currently drives him in research and teaching.

Prof. Daniel Farinotti, Dr. Harry Zekollari in WELT

Prof. Daniel Farinotti, Dr. Harry Zekollari in Tages Spiegel

Prof. Daniel Farinotti, Dr. Harry Zekollari in Smithsonian Magazine

Prof. Daniel Farinotti, Dr. Harry Zekollari in Discover Magazine

Prof. Daniel Farinotti, Dr. Harry Zekollari in Le Temps

Prof. Daniel Farinotti, Dr. Harry Zekollari in Radiotelevisione svizzera

Antarctica harbours a large concentration of meteorites imbuing the icy continent with an unparalleled wealth of information on our Solar System. However, these precious meteorites are rapidly disappearing from the ice sheet surface due to global warming, according to a new study in Nature Climate Change.

Dr. Harry Zekollari in scienceORF.at

Dr. Harry Zekollari in New York Times

Researchers at ETH Zurich led by Robert Boes are developing specific solutions to optimise electricity production from Swiss hydropower plants. This will ensure that hydropower remains the backbone of Switzerland’s electricity supply in the future.

“Respect – Reflect – Respond”: Starting today, you’ll come across this slogan at various places at ETH Zurich. It’s part of the new Respect programme aimed at all members of the university community. These three words summarise how we should treat each other at ETH: on equal terms, willing to reflect on our own thoughts and actions, and responding appropriately in a variety of contexts.

Barbara Stocker in 3sat

As part of the expansion of Andermatt railway station, the discharge capacity in the Unteralpreuss is to be increased by means of a new pressure bridge. A hydraulic model on a scale of 1:30 was constructed to check the feasibility of the flood engineering and is explained in the following video.

Dr. Matthias Huss in Tages Anzeiger

Prof. Daniel Farinotti in New York Times

This physical model experiment shows the failure of a zoned earthen embankment dam due to overtopping. Watch the explanation of researcher Matthew Halso on our newest youtube video.

Barbara Stocker in SRF 1 Einstein

Dr. Matthias Huss in SRF News

Prof. Robert Boes in NZZ  

Prof. Robert Boes in Tages Anzeiger

Prof. Robert Boes, Kamal Pandey in SRF, Schweiz aktuell

Dr. Matthias Huss in Tages Anzeiger

Dr. Matthias Huss in Tagesschau  

On 26 October 2023, the Association of Scientific Staff invites all students, researchers and professors to the department's annual “Meet & Share” event. Doctoral students from 10 Institutes will present selected case studies to illustrate the many ways in which research at D-BAUG helps engineer a more sustainable future. Keynotes will be given by Professors Eleni Chatzi and Max Maurer. Don't miss this exciting event and the apéro afterwards!  

Until 15 October 2023, the Zurich photography festival "Open Your Eyes" presents an extraordinary combination of world-renowned photography and groundbreaking research. The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide the framework. D-BAUG is participating with eight selected contributions, demonstrating how the department focuses not only its research but also its teaching on the SDGs.

Dr. Matthias Huss in Reuters  

The D-BAUG Gender and Diversity Commission (GDK) is pleased to announce the launch of a new seminar series that aims to bring highly successful and prominent female academics to ETH Zurich. It features women in engineering who are addressing key challenges of today. The first event on 27 September 2023 will focus on challenges in environmental engineering, the second event on 16 November on civil engineering challenges. Join us for this public event! Registration is requested, see details below.

Dr. Matthias Huss in Tages Anzeiger

Prof. Daniel Farinotti in Jungfrau Zeitung

Weather-related erosion causes rocks, gravel, sand and silt to enter reservoirs and reduce the storage volume. A VAW research team has now demonstrated that sediment bypass tunnels can significantly mitigate the problem.

Dr. Matthias Huss in Le Temps  

Prof. Robert Boes in Radio SRF 2, Wissenschaftsmagazin

Dr. Matthias Huss in Tek Deeps

Prof. Robert Boes in Radio SRF 4  

At its meeting on 12 and 13 July 2023 and upon application of ETH President Joël Mesot, the ETH Board appointed three professors to D-BAUG and bid one farewell.

This year, six doctoral students from the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering are honoured for their outstanding achievements: four of them receive ETH medals, two the Culmann Prize. Big congrats!

Prof. Robert Boes in Bulletin

On the occasion of this year's Kangaroo Goes Science (KGS) Day on 8 June 2023, 100 girls were once again able to visit the ETH Hönggerberg campus with their parents. D-BAUG also contributed to the event, offering hands-on activities at the Stocker lab, the construction hall, and the Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW).

Dr. Matthias Huss in CNN

Prof. Robert Boes in Der Spiegel  

Dr. David Vetsch in SRF News

The expansion of hydropower generation often leads to conflicts of interest, both in Switzerland and beyond. Researchers from the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering at ETH Zurich are trying to find a basis for compromise that serves the public interest.