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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 over 200,000 glaciers – excluding those in Greenland and Antarctica – 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.

Heavier rain, longer droughts, melting glaciers: climate change has a dramatic impact on the global water cycle.

Prof. Robert Boes in Handelszeitung

As an early career scientist, Harry Zekollari has already made outstanding contributions to glaciology, for example with his modelling of global glacier evolution. For his achievements and commitment, he now receives the Arne Richter Award from the European Geosciences Union (EGU).

Dr. Matthias Huss in SonntagsZeitung  

Restoration and nature conservation projects have the great potential to restore and maintain important functions of our watercourses for future generations. Researchers from four research institutes of the ETH Domain, in collaboration with the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), have investigated how sediment transport and connectivity affect flood safety and river ecology. They have now compiled the scientific results from the research project for a broad audience.

VAW Glaciology presents the film ‘The Crystal Ship: First ascent of Pumari Chhish East’ on May 16, 2023 at 6.30 p.m. at AudiMax (HG F30) of ETH Zurich. In June 2022, our doctoral student Christophe Ogier along with two friends travelled to the remote Hispar glacier in Pakistan to attempt the first ascent of the Pumari Chhish East (6850m). The event will include talk by Christophe Ogier in English, as well as the original film.

Dr. Matthias Huss in ARD Alpha  

Hydropeaking, the rapid and frequent flow fluctuations downstream of powerplant outlets, is estimated to affect thousands of kilometers of river networks worldwide, with multiple consequences on river ecosystems. The journal River Research and Applications just published a special issue, edited by Davide Vanzo (VAW) and others, focusing on the innovations in hydropeaking research.

In the last issue of hydrolink, members of the ecohydraulics community discuss the challenges and opportunities of ecohydraulic research in the context of climate change. Ecohydraulics is a hopeful, forward-looking endeavor tightly coupling scientific exploration, technological development, and engineering practice.

Dr. Matthias Huss in Die Presse

Prof. Robert Boes in Tages Anzeiger

Congratulation! The VAW-led publication ‘High-​Velocity Air–Water Flow Measurements in a Prototype Tunnel Chute: Scaling of Void Fraction and Interfacial Velocity’ of Benjamin Hohermuth, Robert M. Boes (both VAW) and Stefan Felder (UNSW, Sydney) was awarded with the Karl Emil Hilgard Hydraulics Prize by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in recognition of the merit and quality of this work in the field of water resources.

Dr. Matthias Huss in NZZ

Every year, the student association of ETH Zurich recognizes particularly dedicated and inspiring lecturers with a "Golden Owl". At D-​BAUG, the teaching award 2022 goes to Robert Boes, professor of hydraulic engineering at the Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW). Congratulations!

On the current list of Highly Cited Researchers, 21 have a connection to ETH Zurich. Four of these appear on the list for the first time, among them glacier researcher Matthias Huss from D-BAUG.

In preparation of the next Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP27) UNESCO and the International Union for Conservation of Nature published a short report entitled “World heritage glaciers: sentinels of climate change”. VAW-Glaciology was one of the main contributors to the report, providing the majority of the presented resutls.

Step-pool sequences represent a promising, nature-based bed stabilization measure imitating the typical step-pool morphology of steep mountain streams.

Researchers at the Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW) have developed a new type of guidance system to improve fish protection at hydropower plants. The protection system was recently put into operation at the ecologically refurbished power plant Herrentöbeli on the river Thur. If successful, it could be used at many other plants in Switzerland and abroad. The pilot project is supported by the Federal Office for the Environment.

A new VAW report, published by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, allows not only to determine the potential water level rise at an existing dam due to large wood accumulation at the overflow spillway, but also to design the required protrusion of the weir piers as a possible measure to safely retain large wood. For the first time, various porosities of the accumulation were also included.

If the transition to renewables is to succeed, we will need a viable means of storing surplus heat and electricity. Globe interviewed four experts from ETH Zurich about the promising technologies that could help us reach net zero. Robert Boes, D-​BAUG Professor of Hydraulic Engineering, spoke about the role of hydropower and ways to make it more eco-​friendly.

D-BAUG doctoral student Robert Naudascher from the group of Professor Roman Stocker investigates the influence of flow changes on the behaviour of juvenile fish. His scientific imagery is currently embedded into a film installation at the “ART SAFIENTAL – Biennale for Land and Environmental Art”.

Prof. Daniel Farinotti in Financial Times

Prof. Robert Boes in Radio SRF 1, Echo der Zeit

On 26 October, the Association of Scientific Staff at D-​BAUG invites all students, researchers and professors to join the department’s annual meet and share event. Selected case studies will be presented to showcase the manifold ways in which engineering research at D-​BAUG helps to tackle societal and global challenges. Keynotes will be given by Professors Bryan Adey and Adrienne Grêt-​Regamey. In addition, there will be a poster session and, as always, a networking apéro at the end!

With the help of artificial intelligence, an international team led by D-BAUG researchers has explored the Moon’s permanently shadowed regions. The information they have obtained about the area’s surface properties will help to identify suitable locations for future lunar missions.

Prof. Daniel Farinotti in Smithsonian Magazine

Prof. Daniel Farinotti in SRF 1, Hauptausgabe

Prof. Daniel Farinotti in CNN  

Researchers around Daniel Farinotti, D-BAUG Professor for Glaciology, have for the first time reconstructed the extent of Switzerland’s glacier ice loss in the 20th century. For this purpose, the researchers used historical imagery and conclude that the country’s glaciers lost half their volume between 1931 and 2016.

Innovative smart-sensors and Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry allow for novel insights into transport and depositional processes of wood in rivers. In the course of the SmartWood_3D project, these two methods were further developed and applied, for the very first time, at field scale to quantify large wood (LW) dynamics (rolling, rotation, impacts) and to assess LW accumulation characteristics (volume, porosity, structural alignment). The gained data are currently being analysed.

Prof. Daniel Farinotti in scienceORF.at

Prof. Daniel Farinotti in The Washington Post

Dr. Matthias Huss in SonntagsZeitung

Dr. Matthias Huss in NZZ Magazin  

HyPeak is a new interdisciplinary network that promotes international research and supports hydropower planning and policy. The network links scientists from several countries where hydropeaking has been widespread for decades, as in Switzerland. HyPeak aims to integrate members from other countries where hydropower production plays a relevant role, and to become a reference group to support policy-makers, as well as researchers, stakeholders, and practitioners in the field of hydropeaking.

Prof. Robert Boes in Radio SRF 1

Prof. Robert Boes in Nau

By changing a river for flood protection, hydropower production or navigation the biota in the river is affected by a change of their habitat. Methods to predict these habitat changes are needed for river management.