able to store less CO2 as drought conditions increase – something that should be factored in when forecasting the effects of climate change, he concludes. Long-term irrigation experiment Pfynwald WSL webseite
they develop, and how people can protect themselves, e.g. through spatial planning, reliable forecasting or technical protective measures. Thereby we lay the scientific foundations for risk analysis and
they have become indispensable to science, with applications ranging from meteorology (weather forecasting) to healthcare (e.g. spread of epidemics) to chemistry (e.g. air pollution) to environmental science
fallen snow, the danger levels overall were below average in winter 2015/16. Danger level 1 (low) was forecast almost twice as often as on average over the last 10 years.
Slightly fewer avalanche
relatively heavy snow. But one thing is clear: it won't be as cold as it used to be.
What's your forecast for the decades ahead?
Things are definitely not looking good at altitudes up to 1,500 metres
By measuring over a long period how much water is contained in the snowpack (the snow water equivalent), the SLF is facilitating the detection of long-term changes in our climate system.
images are from 24 January 2018 and 16 January 2019 – both days for which the SLF had forecast the highest Avalanche Danger Scale level (5, i.e. 'very high'). Hafner combined the satellite
study polar snow and how it "ages". These findings help to reconstruct past climate and improve forecasts. Permafrost The SLF permafrost monitoring network provides information on the condition of permafrost
slope stability. The scientists were seeking to establish how landslides can be more accurately forecast and possibly prevented by simple and inexpensive means.
The researchers focused on biological resources
drought. Its data helps to assess weather extremes and their effects. This makes it possible to forecast the effects of climate change on the forest. One TreeNet application is the FORTE web application
and weather situation. Alongside observations, assessments and modelling, they help ensure that forecasts are as accurate as possible. The automated stations making up the IMIS measuring network (see info
GPS sensors (in German) Long-term snow water equivalent measurements Snow-hydrological forecasting WSL and SLF provide the artwork for imaging of press articles relating to this media release for
potential within formerly glacierized areas, for instance. We also analyse how improved meteorological forecasts can increase the short- and long-term glacier evolution, ultimately aiming at increasing the
optimised their cooperation.” During critical situations, the participating agencies coordinate their forecasts and warnings through the Specialist Natural Hazards Staff and issue joint natural hazard bulletins
deteriorating at lower altitudes and improving at higher altitudes. And although major changes are only forecast for towards the end of the century, the silviculture industry must already start making provisions
[…] Tomorrow is the last major workday […]. We should also be able to see Mount Everest! Weather forecast looks good, let’s hope I sleep reasonably well and wake up full of energy.
On my expedition with
(GLAMOS monitoring network). They are analysing processes underneath the glacier (LEAD project) and forecasting water availability - both in Switzerland (FORHYCS-ICE project) and in countries with critical water
sensitive to climate, but until now, global glacier models have omitted debris cover from their forecasts of how glaciers respond to a changing climate."
“We now know that debris cover is present on almost
the Rockies also had one of their largest snowpacks on record last season, but this matches the forecasts of increased variability in weather which climate scientists have been predicting under a warmer
last year, TreeNet has been publishing daily drought and growth nowcasts, a kind of daily weather forecast for the condition of our forest trees in Switzerland.
Other dendrometer networks in Europe are TreeWatch
elevations suffering severely. By contrast, sub-Alpine forests managed the way they are today are forecast to grow even faster, because the rise in temperature will promote tree growth at higher elevations
elevations suffering severely. By contrast, sub-Alpine forests managed the way they are today are forecast to grow even faster, because the rise in temperature will promote tree growth at higher elevations
increase, especially at high altitudes. However, there is a great deal of uncertainty involved in such forecasts. Avalanches will probably not encroach as far into valleys as they have in the past though, as they
into a forecast model, helps to improve our understanding of forest dynamics. Existing models of forest ecosystems dynamics include large uncertainties, which ramify and lead to divergence in forecasts how
Glide-snow avalanches are considered unpredictable. It is presently unclear, where the water at the snow-soil interface comes from. By linking the two porous media, snow and soil, and assessing the mass and heat exchange across their interface, we will advance the predictability of glide avalanches.
neural networks to use the dendrometer signals and the available metadata as input to infer and forecast stem growth properties. Aline Bornand: Using deep learning to predict the shape of tree crowns from [...] incorporation of accurate soil information into SDMs becomes indispensable for making well-informed forecasts for guiding decisions in forest management, also when addressing the potential distribution shifts
Dangerous mud: debris flows ¶ We research debris flows in various ways: we observe their behaviour via automatic monitoring stations, trigger experimental debris flows in the laboratory, and simulate
Progress for avalanche forecasting: New experimental method shows how fractures spread in weak layers in the snow.
The goal of this project is to take advantage of recently developed avalanche models and detection systems to setup a model framework for avalanche forecasting in Switzerland and to assess changes and uncertainties in avalanche hazard due to climate change.
