D-BAUG News

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.

Interception and evaporation limit the amount of summer precipitation reaching forest soils. As a result, beech and spruce trees are dominantly transpiring precipitation originating from the winter half of the year. Sufficient soil water storage is key during extended summer dry periods.

Swiss cities are more likely to accept densification when densification projects provide affordable housing and green spaces compared to densification that is implemented through reduced regulations for housing construction. By prioritizing a socio-ecological densification, extensive planning procedures and delays might be minimized. This is shown in a report from the D-BAUG Chair of Spatial Development and Urban Policy.  

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.

Cycling is good both for you and the environment. And it will particularly pay off in May and June when “Bike to Work” will also be offering attractive prizes for all frequent cyclists to win.

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.

On 29 February 2024, the graduation ceremony for the Master’s programme in Environmental Engineering took place in the Audimax of ETH Zurich. About 40 graduates attended the ceremony together with their families and friends. Nickolas Meyer, CEO of ecoinvent, gave the keynote speech. The Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering congratulates its environmental engineers on their successful graduation and wishes them all the best for the future!

What will it feel like to research, teach, study and work at a climate-neutral ETH Zurich? With the launch of the "ETH net zero" programme, all ETH members are on a major expedition together towards an ambitious goal. The message: "All for zero 2030".

Renovating buildings to improve their energy efficiency is a crucial step towards Switzerland achieving its climate targets. ETH Zurich researchers can now reveal the most effective renovation strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions: replace fossil-fuel heating systems and harness the potential of bio-based building materials like straw and hemp. The study in the journal "Nature Communications" was led by Alina Galimshina and professors Bruno Sudret and Guillaume Habert.

ETH researchers led by Professor Benedikt Soja, have succeeded in detecting heavy precipitation events directly with GPS data. The results of their study could significantly improve meteorological monitoring and forecasting.