Snow and Atmosphere

The Research Unit investigates the physical properties of snow and its exchange processes with the soil and atmosphere. The aim is to understand the formation of alpine natural hazards such as avalanches, floods and slope instabilities and of the interactions between the cryosphere and climate change. To this end, the unit also studies the microstructure and metamorphism of snow.

Our research is an essential basis for understanding the macro-level changes in the snowpack, as avalanche formation, water transport in the snowpack and interactions of snow with vehicles and sports equipment. This makes it possible to find out what role snow and wet or frozen ground play in the formation of natural hazards, how they influence the Earth's climate and how global climate change affects the permafrost formation.

The experiments in this unit take place in laboratories (cold labs, computer tomograph, wind tunnel) and on test areas in the field. The results flow into the development of numerical model systems that are applied in climate analysis and natural hazard warning. We regularly supply snow hydrological analyses to the responsible offices at the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) to prevent and predict flood situations during snowmelt.

The research unit works with partners within WSL, with research institutions in cryosphere research, with partners in the field of high-performance computing and model development, as well as with warning and local safety services and industry.

Projects

Research Groups and Staff

Snow and Atmosphere

Ruzica Dadic

Head of Research Unit

Charles Fierz

Visiting scientist

Finn Harbeke

Temporary employee

Petra Heil

Visiting scientist

Martin Schneebeli

Visiting scientist

Hydrology & Climate Impacts in Mountain Regions

Manuela Brunner

Groupleader / Assistant professor

Bailey Anderson

Postdoc

Paul Astagneau

Postdoc

Jan Philipp Bohl

Master student

Giulia Bruno

Postdoc

Corentin Chartier-Rescan

Scientific staff member

Jonas Götte

PhD student

Maria Grundmann

PhD student

Mathias Hauser

Visiting scientist

Camille Heubi

Temporary employee / Scientific staff member

Gregor Joren Janzing

PhD student

Xinhang Li

PhD student

Julia Miller

PhD student

Eduardo Munoz-Castro

PhD student

Lara Schwizer

Master student

Amber van Hamel

PhD student

Raul Wood

Postdoc

Snow Physics

Henning Löwe

Group leader

Matthias Jaggi

Technical staff member

Lars-Hendrik Mewes

Scientific staff member

Benjamin Walter

Scientific staff member

Timon Wieland

Civilian service employees

Fabian Wolfsperger

Technical staff member

Snow Processes

Michael Lehning

Group leader / Joint Professorship

Mathias Bavay

Software engineer

Harsh Beria

Scientific staff member

Josep Maria Bonsoms Garcia

PhD student guest

Moritz Buchmann

Postdoc

Joel Caduff-Fiddes

Scientific staff member

Francesca Carletti

PhD student

Jérôme Dujardin

Postdoc

Rainette Engbers

Trainee

Yael Frischholz

PhD student guest

Franziska Gerber

Scientific staff member

Chiara Ghielmini

Temporary employee

Sergi Gonzàlez Herrero

Scientific assistant

Océane Hames

PhD student

Michael Haugeneder

Postdoc

Nora Helbig

Visiting scientist

Hendrik Huwald

Visiting scientist

Mahdi Jafari

Scientific staff member

Annelen Kahl

Visiting scientist

Patrick Leibersperger

Software developer

Christoph Marty

Scientific staff member

Anja Mödl

PhD student guest

Koen Muller

Visiting scientist

Hansueli Rhyner

Specialist in winter sports

Bettina Richter

Scientific staff member

Jessica Ritzi

Guest

Anja Schilling

Visiting scientist

Elizaveta Sharaborova

PhD student guest

Armin Sigmund

Temporary employee

Nander Wever

Scientific staff member

Noemi Willmann

Trainee

Tiziana Lazzarina Zendrini

PhD student guest

Snow Hydrology

Tobias Jonas

Group leader

Patricia Asemann

PhD student

Bertrand Frédéric Cluzet

Scientific staff member

Vincent Haagmans

PhD student

Jan Magnusson

Scientific staff member

Giulia Mazzotti

Visiting scientist

Rebecca Mott-Grünewald

Scientific staff member

Moritz Oberrauch

PhD student

Jens Oprel

PhD student

Louis Quéno

Scientific staff member

Dylan Reynolds

Postdoc

Michael Schirmer

Scientific staff member

Maximilian Sesselmann

PhD student

Clare Webster

Scientific staff member