WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF

Reseach Interests

  • Monitoring and modeling of snow water resources and melt water discharge from alpine basins
  • Development and verification of snow hydrological models
  • Climate change effects on catchment hydrology
  • Snow-vegetation interactions, forest-snow hydrology
  • Operational snow hydrology, snow climatology
  • Development of GPR methodology for snow surveys

Earlier publications

Selected publications from previous research

  • Jonas, T., A. Stips, W. Eugster, and A. Wüest (2003). Observations of a quasi shear-free lacustrine convective boundary layer: Stratification and its implications on turbulence. J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 108 (C10): art. no. 3328 (abstract)
  • Eugster, W., G. Kling, T. Jonas, J.P. McFadden, A. Wüest, S. MacIntyre, and F.S. Chapin III (2003). CO2 exchange between air and water in an Arctic Alaskan and midlatitude Swiss lake: Importance of convective mixing. J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 108 (D12): art. no. 4362 (abstract)
  • Jonas, T., A. Terzevik, D. Mironov, and A. Wüest (2003). Radiatively driven convection in an ice-covered lake investigated by using temperature microstructure technique. J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 108 (C6): art. no. 3183 (abstract)
  • Mironov, D., A. Terzhevik, G. Kirilin, T. Jonas, J. Malm, and D. Farmer (2002). Radiatively driven convection in ice-covered lakes: Observations, scaling, and a mixed layer model. J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 107 (C4): art. no. 3032 (download)
  • Lorke, A., L. Umlauf, T. Jonas, and A. Wüest (2002). Dynamics of turbulence in low-speed oscillating bottom-boundary layers of stratified basins. Environ. Fluid Dynamics, 291-313 (abstract)
  • Sander, J., A. Simon, T. Jonas, and A. Wüest (2000). Surface turbulence in natural waters: A comparison of large eddy simulations with microstructure observations. J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 105 (C1): 1195-1207
  • Jonas, T. (2001). Convective mixing processes in natural waters. Ph.D. thesis, Eidg. Tech. Hochschule, Zürich, Switzerland, No. 14339
  • Jonas, T., 1996. Transiente Phänomene beim Tropfenaufprall auf temperierte Wände. Diplomathesis, Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen, Germany

My CV

Career

  • 2006 until now: Head of Snow Hydrology Research Group at the WSL. The research group is based in Davos (SLF).
  • 2002 – 2006: Scientific Staff of the WSL at the Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF in Davos. Research focus on Snow meteorology and snow ecology.
  • 2001 – 2002: Scientific Staff of the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) in Dübendorf. Research focus on Aquatic Physics.
  • 1997 – 2001: PhD student at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) in Dübendorf. Title of thesis: "Convective mixing processes in natural water bodies".

Education

  • 2001: Ph.D., Department of Environmental Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ). Title of thesis: "Convective mixing processes in natural water bodies".
  • 1996: Diploma in Physics, Fluid Dynamics Institute, Georg-August University Göttingen (GAU). Title of thesis: "Transient break-up mechanisms of drops impinging on heated walls (in german)".
  • 1991: High school exam (German Abitur), Helene-Lange Gymnasium, Rendsburg.

Scientific Community

  • President of the International Commission for Snow and Ice Hydrology (ICSIH / IAHS / IUGG)
  • Member of the Swiss Hydrological Commission (CHy) of the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT)
  • Member of several scientific societies such as International Glaciological Society (IGS) and American Geophysical Union (AGU)
  • Serving as lead convener in scientific conferences

Supervised PhD Students

Current Dissertations

Johanna Malle (2017 - 2020)

  • Preliminary title of PhD thesis: Improving the representation of forest albedo in land-surface models
  • Supervisor at SLF: Dr. Tobias Jonas

Giulia Mazzotti (2017 - 2020)

  • Preliminary Title of PhD thesis: Improving the representation of forest snow processes in land surface models
  • University: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ)
  • Supervisor: Dr. Tobias Jonas

Nena Griessinger (2015 - 2018)

  • Preliminary Title of PhD thesis: Spatial and temporal variability of snowmelt
  • University: Universität Zürich (UZH)
  • Supervisor: Dr. Tobias Jonas

Sebastian Würzer (2013 - 2017)

  • Title of PhD thesis: Snowpack runoff formation processes during rain-on-snow events
  • University: Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
  • Supervisor: Dr. Tobias Jonas
  • Examiner: Prof. Dr. Michael Lehning
  • Co-Examiner: Prof. Dan Moore, Prof. Juraj Parajka, Prof. Alexis Berne

Completed Dissertations

Clare Webster (2013 - 2017)

  • Title of PhD thesis: Measurement and modelling of sub-canopy radiation to seasonal snow in alpine forests
  • Supervisor at SLF: Dr. Tobias Jonas

David C Moeser (2012 - 2016)

  • Title of PhD thesis: The influence of forest canopy structure on snow hydrology
  • University: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ)
  • Supervisor: Dr. Tobias Jonas

Florian Kobierska (2010 - 2014)

  • Title of PhD thesis: Hydrology of a glacierized catchment across temporal and spatial scales
  • University: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ)
  • Supervisor: Dr. Tobias Jonas

Jan Magnusson (2007 - 2011)

  • Title of PhD thesis: Hydrological conditions on the forefield of a retreating glacier
  • University: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ)
  • Supervisor: Dr. Tobias Jonas
  • Examiner: Prof. Dr. James Kirchner

Luca Egli (2007 - 2011)

  • Title of PhD thesis: Dynamic of Snow Cover’s Spatial Distribution over Alpine Topography
  • University: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ)
  • Supervisor: Dr. Tobias Jonas

Projects

Publications