WSL

When professional scientists and interested amateurs work together, it is a rewarding experience for both groups. Such cooperation can deliver important new insights, as shown by the results of a campaign to research winter Saharan dust events.

The SLF Permafrost research group is monitoring ground temperatures in permafrost and using new methods to measure the increasing water content caused by climate change, allowing for improved assessments of natural hazards and future water availability in the Alps.

A rare discovery during a midday walk: on a spruce tree, an employee of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL discovered not only a new species of fungus, but also a genus previously unknown to science. The parasite feeds on the spruce pollen and destroys the male flowers in the process. It is unclear whether it is an introduced species.

Non-native forest tree species can reduce native species diversity if they are planted in uniform stands. In contrast, the effects of introduced species on soil properties are small. This was found by an international review study with the participation of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has appointed the SLF to be the world's leading competence centre for snow monitoring. The WMO's Infrastructure Commission based its decision on the fact that the SLF already possesses high-quality measuring infrastructure and over 80 years of knowledge.

Trees absorb tiny metal particles from the air and soil and deposit them in their tissues. This has been shown by an experiment conducted by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL. These findings open up possibilities for detecting environmental pollution or even remedying it in the future.