Environment

EPFL researchers have developed a temperature-modulating robotic system that can be seamlessly integrated into notoriously sensitive honeybee hives, providing both a never-before-seen view of honeybee behaviour and a means to influence it.

Prof. Andrea Rinaldo, an EPFL expert in hydrology, has been selected as the 2023 winner of the Stockholm Water Prize – the world’s most prestigious award in water research, handed out by the king of Sweden.

UN International Day of Forests on 21 March is the perfect opportunity to showcase some of the important forest research being done at EPFL. For instance, one recent study found that the changes in relative humidity caused by higher temperatures are having a significant impact on trees.

In the Forest Laboratory "Waldlabor" on Hönggerberg, ETH Zurich researchers investigate the storage and transport processes of water in the forest. Recently they showed that forest-floor litter and deadwood have a far larger influence on the forest water balance than expected.

A study by researchers at ETH Zurich shows for the first time how a relaxation of Swiss spatial planning policy would affect the locations of wind turbines. If the aim is to have as few wind turbines as possible in the Alps and in Switzerland in general, it would be worth considering using windy agricultural areas on the western Swiss Plateau.

The UN Water Conference will be held in New York from 22 -24 March 2023. In addition to Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, Eawag researchers will also be present. Together with partners, the conference presents a commitment that contributes to the 2030 Water Action Plan. It will also illustrate with projects how research approaches can be directly applied in practice through multilateral cooperation. One of these approaches is the Water Flow Diagram (WFD), which was developed under the lead of Eawag.