Laura Sigg

Group leader "Biogeochemistry of trace metals"
Professor (Titular) ETH (Department of Environmental Sciences)

Research interests: biogeochemistry and environmental toxicology of trace metals:

• Cycling of trace elements in natural waters.
• Role of speciation and of surface interactions for the fate and bioavailability of trace metals in lakes, rivers, groundwater.
• Interactions of trace metals with freshwater algae.
  
• Nanoparticles: behavior in natural waters and interactions with algae.
  

Curriculum vitae
Laura Sigg is the head of a research group within the department of Environmental Toxicology at Eawag and a professor (Titularprofessor) in the department of Environmental Sciences of the ETHZ. Born 1951, she studied chemistry at the University of Berne and completed her diploma in 1975. She obtained her PhD at ETH in 1979, for which she worked at Eawag on aquatic surface chemistry. After a post-doctoral stay at the University of Göteborg (Sweden), she returned to Eawag as a research scientist. She has been working at Eawag since 1980 and has been heading a research group, presently within the department of Environmental Toxicology. She is teaching at ETHZ in aquatic chemistry and chemistry of natural waters since 1982. She got her habilitation for chemical limnology at ETHZ in 1986 and received the title of a professor in 1991. She was a guest scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, USA in 1990. Her research interests are in the chemistry of natural waters, mostly in the cycling of trace elements in natural waters (lakes, rivers, groundwater), in the role of speciation and of surface interactions for the fate and bioavailability of trace metals, and in the behavior of engineered nanoparticles in natural waters. Laura Sigg a member of the editorial board of “Aquatic Geochemistry” since 1995 and was an associate editor of “Environmental Science and Technology” from 2000 - 2010.

Teaching activities

• Lectures in chemistry of aquatic systems at the department of Environmental Sciences of ETH (D-UWIS).
• Lectures at EAWAG-Peak courses.

Book

New edition of "Aquatische Chemie" (in German)

Sigg, L., W. Stumm. Aquatische Chemie. Einführung in die Chemie natürlicher Gewässer. vdf / UTB, 5th edition, 2011.

For details: Publisher vdf

Publications

All publications of Laura Sigg are available in an electronic version. By clicking on the link below you will be linked to the Sigg-publications. The publications on the database can be directly downloaded as a pdf-file.

Publications

Articles in reviewed journals and book chapters

2006 - 2011

Sigg, L., Black, F., Buffle, J., Cao, J., Cleven, R.F.M.J., Davison, W., Galceran, J., Gunkel, P., Kalis, E.J.J., Kistler, D., Martin, M., Noel, S., Nur, Y., Odzak, N., Puy, J., Van Riemsdijk, W.H., Temminghoff, E.J.M., Tercier-Waeber, M.-L., Toepperwien, S., Town, R.M., Unsworth, E., Warnken, K.W., Weng, L.P., Xue, H. and Zhang, H., 2006. Comparison of analytical techniques for dynamic trace metal speciation in natural freshwaters. Environ. Sci Technol., 40(6): 1934-1941.

Unsworth, E., Warnken, K.W., Zhang, H., Davison, W., Black, F., Buffle, J., Cao, J., Cleven, R.F.M.J., Galceran, J., Gunkel, P., Kalis, E.J.J., Kistler, D., Van Leeuwen, H.P., Martin, M., Noel, S., Nur, Y., Odzak, N., Puy, J., Van Riemsdijk, W.H., Sigg, L., Temminghoff, E.J.M., Tercier-Waeber, M.-L., Toepperwien, S., Town, R.M., Weng, L.P. and Xue, H., 2006. Model predictions of metal speciation in freshwaters compared to measurements by in situ techniques. Environ. Sci. Technol., 40: 1942-1949.

Buschmann, J., Kappeler, A., Lindauer, U., Kistler, D., Berg, M. and Sigg, L., 2006. Arsenite and arsenate binding to dissolved humic acids: influence of pH, type of humic acid and aluminum. Environ. Sci Technol., 40: 6015-6020.

Cao, J., Xue, H. and Sigg, L., 2006. Effects of pH and Ca competition on complexation of cadmium by fulvic acids and by natural organic ligands from a river and a lake. Aquat. Geochem., 12: 375-387.

Le Faucheur, S., Schildknecht, F., Behra, R. and Sigg, L., 2006. Thiols in Scenedesmus vacuolatus upon exposure to metals and metalloids. Aquat. Toxicol., 80(4): 355-361.

Toepperwien, S., Behra, R. and Sigg, L., 2007. Competition among zinc, manganese, and cadmium uptake in the freshwater alga Scenedesmus vacuolatus. Environ. Toxicol. Chem., 26: 483-490

Toepperwien, S., Xue, H., Behra, R. and Sigg, L., 2007. Cadmium accumulation in Scenedesmus vacuolatus under freshwater conditions. Environ. Sci Technol., 41(15): 5383-5388

Navarro, E., A. Baun, R. Behra, N. B. Hartmann, J. Filser, A. J. Miao, A. Quigg, P. H. Santschi, and L. Sigg. 2008. Environmental behaviour and ecotoxicity of engineered nanoparticles to algae, plants and fungi. Ecotoxicology 17:372-386.

Navarro, E., F. Piccapietra, B. Wagner, F. Marconi, R. Kaegi, N. Odzak, L. Sigg, and R. Behra. 2008. Toxicity of silver nanoparticles to Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Environ. Sci Technol. 42: 8959 - 8964.

Szivak, I., R. Behra, and L. Sigg. 2009. Metal induced reactive oxygen species production in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Chlorophyceae) J. Phycology 45: 427-435.

Bradac, P., E. Navarro, N. Odzak, R. Behra, and L. Sigg. 2009. Kinetics of cadmium accumulation in periphyton under freshwater conditions Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 28, 2108-2116.  DOI: 10.1897/08-511.1

Peel K., Weiss D., and Sigg L. (2009) Zinc isotope composition of settling particles as a proxy for biogeochemical processes in lakes: insights from the eutrophic Lake Greifen, Switzerland Limnol. Oceanogr. 54(5), 1699-1708.

Bradac P., Behra R., and Sigg L. (2009) Accumulation of cadmium in periphyton under various freshwater speciation conditions Environ. Sci Technol. 43, 7291-7296.

Bradac P., Wagner B., Kistler D., Traber J., Behra R., and Sigg L. (2010) Cadmium speciation and accumulation in periphyton in a small stream with dynamic concentration variations. Environ. Poll. 158, 641-648.

Scheringer M., MacLeod M., Behra R., Sigg L., and Hungerbuehler K. (2010 ) Environmental risks associated with nanoparticulate silver used as biocide Household and Personal Care  Today(1 ), 34-37.

Scheidegger C., Behra R., and Sigg L. (2011) Phytochelatin formation kinetics and toxic effects in the freshwater alga C. reinhardtii upon short- and long-term exposure to lead (II). Aquat. Toxicol. 101, 423-429.

Books

Sigg, L., W. Stumm. Aquatische Chemie. Einführung in die Chemie natürlicher Gewässer. vdf / UTB, 5th edition, in press 2011.

Sigg, L., P. Behra, W. Stumm. Chimie des milieux aquatiques, Dunod, Paris, 3rd ed. 2000, 4th ed. 2006.

Report

Zobrist, J., L. Sigg and U. Schönenberger. NADUF; Thematische Auswertung der Messresultate 1974 bis 1998. Schriftenreihe der Eawag Nr. 18. Duebendorf, EAWAG, 2004.