Climate Research: In Search of Elements of Evidence in the Engadine
4 June 2007
Some 150 scientists from 12 universities and research institutions are working together in the National Centre for Competence in Climate Research. One of the focal research points lies in the Upper Engadine. Climate archives, like the ones studied by the Eawag on lake sediments, provide information on the conditions prevailing at the time of Napoleon or even Jürg Jenatsch.
Climate change is one of the few topics currently attracting wide interest among the Swiss, thereby bringing also the work of climate research into public focus. This is why the Natural History Museum of the Grisons and the National Centre of Competence in Climate Research (NCCR Climate) have decided to highlight in simple terms the special scientific importance of the Engadine. The brochure “Klimaforschung – auf Spurensuche im Engadin” (Climate Research – In Search of Elements of Evidence in the Engadine) presented on 4 June 2007 (in German only) contains the outcome of this joint undertaking.
Increased rainfall after volcanic eruptions?
The Eawag scientist Alex Blass
detected a hitherto unknown correlation between the weather in the Engadine and
major volcanic eruptions: from eight volcanic eruptions (from Krakatau 1883 to
the Pinatubo 1991), seven led to significantly coarser deposits in the sediment
of Lake Silvaplana. Blass now assumes that the stronger autumnal precipitations
in the years following major volcanic eruptions lead to greater erosions detectable
in the sediments.
Article in the Journal
of Paleolimnology (pdf 0.5 MB)
Even pristine mountain lakes are not free of pollutants
In collaboration with the Empa, Eawag investigated sediments of Engadine lakes located at even higher altitudes, such as from Lake Lej da Tscheppa (2616 masl). Though no pollutants can reach this lake via wastewaters, the scientists found traces of organic long-term toxic substances, such as the brominated fire-retardant PBDE. How, since when and to what extent such substances reach such isolated areas via the atmosphere is the object of ongoing investigations.