The latest news from Eawag

Estimates as to how much more electricity could be generated from hydropower in the absence of residual flow requirements vary widely, and they have previously been based on inadequate data. A team of researchers from WSL, the University of Bern and Eawag has now used a new database and simulations to show that, between now and 2050, the additional decrease in production due to residual flow requirements – amounting to barely 2% – is likely to be much lower than feared.

Sociologist and political scientist Lisa Deutsch was awarded the ETH Medal for her doctoral thesis written at Eawag and ETH Zurich. Her research demonstrated how interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research can be successful and how theory and practice can be effectively combined in research.

Aquatic ecosystems are fragile. But just how fragile they are has been revealed in a new study by the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) and the University of Zurich. Researchers investigated how climate change is affecting amphipods by shifting the timing of leaf fall in autumn. These creatures feed on leaves and, as the base of the food chain, have an impact on the entire ecosystem.