Welcome to the Chair of Hydrology and Water Resources Management
The Chair of Hydrology and Water Resources Management has been established in January 1997, by appointment of Prof. Paolo Burlando. He was joined by Prof. Peter Molnar as adjunct professor in 2013.
The Chair focuses on teaching and research activities in the field of surface water hydrology and water resources management. Key activities are the analysis and modelling of hydrological processes, their importance in catchments, and their interactions with human and environmental systems, with the aim of providing the basis for modern water resources assessment and sustainable planning and management. Read more
HYDROL Highlights
Soil heterotrophic respiration is a large unknown in the carbon budget of Earth and at the same time an important flux affecting CO2 in the atmosphere and the role of soil as a carbon sink or source. A recent new modelling perspective on soil heterotrophic respiration from our group by Dr Alon Nissan, an ETH Postdoctoral Fellow, quantifies the global changes in respiration that may be expected in a future climate. The research results were highlighted by external pageSWISSINFOcall_made and ETH News.
Nephelometry is a method to measure turbidity of water based on measuring a light reflection in water. Jessica Droujko of HYDROL is developing a new sensor based on this technique that is cheap, accurate, and can be deployed at many locations along river networks to understand the activation of sediment sources. Her first prototypes have been lab tested and are available for try-outs.
Mosisa defended his Doctoral Thesis Understanding the impacts of climate change on rainfed crop production in Ethiopia in the HYDROL group on 29.02.2024. Congratulations!
A new modelling perspective on soil heterotrophic respiration from our group by Dr Alon Nissan quantifies the changes in global respiration that may expected under a future climate, with dramatic consequences in the Arctic.
A new computer process developed by chemists at ETH Zurich makes it possible to generate active pharmaceutical ingredients quickly and easily based on a protein’s three-dimensional surface. The new process could revolutionise drug research.
Researchers at ETH Zurich have engineered bacteria in the laboratory to efficiently use methanol. The metabolism of these bacteria can now be tapped into to produce valuable products currently made by the chemical industry from fossil fuels.
Researchers at ETH Zurich have studied topological effects in an artificial solid, making surprising observations. The new insights into topological pumping could be used for quantum technologies in the future.
In its annual report 2023 published today, ETH Zurich looks back on a successful year. For some years, however, the budget has not kept pace with the growth in student numbers. The growth rates projected by the Federal Council in the 2025-2028 ERI Dispatch are therefore forcing the university to consider drastic measures in research and teaching.