The Paleolimnology Group uses a range of sedimentological and biogeochemical proxies in lake sediments as well as statistical tools to investigate short- and long-term climate and environmental variability and change from the Anthropocene to glacial-interglacial cycles. The current focus of the research is on the responses of lakes to rapid climate change and on the relationship between climate, productivity, and oxygen depletion. We study lakes in Switzerland, Central Europe, Africa, and Northeast China. The research is typically highly interdisciplinary.
The Organic Micropollutants group investigates the behavior of organic pollutants—with a focus on pesticides and PFAS—in surface waters, terrestrial ecosystems, and the atmosphere, together with the associated ecotoxicological effects. Geographically, the focus is on surface waters and catchments in Switzerland. We work closely with the Water and Soil Protection Laboratory of the Canton of Bern, e.g., in method development or to provide support for field work and measurement techniques. Current projects are also being conducted in collaboration with Agroscope Reckenholz on the topic of drift and atmospheric transport of pesticides.
Both groups are members of the Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern.
Fieldwork impression: https://youtu.be/4BjyFH7UV_k
