Main content

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

Enlarged view: Soil Heterotrophic Respiration

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 pageSWISSINFO and ETH News.

Nissan, A., Alcolombri, U., Peleg, N., Galili, N., Jimenez-Martinez, J., Molnar, P., Holzner, M., (2023) external pageGlobal warming accelerates soil heterotrophic respiration, Nature Communications 14, 3452.

Enlarged view: Turbidity Probe

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.

Droujko, J., Molnar, P. (2022), external pageOpen-​​source, low-​​cost, in-​situ turbidity sensor for river network monitoring, Scientific Reports 12, 10341.

HYDROL News

HYDROL at Engadin Skimarathon

Congratulations Mosisa Wakjira!

Are megafloods in Europe so unexpected?

A new perspective on soil heterotrophic respiration

ETH News

Funding shows effect

New app unmasks forged documents

How micro- and nanoplastics are infiltrating the Arctic ice

Climate-friendly renovations using straw and hemp

JavaScript has been disabled in your browser