Natural hazards

Brienz has just been evacuated for the second time. The decision is based, among other things, on thousands of simulations that ETH professor Jordan Aaron has produced using a computer model he developed. In an interview with ETH News, he explains why this model was used.

An SLF analysis shows how climate change will affect the avalanche situation in Switzerland this century.

When the Brienz rockslide rumbled down into the valley in 2023, a research team from WSL and ETH Zurich successfully measured the tremors using a new method. It uses existing internet fiber optic cables and is therefore very promising for the large-scale monitoring of earthquakes, avalanches, and rock movements.

EPFL researchers have for the first time recorded X-rays being produced at the beginning of upward positive lightning flashes; an observation that gives important insight into the origins of this rare – and particularly dangerous – form of lightning.

A European consortium involving EPFL has managed to guide lightning using a high-power laser installed at the top of Mount Säntis in Switzerland.