To understand the coupled physical, chemical and biological processes in high-mountain streams and rivers in the context of climate change.
Research topics
1
Understand climate change impacts on high-mountain river ecosystems.
2
Map the biological complexity in glacier-fed streams.
3
Undertand the role of rivers for the global carbon cycle.
Our key projects
BREATHE
In collaboration with leading research European research institues, we design and test novel indicators for water quality based on sensor technologies and modeling.
Service de l'Environnement
SENTINELS
We combine fieldwork with sensor technology and modeling to predict hydrological regimes and carbon biogeochemistry in high-mountain river networks under the influence of various glacier types.
VIRUS
Blending fieldwork, bench-scale expertiments and advanced bioinformatics, we investigate effects of environmnetal viruses on bacterial biodiversity in glacier-fed streams.
EPFL,
Pasteur Institute Paris
Our results and highlights
1
Vanishing Glaciers Project from the NOMIS Foundation and PAMIR project from SPI successfully terminated.
2
BREATHE Project
3
Publications in leading journals (eg., Nature, Nature Geoscience)
Team & talents
Lab team size
Around 20 members across 13 nationalities.
Specific team member
Wai Hoe Chin is an outstanding scientist with a tireless dedication to the development of novel methods to detect and characterize novel virus from rivers.
Skills developed by the scientific team
conducting scientific research; plan demanding expedition; interact with stakeholders;
Regional and social impacts
1
Early warning systems for river ecosystem health deterioration.
2
Implementing novel strategies for water quality monitoring.
3
Implementation of a first-of-its-kind collection of viruses from streams in Valais.
Perspectives and challenges
Priority 1
Establish MIC – Microbial Initiative for the Cryosphere at ALPOLE
Priority 2
Secure funding to conduct research in Valais and Greenland
Main challenges
Acquiring funds for discovery-driven research.
Future Partnerships
With the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and Pasteur Institut Paris.
At the Soil Biogeochemistry Lab, we reveal how redox-driven processes govern carbon, nutrient, and contaminant cycling. Combining field observations with laboratory experiments, we build tools and models to predict ecosystem function and guide sustainable soil stewardship in a changing climate.
Research topics
1
Mineral Redox Chemistry: Some tiny soil minerals (with iron and manganese) act like little batteries. We measure when they “give” or “take” electrons to predict how nutrients and pollutants change.
2
Soil Organic Matter Dynamics: Microbes eat dead leaves and roots for energy. We measure that energy to learn when carbon stays in the ground or turns into gases that affect our climate.
3
Sustainable Soil Management: Soils have tiny airless pockets where extra greenhouse gases can form. We map where and how strong these pockets are to help people grow healthy crops while keeping water clean and emissions low.
Our key projects
Mountain Soils
We map soil organic carbon across topographies in Vallon de Réchy and Binntal and pinpoint the chemical, physical, microbial, and geological drivers of where carbon accumulates. This helps predict how these stocks may change under future climate. More information: https://www.epfl.ch/labs/soil/soil-organic-carbon-in-mountain-soils/ and data: https://alpinesoc.epfl.ch/
We measure how manganese minerals with different structures exchange electrons. Our findings help improve predictions of mineral-mediated reactions, including pollutant transformations. More information: https://www.epfl.ch/labs/soil/electrochemical-analysis-of-the-redox-properties-and-reactivity-of-manganese-oxides-strong/
We develop a process-based modeling framework to estimate carbon fluxes in restored wetlands by linking ecohydrological and biogeochemical processes and validating the results with monitoring data from Swiss wetlands. This helps quantify restoration impacts and optimize projects to maximize carbon sequestration under changing climate.
Vineeth Pothanamkandathil: Podstoc in the group since March 2025. Develops novel experimental and modeling approaches to characterize the redox reactivity of soil minerals.
Skills developed by the scientific team
Project management and supervision, experimental and laboratory skills, experimental design, field skills, data management, communication skills.
Other
Interdisciplinary team with backgrounds in environmental chemistry, pedology, environmental microbilogy, agronomy
Regional and social impacts
1
By revealing how soils store carbon, purify water, cycle nutrients, and transform pollutants, our research turns molecular insight into tools for climate action, clean water, and resilient food systems—guiding policies and practices that protect people and nature.
2
Our research maps soil organic carbon stocks in valleys like Réchy and Binntal and identifies the drivers of their stability. These insights help anticipate how Alpine soils—and their organic carbon—will change as the climate warms.
3
We train students and interns in field methods, laboratory experiments, GIS/modeling, and project management & supervision, producing job-ready talent for environmental consulting, hydropower, agro-tech, and remediation companies.
Perspectives and challenges
Main opportunities
Assess how snow-cover thickness/duration shifts Alpine soil carbon cycling.
Help agriculture adapt to hotter, drier summers (water retention, cover crops, tillage).
Improve soil modules in models to forecast local climate impacts.
Optimize wetland restoration for net carbon gains while managing methane.
Build open datasets & sensor networks for long-term Alpine monitoring.
Main challenges
Separating climate vs. topography/land-use effects on soil processes.
Harsh Alpine conditions: access, safety, and instrument reliability.
Scaling from micro-sites to catchments while tracking uncertainty.
Limited long-term data; harmonizing measurements and standards.
Integrating field, lab, and model results into actionable guidance.
Future Partnerships
Cantonal agencies and land managers
Microbiome Adaptation to the Changing Environment (MACE)
Prof. Ianina Altshuler
Microbiome Adaptation to the Changing Environment (MACE)
At the MACE lab, we study how microbes survive and adapt in snow, ice, and frozen soils. Through fieldwork, lab experiments, and molecular analyses, we uncover how these resilient life forms respond to a warming climate and help shape fragile alpine and polar ecosystems.
Research topics
1
Permafrost thaw and greenhouse gas release: When frozen ground thaws, trapped carbon becomes available to microbes, leading to the release of greenhouse gases like CO₂ and methane. We study how microbial communities shift with warming and how these changes influence ecosystem stability and climate feedbacks.
2
Microbial adaptation in the cold: We study how microorganisms survive and stay active in snow, ice, and frozen soils. They use special biochemical strategies, to function at subzero temperatures. These adaptations reveal how life responds to environmental change.
3
Microbial interactions and symbioses: Microbes interact constantly, sometimes cooperating, sometimes competing. We explore how these relationships shape microbial communities in cold environments and how partnerships between microbes and plants or animals help both adapt to harsh and changing conditions.
Our key projects
Alpine Microbiome Under Pressure
Across multiple Swiss-Alpine summits, we use passive warming plots to study how rising temperatures affect soil microbes and greenhouse gas emissions. These experiments reveal how mountain ecosystems respond to warming.
Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL
Snow Decline in the Alps
We study how reduced snow cover affects alpine soils and their microbes using field plots with snow removal and addition. Tracking changes across seasons helps us understand how shrinking snowpacks alter soil health, nutrient cycles, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Greenland Microbes on Newly Exposed Land
As Greenland’s glaciers retreat under climate warming, new soil ecosystems emerge where microbes quickly take hold. We study how these early communities transform lifeless sediments into richer soils and influence greenhouse gas fluxes.
ECEO
EERL
Our results and highlights
1
Our alpine field studies reveal rich and unique microbial diversity across different mountain sites, showing that even nearby ecosystems can host distinct microbial communities. We also find that while alpine soils release CO₂, many simultaneously take up methane (CH₄), helping to potentially offset greenhouse gas emissions.
Team & talents
Lab team size
8 people in the lab (not counting Master students)
Regional and social impacts
1
Our research helps predict how climate change affects alpine mountain and polar ecosystems. This will guide conservation and public awareness of cold regions.
2
Studying alpine soils and snow systems in Valais allowes us to support sustainable land use, biodiversity conservation, and climate adaptation strategies in this sensitive alpine region.
3
Preserving and studying cold-adapted microbial organisms opens new possibilities for sustainable biotechnology, from green chemistry and environmental solutions to novel enzymes for industrial applications.
Perspectives and challenges
Main opportunities
A main priority is to understand how warming will reshape Alpine ecosystems, microbial activity, and greenhouse gas balance. * Cold-adapted microbes offer untapped potential for sustainable biotechnological and industrial innovation.
Main challenges
Linking microbial data with climate models is challenging but can potentiall greatly improve predictions of greenhouse gas feedbacks.
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