Microbial Geo-Ecology in 'new' Landscapes and Habitats in High Altitude Environments of the Biogeoscience Arena Silvretta, Eastern Swiss Alps
Study topics
The course deals with transition ecosystems from the uppermost forested land, across the climatic tree line and alpine meadows and tundra to the high mountain nival zone where rocks, rock scree slopes and ice dominate the landscape. Soils formed on top of different bedrocks like Gneiss, Dolomite, Serpentine, Shale and Radiolarite are studied for their role as carbon sinks regulating atmospheric CO2. Highlight topics from past courses are illustrated on the website.
Participation
This course is aimed at researchers in their formative years of training (PhD, MSc, Postdoc), along with experienced scientists and professors who are familiar with the state of knowledge in various scientific topics. Participants are asked to define their research questions on the application form. If possible, the course program is structured according to the participants’ requests. Sample collection will be allowed in certain areas and within the regulatory environmental protection framework, and as long as the collected material will be used in an ongoing research project.
Each workshop finishes with discussions of the participants’ research proposals, which they develop based on their field observations.
Location
The excursions cover instructive sites in the Biogeoscience Arena Silvretta which is located in the middle of the Alpine Arc in the Southeastern part of Switzerland. The Arena’s headwaters are at the continental divide between the Rhine and the Inn-Danube catchments.
Disciplines
- Geological, geochemical, geomicrobiological and geoecological aspects of high-altitude global change processes like carbon cycling and scavenging in glacial retreat areas.
- Nutrient and trace element sequestration and flow in oligotrophic terrestrial and aquatic high mountain ecosystems.
- Biodiversity changes in dense biofilm-forming biomes in glacial lakes and brooks and their role in ecosystem evolution.
Deadline for application: 1 June 2019
Maximum number of participants: 25
Course details: See announcement flyer
