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- – Course
Limnology (ENV-425)
Limnology is a master course taught during the spring semester. It focuses on lakes, rivers and reservoirs as aquatic systems. Specific is the quantitative description / analyse of physical, biological, biogeochemical and sedimentological processes and interactions. The goal is to understand the relevant processes (focus on water quality) from a practical point.
Learn more about the course here
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- – Student projects
Currently the Physics of Aquatic System Laboratory is offering several Master & SIE projects:
“Zooplankton Diel Vertical Migration in Lake Léman”
SIE Project zooplancton_2020
“Exploring the water quality of Lake Geneva through long-term profiles of electrical conductivity”
MP SIE Project Lake EC 2020
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- – Master project (finalized)
Student: Emile Barbe
Supervisors:
Johny Wüest – Professor APHYS
Shubham Krishna – Scientist APHYS
Master thesis title: Model-based analyses of long-term changes in phytoplankton functional groups in Lake Geneva.
This project aims to address following questions:
1) What are the eco-physiological responses of major phytoplankton functional groups to reduction in nutrients (particularly phosphorous) loads in Lake Geneva?
2) Are these responses comparable to those in Lake Lugano and Lake Constance?
3) Can we disentangle ecological response of phytoplankton to climate change from the one to decrease in phosphorus loads?
For the purposes of the study, a coupled physical-biogeochemical model system (GOTM_lake – ERGOM) will be applied. In the first step, data (phytoplankton concentration, temperature) from the CIPEL will be analysed and assimilated to calibrate the coupled model system. Subsequently, we will obtain model solutions for 3 distinct periods that would represent primary production dynamics of different phytoplankton groups in Lake Geneva. Finally, the model results will be analysed and interpreted to answer the research questions.
