Agriculture: The driven and the driver of climate change
EU Grants Access Science Stories features the research group of WFSC Chair Prof. Nina Buchmann. The multifaceted research challenges and numerous international collaborations of the group are highlighted.
An article in the new edition of EU Grants Access Science Stories (May 2017) brings the impressive breathe and collaborative nature of Prof. Nina Buchmann’s research into focus. The article explains that her “work focuses on the effects of different forms of cultivation on climate and biological diversity and, conversely, on the reactions to climate change of ecosystems, plants and soils.”
Several of her group’s research projects are featured, such as the measurement of greenhouse gases in different landscapes like forests and grasslands. The group further measures the change in the fluxes of these gases with agricultural practices, as agriculture contributes to climate change. In total, such measurements can help in the development of realistic climate models.
The group also thrives on collaboration: “They soon became part of many EU projects and are therefore integrated into a vast network, for example as part of the ICOS-CH project headed by Nina Buchmann. Nina Buchmann explains the importance of the international data exchange for the validation of the greenhouse gas balance throughout Europe and for the discussion of specific problems.”
The article further highlights Prof. Buchmann’s status as chair of the WFSC along with her philosophy of mentoring: “Today, she sends her 'youngsters,' as she calls her PhD candidates, to international workshops and conferences. "Now it is their time to make their marks.""
Read the full article in Science Stories Downloadhere (PDF, 3.3 MB).
Watch the accompanying video of Prof. Buchmann describing the focus, impacts, and challenges of her research external pagehere.
EU GrantsAccess is a joint office of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich.