With the support of the Austrian Science Fund FWF, an interdisciplinary Vienna-based team is investigating the nature of carbonaceous particles that play a key role in the formation of ice clouds. These “ice nuclei” act as catalysts inducing the phase change from water to ice. Understanding the process leading to such ice clouds is an […] Continue reading “The formation of ice clouds”
Silviculturist Rupert Seidl talks about the positive effects of bark beetle and forest fires, at what point the forest ecosystem could collapse and why the climate problem needs to be solved mainly from the bottom up. Continue reading “Forest man – working hand in glove with practitioners”
The physicist Bernadette Rosati investigates how salt particles from the sea influence the weather and climate. The Schrödinger fellow has found the perfect conditions for her research at the University of Aarhus in Denmark. The chemistry is just right – not only at sea, but also within the team and across all the faculties. Continue reading “The atmospheric group”
Human ecologist Helmut Haberl about the connection between hunger riots and bio-energy, why environmental protection makes economic sense, and why there can be no carbon-neutral society without fundamental changes. Continue reading ““It’s not a question of giving up comfort, it’s about a better life!””
With the support of the Austrian Science Fund FWF, an international group of researchers is investigating to what extent the forest floor serves as a carbon sink and how bacteria and fungi interact in this context. The researchers have found deadwood to be populated by a great diversity of life. Continue reading “Bacteria, deadwood and climate change”
The use of biochar in agriculture improves soil fertility, especially in tropical regions, and mitigates greenhouse gas emissions. A project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF studied the positive impact of the “fertiliser of the future” on ecosystems and nutrient cycles. Continue reading “Biochar improves crop growth and climate”
Devils Hole in the USA is a very unique place. In this subaqueous cavern, conditions have remained stable for hundreds of thousands of years. In a project supported by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, researchers from Innsbruck investigate this valuable climatological archive and, in the process, try to get to the bottom of a mystery. Continue reading “A climatological treasure from Nevada”
What responsibility do we, the currently living, bear for historical emissions and their consequences? What obligations do we stand under as a result? These sensitive questions were asked in a research project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF and new theoretical principles for the handling of historical emissions were developed. Continue reading “Climate change and justice”