Swiss scientists develop new method for measuring permafrost
Measuring permafrost with electrical resistance
Keystone-SDA
Select your language
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Listening: Swiss scientists develop new method for measuring permafrost
Scientists in the Swiss city of Fribourg have developed a new method to measure permafrost using electrical resistance. This could improve our ability to predict rockfalls and landslides.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Français
fr
Mesurer le pergélisol par la résistance électrique
Original
Traditional methods involve drilling holes up to a hundred metres deep and measuring the ground temperature. However, this process is both complex and expensive, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) explained on Tuesday.
“What’s more, we can only record temperatures at specific points and can’t infer anything about the volume of ice,” adds Christian Hauck from the University of Fribourg.
More
More
Loss of permafrost – a global cause for concern
This content was published on
The thawing of terrain that used to be permanently frozen is becoming more and more prevalent, and it has planet-wide repercussions.
With his team, he has helped develop a method for measuring permafrost over large areas and assessing the ice volume, which allows for predictions about future changes.
Scientists pass a direct current through two electrodes in the soil and measure its electrical resistivity. The method is detailed in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
Translated from French by DeepL/sp
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Politics
In Switzerland, New Year brings ‘burka ban’ and pension hikes
Have you heard something about Swiss diplomacy that you’d like us to fact check?
Not all information circulating about Switzerland’s foreign relations is accurate or well understood. Tell us what you'd like us to fact check or clarify.
WEF: Trump to speak virtually, Zelensky to appear in person
This content was published on
US President-elect Donald Trump will attend this year's annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos via video conference. He is scheduled to speak on January 23.
Coop washes its hands of The Body Shop in Switzerland
This content was published on
The Body Shop is facing closure in Switzerland. Retailer Coop is no longer extending the franchise agreement for its cosmetics subsidiary.
Three out of ten Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland have a job
This content was published on
More and more refugees from Ukraine have a job in Switzerland. The employment rate of people with protection status S was just under 30% at the end of 2024.
Swiss private companies invest CHF18 billion in research
This content was published on
In 2023, private companies in Switzerland spent CHF18 billion ($19.7 billion) on their own research and development. This is CHF1.2 billion more than in 2021.
This content was published on
Lindt & Sprüngli grew strongly in 2024. The Swiss chocolate manufacturer is also aiming for above-average growth in the current financial year.
‘Surprisingly few’ signatures invalid for ban on animal testing
This content was published on
The initiative to ban animal testing was submitted in November with around 127,600 signatures. "Surprisingly few" signatures are not valid, the initiative's organisers have now said.
Geneva hosts Iran nuclear talks before return of Trump
This content was published on
Iran and the main European powers began two days of talks in Geneva on Iran's nuclear programme on Monday, a week ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration as US president.
Swiss researchers identify new bacteria in permafrost
This content was published on
Melting permafrost in the Swiss Alps is revealing interesting species of bacteria that scientists hope could result in new medicines.
This content was published on
Permafrost in Switzerland has warmed up, numerous signs of degradation have been observed and most rock glaciers have become much faster.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.