News & Events

January 11, 2009: ETH stromatolithes on the cover page of Sedimentology

The recent issue of the journal Sedimentology features a cover picture of a Lago Vermelha stromatolithe cultiviated in the ETH Geomicrobiology Laboratory. The cross-section through a microbial mat showing stratified layers of carbonate perecipitates alternating with lithified organic layers.

Read also the publication by Spadafora et al., Sedimentology, v. 57, p. 27-40. (pdf, 1.6MB)

(Picture taken by C. Vasconcelos, ETH Zurich)

 

December 15, 2009: Prof. Helmut Weissert in the Korean TV news

Prof. Helmut Weissert comments an important fossil site in the Korean TV news.

 

September 9, 2009: Geology article unravels the trigger for the Oceanic Anoxic event 1A

Using bulk rock and molecular carbon isotopes, Sabine Méhay and co-workers documents in detail perturbations in the past carbon cycle, which points towards an volcanic trigger for these prominent events in the geological record.

Read also background information about this publication in the "ETH life newsletter".

 

August 10, 2009: New Strontium isotope map for Yucatan

Adrian Gilli and co-workers published a detailed Sr isotope map in the recent issue of "Geology". This map will help to better understand the regional geology, but this map is also of great interest for geoarchaeologist: Sr isotopes could be applied to reconstruct ancient Maya migration patterns.

Read also background information about this publication in the "ETH life newsletter".

 

July 31, 2009: New study about the shifts of the Pacific ITCZ

Rienk Smittenberg co-authored a "Nature Geosciences" publication about the shifts of the Pacific ITCZ.

Read also background information about this publication in the "ETH life newsletter" , as well as on "swissinfo.ch".

 

July 5, 2009: Symposium "Calibrating geological records of environmental change from lakes and oceans"

Many Climate Geology group member participated in a symposium organized by Judith McKenzie, Flavio Anselmetti and Gerald Haug at the Monte Verita conference center. Many different aspects of marine and lacustrine sediment archive were discussed. A mid-conference field trip was organized to study geological outcrops from a southern alpine Mesozoic pelagic section (Breggia gorge) and to learn more about recent sedimentation processes in Lago Maggiore. That was really an interesting week!

»» More pictures

 

April 17, 2009: ETH Life article about stromatolites

Today's article in ETH Life "The life that escaped Darwin’s notice" shed lights on the early stages of evolution when micro-organisms living on stromatolithes were the first ones to colonize our planet. Stromatolites are currently cultivated in our Geomicrobiology Laboratory.

»» Link to the ETH Life article

»» More about the Darwin Year

 

April 5, 2009: Special issue about Mediterranean geology

J.A. McKenzie, D. Bernoulli and M.B. Cita edited a special volume of the Journal Sedimentology with 12 very interesting papers about different aspects of the Mediterranean sedimentary geology. All articles are freely accessible.

»» Link to the special Sedimentology volume

Two articles are co-authored by members of the Climate Geology Group:

• Emeis, K.C., and Weissert, H., 2009, Tethyan-Mediterranean organic carbon-rich sediments from Mesozoic black shales to sapropels: Sedimentology, v. 56, p. 247-266. (pdf, 1.2MB)
  
• McKenzie, J.A. and Vasconcelos, C., 2009, Dolomite Mountains and the origin of the dolomite rock of which they mainly consist: historical developments and new perspectives: Sedimentology, v. 56, p. 205-219. (pdf, 2.1MB)

 

February 27, 2009: New on the bookshelf

Prof. Helmut Weissert together with Dr. Iwan Stössel compiled a huge knowledge about the geology of Switzerland in a new textbook ("Der Ozean im Gebirge"). Congratulations!

»» Get more information about this book (vdf website)!

»» Read ETH Life article about this book

 

January 26, 2009: Move of the Climate Geology Group

In these days, the Climate Geology Group moves back to the freshly renovated NO building. Please check the new address of our group members. Note that the phone numbers stay the same.

 

January 9, 2009: Two new Science publications

Members of the Climate Geology Group published two articles in the recent "Science" issue:

Ren, H., Sigman, D.M., Meckler, A.N., Plessen, B., Robinson, R.S., Rosenthal, Y., and Haug G.H., 2009, Foraminiferal Isotope Evidence of Reduced Nitrogen Fixation in the Ice Age Atlantic Ocean: Science, v. 323, p. 244-248. (pdf, 344KB)

Vasconcelos, C., and McKenzie, J.A., 2009, The Descent of Minerals, Science Perspectives, v. 323, p. 218-219. (pdf, 312KB)

 

January 2, 2009: Prof. Helmut Weissert in the News

Prof. Helmut Weissert comments in the Swiss National News Channel 'Tagesschau' a recent study published in the Journal Science about a decline in coral calcification on the Great Barrier Reef.

If you have problems playing the video »» visit the official SF website

 

September 29, 2008: "Tages-Anzeiger" article about Tomaso Bontognali

Tomaso Bontognali - he just finished his PhD in our group - is portrayed in today's newspaper "Tages-Anzeiger". Read more about him and his future project of searching life on Mars. Click on the image below to access the entire article »»pdf, 244KB

We wish Tomaso all the best for his Post-Doc project at Caltech!

 

August 5, 2008: New publications

Please check out two new important publications co-authored by members of the climate geology group:

• Weissert, H., Joachimski, M., and Sarnthein, M., 2008, Chemostratigraphy: Newsletters on Stratigraphy, v. 42, p. 145-179. (pdf, 7.3MB)
• Brauer, A., Haug, G.H., Dulski, P., Sigman D.M., and Negendank, J.F.W., 2008, An abrupt wind shift in western Europe at the onset of the Younger Dryas cold period: Nature Geoscience, v. 1,  p. 520 - 523; doi:10.1038/ngeo263 (pdf, 1MB)
  

 

February 25, 2008: Farewell Lecture / Abschiedsvorlesung

Farewell Lecture of Prof. Dr. Judith A. McKenzie: "From Mountains to Microbes" 

Date: Monday, February 25, 2008, 17:15
Location: ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, Hauptgebäude, HG F 30 (Auditorium maximum)

Watch video of the lecture: [link to website]

 

January 28-30, 2008: Multi-sensor core logger got an update

John Roberts from the GEOTEK company visited us and upgraded our multi-sensor core logger. He installed the new acoustic rolling contact p-wave transducers and replaced the computer system.

 

January 15-17, 2008: XRF core scanner installed

AAVATECH just delivered a high resolution XRF core scanner to our core lab. This 3rd generation XRF core scanner is equipped with a computer controlled slit system allowing measurements with a spatial resolution between 0.1 mm and 10 mm.

»» more pictures

 

November 15, 2007: Brief Nature Communications Arising

Read the comment and the reply concerning the East Asian winter monsoon record published earlier this year in Nature by Yancheva et al. (2007).

»» original publication: Yancheva, G., Nowaczyk, N.R., Mingram, J., Dulski, P., Schettler, G., Negendank, J.F.W., Liu, J.Q., Sigman, D.M., Peterson, L.C., and Haug, G.H., 2007, Influence of the intertropical convergence zone on the East Asian monsoon: Nature, v. 445, p. 74-77. [pdf, 568 KB]

»» comment by De'er Zhang & Longhua Lu and reply by Yancheva et al. [pdf, 360 KB]

 

November 15, 2007: Inaugural Lecture / Einführungsvorlesung

Inaugural Lecture of Prof. Dr. Gerald Haug: Der Klimawandel: zurück in die Zukunft (in German)

Date: Thursday, November 15, 2007, 17:15
Location: ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, Hauptgebäude, HG F 30 (Auditorium maximum)

Watch video of the lecture: [link to website]

 

October 18, 2007: Nature publication

Samuel Jaccard and Gerald Haug co-authored a publication in this week's Nature issue where they shed light on the processes of CO2 gas exchange between the deep ocean and the atmosphere on glacial-interglacial timescales. Using marine geochemical records, they document for the first time a release of CO2 from the North Pacific abyss during the last deglaciation coincident with the Bolling warming.

»» see publication: Galbraith, E.D., Jaccard, S.L., Pedersen, T.F., Sigman, D.M., Haug, G.H., Cook, M., Southon, J.R., Francois, R. Carbon dioxide release from the North Pacific abyss during the last deglaciation, Nature, 449, 890-894. [pdf, 452 KB]
»» see Editor's Summary at Nature
»» see ETH Life article about this publication (in German)

 

September 28, 2007: Climate Geology Group at the Researchers' Night

Stefano Bernasconi and Adrian Gilli invited the public to have a look at the sediments of Lake Zurich. The visitors were impressed how lake sediments can record recent environmental changes (e.g. eutrophication of the lake).

»» more information about the Night of Research
»» more pictures