Eawag - Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology

Eawag is one of the world’s leading aquatic research institutes. With its professional diversity, close partnerships with practitioners and an international network, Eawag offers an excellent environment for the study of water as a habitat and resource, for identifying problems at an early stage and for developing widely accepted solutions.

Learn more about Eawag

Interpreting traces of arsenic in rain

January 9, 2025

On the Pic du Midi in the Pyrenees, ETH researchers have analysed particulate matter, clouds and rainwater for traces of arsenic. Using newly developed measurement methods, they have elucidated the transport pathways of the environmental toxin in the atmosphere.

Publication

How inter- and transdisciplinary integration will fail ...

January 7, 2025

A series of cartoons is intended to provide food for thought across disciplines in a humorous way and invite discussion.

Sampling at the Werdhölzli WWTP, Zurich, where wastewater from almost 400,000 people is collected. (Photo: Eawag, Esther Michel)

Background

Wastewater monitoring meets with great interest

December 17, 2024

Today, over 60 experts from research, federal and cantonal administration, the police, politics and hospitals are meeting to discuss the current status and future of wastewater monitoring in Switzerland. The current trends: a seasonal increase for influenza and the RSV virus, stagnating or even declining for coronavirus. We spoke to environmental engineer Christoph Ort, who, together with environmental microbiologist Tim Julian, established the field of wastewater-based epidemiology at Eawag and - in cooperation with external experts - is constantly adapting it.

Blue-green spaces such as the area along the River Limmat near Zurich’s city centre cool the environment and help to mitigate the effect of global warming (iStock, Michael Derrer Fuchs).

News

Making heatwaves in cities more bearable

December 12, 2024

Plants and water can mitigate heat in cities. Using Zurich as a case study, Eawag researchers tested a climate model which indicates how large the effect of green and blue spaces is. The model supports urban planning and shows where improvements would be particularly effective.

Video

Translating science into action and engage in ...

December 10, 2024

In view of biodiversity loss, it is important that early-career researchers get involved not only in science but also contribute to biodiversity policy.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Our newsletter is published six times a year and provides information on current research and development projects, publications and events at the aquatic research institute Eawag. In addition, two special newsletters a year provide in-depth information on a current research topic at Eawag.

Subscribe to newsletter

Social media wall: everything at a glance

Follow us on Bluesky

Network with us on LinkedIn

Subscribe to our videos on YouTube

Find out more about us in the media

24.01.2025

Practice-oriented course

Abwassermonitoring – Gesundheitsdaten für die Schweiz

9.00 am

Eawag Dübendorf

27.01.2025

ETH Domain Conference “Social Sciences on Environment, Technology & Sustainability”

9.00 am

Eawag Campus Dübendorf

12.02.2025

Blue Summit Switzerland trägt Fakten der Wissenschaft an die Politik

2.00 pm

Schloss Reichenau, Reichenau-Tamins

New Publication

The publication Changes in Water illustrates how Eawag contributes to the developments of solutions in the areas of health, cycles, biodiversity and the climate crisis through teaching, consulting, excellent basic research and applied research. You can now view the publication online or order your personal copy.

we are investigating the basis for clean drinking water and sustainable management of drinking water resources.

we are investigating how to optimise wastewater infrastructures and overcome new challenges.

our research contributes to understanding and conserving aquatic biodiversity.

we are investigating biotic communities and their habitats in order to conserve ecosystem services for us humans.

we are investigating the effect of chemical substances on the environment and developing methods to remove them from drinking water, wastewater and bodies of water.