Department Surface Waters - Research and Management

Density driven inter-basin exchange flows are ubiquitous to glacial and fjord types lakes which represent most of the large Alpine lakes and more generally glaciar and fjord-types lakes worldwide. Such overflows play a fundamental role in deep-water formation, ventilation, and biogeochemical cycling. Still little has been quantified on their basin-scale relevance. The problem is pressing given the documented reduction of the winter mixing depth with climate change worldwide.
In this study, we aim to address these research gaps by integrating high-frequency, high-tech, in-situ experiments with high fidelity modeling techniques. The project is articulated into three research questions:

1. How does interbasin exchange rate vary throughout seasons and what are the processes controlling it?
2. What is the turbulent mixing associated with the overflow?
3. How does winter interbasin exchange impact deep-water formation, stagnation, and ventilation and how can it change with climate changes?