Rainfall Erosivity Database on the European Scale (REDES)
REDES includes high temporal resolution precipitation data and the claculated R-factor from 1,541 precipitation stations within the European Union (EU) and Switzerland. A new map provides a complete rainfall erosivity dataset for European Union (28 member States) and Switzerland based on 1541 precipitation stations and 26,394 years of measurements.
Check out the SENSFOR COST Action on resilience capacity of sensitive mountain forest ecosystems!
COST Action ES1203: Enhancing the resilience capacity of sensitive mountain forest ecosystems under environmental change (SENSFOR)
SENSFOR is an EU COST-Action with a consortium of scientists from 22 countries examining European mountain forest areas on sustainability, resilience and pressures, particularly on tree-line areas, in relation to stakeholders and governance. The scientific results of SENSFOR are mainly based on discussions and analyses, and synthesizing existing data from various parts of Europe.
OpenNature – new citizen science project
OpenNature is a new citizen science project led by the University of Bern and aims at building awareness for science-based climate impact knowledge, collecting scientifically sound phenology and seasonality observations and understanding environmental change. An interview with climatologist Stefan Brönnimann and philosopher Claus Beisbart about what citizen science is, whether it can be theme-setting and what the value of a deeper dialog between scientists and lay people might be.
watch the interview (in German)
read the article (in German)
New “Global Glacier Browser” by GTN-G provides info about what data is available and where accessible
The Global Terrestrial Network for Glaciers (GTN-G) has updated its website and gives an overview of datasets on global glacier distribution and changes. A new “Global Glacier Browser” provides you a map based overview on all available datasets (i.e., GLIMS, RGI, WGI, GlaThiDa, FoG, GPC). A new “Global Glacier Dataset Catalogue” provides you with standardized one page descriptions of these datasets and links to the individual data access pages. All these datasets are compiled within the GTN-G and are made freely available for scientific and educational purposes.
New project “Supporting Sustainable Mountain Development in the Caucasus (Sustainable Caucasus)”
A two-year project to support regional scientific networking in the Caucasus is to be launched on June 1, 2015. The project “Supporting Sustainable Mountain Development in the Caucasus (Sustainable Caucasus)” brings together researchers from scientific institutions in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Russian Federation, and Turkey. It will focus on network development, fostering academic excellence in sustainable mountain development curricula, young scholar promotion, and strengthening the interface between scientists, policy makers, and practitioners. The project also seeks to organize a regional conference, the Forum Caucasicum, in 2017.
Energy and nature in the Alps – results of the recharge.green project
The Alps offer great potential for renewable energy production. But this simultaneously increases the pressure on nature. The partners in the international recharge.green project have found ways to ensure this balancing act succeeds. They are presenting their results at the final conference held on 20-21 May 2015 in Sonthofen, Germany.
Earthquake in Nepal – Fundraising
There are hundreds of rural villages severely affected by the April 25 earthquake where not a single house remains standing. The goal is to help the earthquake-affected community of Ningale village to rebuild their homes and their livelihoods in the long term.