Top-notch ice and climate research at the University of Bern

Climate scientist Hubertus Fischer at the University of Bern has been awarded a € 2.26 million grant by the European Research Council to conduct his ambitious, pioneering research on polar ice cores. Hubertus Fischer will develop an innovative approach to measure greenhouse gases in polar ice cores with the support of the ERC Advanced Grant […]

Climate scientist Hubertus Fischer at the University of Bern has been awarded a € 2.26 million grant by the European Research Council to conduct his ambitious, pioneering research on polar ice cores.

Hubertus Fischer will develop an innovative approach to measure greenhouse gases in polar ice cores with the support of the ERC Advanced Grant funding, according to a University of Bern press release. Unlike with previous methods, only one single measurement will be necessary to precisely determine the concentration of the three greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) as well as the isotopic composition of the carbon dioxide. Thanks to this nondestructive method, the Bernese climate physicist explains, “the precious ice core air is not used up and can also be used for other subsequent analyses”. Fischer’s research is crucial for the success of a future international ice core drilling project in Antarctica scheduled for 2019/20.

Several thousand established scientists from all over Europe compete each year for the ERC Advanced Grants, but only 10 to 15 percent are selected for funding. ERC Advanced Grants allow exceptional research leaders to pursue ground-breaking, high-risk projects that open new directions in their respective research fields and beyond. For Fischer’s project – called deepSLice – the European Research Council will provide € 2.26 million over the next five years.