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THE METALP PROJECT
The heartbeat of mountain streams in the Swiss Alps
The project
About the project
The heartbeat of high-mountain streams
The role of streams and rivers for the global carbon cycle is now increasingly understood. However, the streams that drain the roof of our planet are rarely included in considerations of global biogeochemistry. This is surprising given the wide distribution of high-mountain ranges. At the same time, it is also understandable given the numerous logistical challenges associated with the study of remote high-mountain streams.
The METALP project at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) operates an environmental sensor network to study the hydrology and biogeochemistry of streams in four high-mountain catchments in Switzerland. We use high-resolution data over multiple years to establish regimes of streamwater flow, temperature, fine sediment load, and carbon fluxes, including CO2 exchange with the atmosphere, and ecosystem metabolism.
This unique observatory aims at better understanding the effects of climate change, including glacier shrinkage, on critical stream ecosystem functions and integrity.
METALP work has been featured in AGU Eos and Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. METALP is associated with the StreamPulse Project.
catchments in the Swiss Alps
stations across the network
sensors
data recorded over 5 years
STUDY SITES
Our Study Sites
Explore our stations and their catchments
Valsorey catchment
| Torrent du Valsorey Downstream | Torrent du Valsorey Upstream | Torrent du Vélan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Station ID | VAD | VAU | VEL |
| Latitude [° ] | 45.935034 | 45.929509 | 45.55677 |
| Longitude [° ] | 7.226898 | 7.244578 | 7.14752 |
| Station altitude [m] | 1936 | 2148 | 2161 |
| Catchment avg alt. [m] | 2868 | 2893 | 2548 |
| Area [km2] | 23.16 | 18.10 | 3.11 |
| Vegetated area [%] | 27.72 | 24.69 | 65.35 |
| Glacier coverage [%] | 22.18 | 27.69 | 0 |
Ferret catchment
| Dranse de Ferret Downstream | Dranse de Ferret Upstream | La Peule | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Station ID | FED | FEU | PEU |
| Latitude [° ] | 45.905091 | 45.883084 | 45.893655 |
| Longitude [° ] | 7.115597 | 7.130949 | 7.107973 |
| Station altitude [m] | 1773 | 1996 | 2024 |
| Catchment avg alt. [m] | 2421 | 2528 | 2384 |
| Area [km2] | 20.24 | 9.33 | 3.97 |
| Vegetated area [%] | 50.07 | 39.60 | 61.19 |
| Glacier coverage [%] | 1.78 | 3.86 | 0 |
Vallon de Nant catchment
| AvanÇon de Nant Downstream | AvanÇon de Nant Upstream | Ruisseau du Richard | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Station ID | AND | ANU | RIC |
| Latitude [° ] | 46.253409 | 46.231599 | 46.253521 |
| Longitude [° ] | 7.109632 | 7.101972 | 7.110105 |
| Station altitude [m] | 1197 | 1465 | 1192 |
| Catchment avg alt. [m] | 2010 | 2112 | 2081 |
| Area [km2] | 13.36 | 8.99 | 14.32 |
| Vegetated area [%] | 50.00 | 42.58 | 50.71 |
| Glacier coverage [%] | 4.52 | 6.72 | 6.16 |
Champéry catchment
| La Vièze Downstream | La Vièze Middle | La Vièze Upstream | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Station ID | VID | VIM | VIU |
| Latitude [° ] | 46.159321 | 46.157014 | 46.154945 |
| Longitude [° ] | 6.814734 | 6.801199 | 6.8002 |
| Station altitude [m] | 1416 | 1630 | 1689 |
| Catchment avg alt. [m] | 1778 | 1832 | 1870 |
| Area [km2] | 3.64 | 0.74 | 0.31 |
| Vegetated area [%] | 99.88 | 100 | 100 |
| Glacier coverage [%] | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Visit our stations within the Swiss Alps
DATA PORTAL
Data portal
Explore the data through our interactive visualization portal
PUBLICATIONS
Our Publications
Have a look at our most recent contributions
2021
Regimes of primary production and their drivers in Alpine streams
M. Boix Canadell; L. Gómez-Gener; A. J. Ulseth; M. Clémençon, S. N. Lane; T. J. Battin
Freshwater Biology. 2021-06-02.
DOI: 10.1111/fwb.13730.
2020
Modeling the coupled dynamics of stream metabolism and microbial biomass
P. L. Segatto; T. J. Battin; E. Bertuzzo
Limnology and Oceanography. 2020-01-22.
DOI: 10.1002/lno.11407.
2019
Dynamics and potential drivers of CO2 concentration and evasion across temporal scales in high-alpine streams
Å. L. V. Horgby; L. Gómez Gener; N. Escoffier; T. I. Battin
Environmental Research Letters. 2019-12-19. Vol. 14, num. 12, p. 124082.
DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ab5cb8.
Unexpected large evasion fluxes of carbon dioxide from turbulent streams draining the world's mountains
Å. Horgby; P. L. Segatto; E. Bertuzzo; R. Lauerwald; B. Lehner et al.
Nature Communications. 2019-10-25. Vol. 10, num. 1.
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12905-z.
Alpine Glacier Shrinkage Drives Shift in Dissolved Organic Carbon Export From Quasi-Chemostasis to Transport Limitation
M. Boix Canadell; N. Escoffier; A. J. Ulseth; S. N. Lane; T. J. Battin
Geophysical Research Letters. 2019-08-16. Vol. 46, num. 15, p. 8872-8881.
DOI: 10.1029/2019GL083424.
High‐resolution spatial sampling identifies groundwater as driver of CO 2 dynamics in an Alpine stream network
Å. Horgby; M. Boix Canadell; A. J. Ulseth; T. W. Vennemann; T. J. Battin
Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences. 2019-06-07.
DOI: 10.1029/2019JG005047.
Distinct air–water gas exchange regimes in low- and high-energy streams
A. J. Ulseth; R. O. Hall; M. Boix Canadell; H. L. Madinger; A. Niayifar et al.
Nature Geoscience. 2019-03-18.
DOI: 10.1038/s41561-019-0324-8.
In the media
In the Media
Interesting news and publications related to our network.
Cartier, K. M. S. (2020). Mountain streams exhale more than their share of CO2, Eos, 101. Published on 20 April 2020.
EPFL news (2019). Mountain streams emit a surprising amount of CO2. Published on 25 October 2019.
RTS Info (2019). Les torrents contribuent nettement à produire des gaz à effet de serre. Published on 19 March 2019.
EPFL news (2019). EPFL researchers make a key discovery on how alpine streams work. Published on 18 March 2019.
EPFL news (2017). Alpine streams produce more CO2 after a warm winter. Published on 9 June 2017.
THE TEAM
The Team
Present and past people involved in the project
We acknowledge all RIVER collaborators, students, interns and civilists for their precious help in both field and lab:
- Marc Aguet, Pauline Audrey, Anaïs Bonetti, Mathieu Brunel, Kevin Casellini, Mathieu Clément, Marianne d'Auzac de Lamartinie, Thierry Demierre, Vincent De Staercke, Marine Giroud, Jeanne Grange, Eline Grégoire, Sophie Guignard, Félicie Hammer, Raffaele Holecz, Marin Kneib, Arianna Milano, Dilan Rech, Camille Rolland, Remy Romanens, Valentin Sahli, Martina Schoen, Max Shore, Matteo Tolosano, Hugues Wagnon.
OPPORTUNITIES
Working with us
We currently have open positions for postdocs via the SNF and the Marie Curie research fellowship programmes.
We also offer internships to graduate and undergraduate students, Swiss civil servants and BNF participants (projects 4476_1 and 4476_2).
Interns will join the METALP project and integrate the River Ecosystems Laboratory (RIVER) at EPFL. They will regularly visit the network stations to maintain and calibrate the sensors, conduct hydrological experiments and collect grab samples for the quantification of streamwater nutriments, DOM and benthic biomass, that will lately be analysed in our lab. They will interact with scientist in the fields of stream ecology, hydrology, geomorphology and biogeochemistry.
Interns will acquire experimental knowledge and analytical skills in mentioned disciplines and they will be trained to the use of multiple instruments available at out laboratory.
Please use the Contact form for further information or send us an application.
Get in Touch
Get In Touch
Feel free to contact us any time
Lab address:
École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
River Ecosystems Laboratory
EPFL ENAC IIE RIVER
GR A0 382 (Station 2)
1015 Lausanne
Switzerland
Support
Support and cooperations
We acknowledge the Municipalities of Bex, Bourg St. Pierre, Champéry and Orsières as well as the Vaud Canton for authorizing to access to our monitoring sites.
We also acknowledge the following institutions for their cooperations:
