Limnology Center LIMNC

The mission of the Limnology Center is to provide socially-relevant and multi-disciplinary research to ensure the sustainable use and conservation of natural water resources, both on the national and international levels.

Limnology stands for freshwater science

This science was described as” the oceanography of lakes” by François-Alfonse Forel in 1892, who was famous for his early investigations of Lake Geneva. Limnology nowadays refers to the study of freshwaters, including lakes, rivers and marshes. To know more, we recommends: “Lakes: a Very Short Introduction by Warwick F. Vincent” and “Forel et le Léman by François A. Forel”

The sustainable use and conservation of natural water resources is among the most important challenges for the well-being of the anticipated nine billion earth citizens in the near-future.

The increasing anthropogenic pressure on natural waters is mainly due to :

Energy: electricity production and heating/cooling systems
Pollution: the release of micro-pollutants from agriculture (diffuse sources) and the urban anthroposphere (point sources)
Global changes: water abstraction, changes in geochemical fluxes, and global warming

In developing countries and emerging economies, additional challenges are due to :

Water scarcity and water allocations
Conservation of unique aquatic ecosystems (e.g. wetlands)
Excessive eutrophication
Poor or non-existent water-infrastructure

The Limnology Center will provide socially-relevant contributions to facing these future challenges, on both national and international levels.

to create interdisciplinary innovative and international projects in limnology
to federate research among different departments of EPFL
to promote the collaboration between international and national research institutions on lakes
to develop and apply new technologies in limnology