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Michael Lehning

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Professor
Michael Lehning
Michael Lehning in 2021
Born1967 (age 56–57)
NationalityGerman and Swiss
Known forSnow dynamics and modelling
Wind and solar energy from mountains
Snow deposition and precipitation
Academic background
EducationUniversity of Bayreuth
University of California, Davis
ETH Zurich
ThesisTransport processes and regional pollutant budgets over topography of varying complexity (1996)
Doctoral advisorAlbert Waldvogel
Academic work
DisciplineEnvironmental science
Sub-disciplineAtmospheric science
InstitutionsEPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)
WSL (Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research)
Main interestsEnvironmental and atmospheric science
Websitehttps://www.epfl.ch/labs/cryos

Michael Lehning (born 1967) is a German and Swiss environmental and atmospheric scientist. He is a professor of environmental engineering at EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), the head of EPFL's Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, and head of the group Snow Processes at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL).[1][2][3]

Career

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Lehning received a Diploma in geo-ecology from the University of Bayreuth and a Master's degree in atmospheric sciences at University of California, Davis both in 1993.[4] He pursued post-graduate studies in statistics and a PhD in atmospheric physics and graduated in 1996 from ETH Zürich with a thesis on "Transport processes and regional pollutant budgets over topography of varying complexity" supervised by Albert Waldvogel.[5]

In 1997, he became a scientific collaborator at the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) of the WSL located in Davos, Switzerland.[6] In 2001 he became head of the research and development team on Process Models, and from 2006 to 2018 he was head of the research unit on Snow and Permafrost.[3][7]

Since 2011 he has been a full professor at the EPFL and the head of the Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences at EPFL's School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering.[1][2] Since 2018 he also been head of the group Snow Processes at SLF.[3] Since 2021, he is co-director of the UNIL-EPFL center for climate action CLIMACT.[8]

Research

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Lehning's research is focussed on snow processes and snow atmosphere interactions. This includes advancing the understanding of fluid dynamics of drifting and blowing snow,[9] and generating advanced snow models, which can be used to assess and predict changes in surface mass balance of our snow and ice surfaces. In this context, he coined the term Preferential Deposition[10] to describe the process that leads to uneven precipitation distribution in mountains. This allows for a improved assessment of avalanche danger,[11] estimating the future of snow, hydropower and stream temperatures,[12][13][14] and finding management practices in ski areas.[15]

Using the knowledge on wind[16] and radiation[17] processes, Lehning has more recently contributed to investigating the potential of renewable energy installations in mountains[18] to visualise how the Swiss energy turn around could be achieved.[19][20]

He is the founder of spin-off companies such as APLsolut[21] and SUNWELL.[22]

Distinctions

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In 2020, Lehning won the new research programme Swiss Energy Research for the Energy Transition (SWEET) awarded Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) that aims at the de-centralised energy supply in the Swiss energy system. The grant totals a budget of CHF 21 million, involves 15 research and more than 40 implementation partners, and runs over 6 years.[23] In 2001, Lehning received the Award for extraordinary performance in transfer of scientific knowledge to users from the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research.[3]

Selected works

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References

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  1. ^ a b "CRYOS". www.epfl.ch. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  2. ^ a b "18 new professors at the ETH Zurich and the EPFL | ETH-Board". www.ethrat.ch. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  3. ^ a b c d "Prof. Dr. Michael Lehning - Mitarbeitende - SLF". www.slf.ch (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  4. ^ Lehning, Michael; Shonnard, David R.; Chang, Daniel P.Y.; Bell, Richard L. (October 1994). "An Inversion Algorithm for Determining Area-Source Emissions from Downwind Concentration Measurements". Air & Waste. 44 (10): 1204–1213. doi:10.1080/10473289.1994.10467315. ISSN 1073-161X. PMID 7812684.
  5. ^ Lehning, Michael (1996). Transport processes and regional pollutant budgets over topography of varying complexity (Doctoral Thesis thesis). ETH Zurich. doi:10.3929/ethz-a-001747101. hdl:20.500.11850/142941.
  6. ^ Lehning, Michael; Doorschot, Judith; Bartelt, Perry (2000). "A snowdrift index based on SNOWPACK model calculations". Annals of Glaciology. 31: 382–386. Bibcode:2000AnGla..31..382L. doi:10.3189/172756400781819770. ISSN 0260-3055. S2CID 140172806.
  7. ^ "Jahresbericht der Eidg. Forschungsanstalt WSL" (PDF). WSL.
  8. ^ Buluschek, Marie-Christine (2021-02-16). "Development of CLIMACT Center". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ^ Comola, F.; Gaume, J.; Kok, J. F.; Lehning, M. (2019-05-21). "Cohesion-Induced Enhancement of Aeolian Saltation". Geophysical Research Letters. 46 (10): 5566–5574. Bibcode:2019GeoRL..46.5566C. doi:10.1029/2019gl082195. ISSN 0094-8276. S2CID 155516888.
  10. ^ Lehning, M.; Löwe, H.; Ryser, M.; Raderschall, N. (July 2008). "Inhomogeneous precipitation distribution and snow transport in steep terrain: SNOW DRIFT AND INHOMOGENEOUS PRECIPITATION". Water Resources Research. 44 (7). doi:10.1029/2007WR006545. S2CID 128856304.
  11. ^ Rütte, F.; Kahl, A.; Rohrer, J.; Lehning, M. (2021-08-16). "How Forward-Scattering Snow and Terrain Change the Alpine Radiation Balance With Application to Solar Panels". Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. 126 (15). Bibcode:2021JGRD..12634333V. doi:10.1029/2020JD034333. hdl:11475/22957. ISSN 2169-897X. S2CID 237691527.
  12. ^ Bavay, Mathias; Lehning, Michael; Jonas, Tobias; Löwe, Henning (2009-01-01). "Simulations of future snow cover and discharge in Alpine headwater catchments". Hydrological Processes. 23 (1): 95–108. Bibcode:2009HyPr...23...95B. doi:10.1002/hyp.7195. S2CID 129486703.
  13. ^ Marty, Christoph; Schlögl, Sebastian; Bavay, Mathias; Lehning, Michael (2017-02-16). "How much can we save? Impact of different emission scenarios on future snow cover in the Alps". The Cryosphere. 11 (1): 517–529. Bibcode:2017TCry...11..517M. doi:10.5194/tc-11-517-2017. ISSN 1994-0424.
  14. ^ Michel, Adrien; Sharma, Varun; Lehning, Michael; Huwald, Hendrik (May 2021). "Climate change scenarios at hourly time-step over Switzerland from an enhanced temporal downscaling approach". International Journal of Climatology. 41 (6): 3503–3522. Bibcode:2021IJCli..41.3503M. doi:10.1002/joc.7032. ISSN 0899-8418. S2CID 233927677.
  15. ^ Ebner, Pirmin Philipp; Koch, Franziska; Premier, Valentina; Marin, Carlo; Hanzer, Florian; Carmagnola, Carlo Maria; François, Hugues; Günther, Daniel; Monti, Fabiano; Hargoaa, Olivier; Strasser, Ulrich (2021-08-20). "Evaluating a prediction system for snow management". The Cryosphere. 15 (8): 3949–3973. Bibcode:2021TCry...15.3949E. doi:10.5194/tc-15-3949-2021. ISSN 1994-0424. S2CID 233977845.
  16. ^ Gerber, F.; Lehning, M.; Hoch, S. W.; Mott, R. (2017-08-16). "A close-ridge small-scale atmospheric flow field and its influence on snow accumulation: LEESIDE FLOW AND SNOW ACCUMULATION". Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. 122 (15): 7737–7754. doi:10.1002/2016JD026258. S2CID 59332819.
  17. ^ Rütte, F.; Kahl, A.; Rohrer, J.; Lehning, M. (2021-08-16). "How Forward-Scattering Snow and Terrain Change the Alpine Radiation Balance With Application to Solar Panels". Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. 126 (15). Bibcode:2021JGRD..12634333V. doi:10.1029/2020JD034333. hdl:11475/22957. ISSN 2169-897X. S2CID 237691527.
  18. ^ Kahl, Annelen; Dujardin, Jérôme; Lehning, Michael (2019-01-22). "The bright side of PV production in snow-covered mountains". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 116 (4): 1162–1167. Bibcode:2019PNAS..116.1162K. doi:10.1073/pnas.1720808116. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 6347694. PMID 30617063.
  19. ^ Bartlett, Stuart; Dujardin, Jérôme; Kahl, Annelen; Kruyt, Bert; Manso, Pedro; Lehning, Michael (November 2018). "Charting the course: A possible route to a fully renewable Swiss power system". Energy. 163: 942–955. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2018.08.018. S2CID 115590805.
  20. ^ Dujardin, Jérôme; Kahl, Annelen; Lehning, Michael (2021-06-01). "Synergistic optimization of renewable energy installations through evolution strategy". Environmental Research Letters. 16 (6): 064016. Bibcode:2021ERL....16f4016D. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/abfc75. ISSN 1748-9326. S2CID 235285247.
  21. ^ "ALPsolut.eu". www.alpsolut.eu. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  22. ^ ""We need a new solution for winter power"". www.axpo.com. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  23. ^ "The first consortia start the new energy research programme SWEET". www.bfe.admin.ch. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
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