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Lectures, exercises and excursions serve as an introduction to atmospheric sciences, soil science and hydrology. Students gain a broad vision of the cutting edge topics that are being researched and studied at D-USYS and D-BAUG at ETH, Eawag, and WSL. This will be the base for a future dialog between the field of landscape architecture and the field of natural sciences and engineering.

Lecture: Environmental factors and interactions between plants and their environment in the area of the Alps; origin of the flora of the Alps; altitudinal levels and their characteristic vegetations.Field trip: Sites on different substrate in the subalpine and alpine zones; structure and development of the soils, implications for the plants, characteristic vegetation types and plant species.

Field trip: Knowledge of the interactions between plants and environment (especially climate and soil) in the Alps (demonstrated in the Davos region); sites on different substrate (dolomite, acid and basic silicate, serpentine) in the subalpine and alpine zones; structure and development of the soils, implications for the plants, characteristic vegetation types and species at the respective sites.

During three full-day field trips and two half-day field exercises, various aspects of soil morphology, soil genesis, and soil functioning are discussed using practical examples.

Introduction to the formation and properties of soils as a function of parent rock, landscape position, climate, and soil organisms. Complex relationships between soil forming processes, physical and chemical soil properties, soil biota, and ecological soil properties are explained and illustrated by numerous examples.

Introduction to the formation and properties of soils as a function of parent rock, landscape position, climate, and soil organisms. Complex relationships between soil forming processes, physical and chemical soil properties, soil biota, and ecological soil properties are explained and illustrated by numerous examples.

This course consists of lectures, practical courses and full-time excursions in Switzerland (especially in the subalpine and alpine zones) during which the knowledge about plant systematics, native and introduced plant species, and ecological factors (mainly climate and soil) is expanded and deepened.

Students present seminars on selected topics in terrestrial systems sciences (e.g., soil sciences, plant ecology). The scientific content of the seminars will then be discussed by the students. At the end the quality of presentation will also be critically evaluated and discussed.

Soil organisms play a key role on the functioning of natural soil ecosystems. This course provides a detailed overview of the diversity and functions of the soil organisms and focuses on above-belowground relationships, global change impacts on the soil functioning and diversity and methodological ways to assess and mitigate them.

This course covers chemical and biogeochemical processes in soils and water and their influence on the behavior and cycling of nutrients and pollutants in terrestrial and aquatic systems. Approaches for quantitative modeling of the processes are introduced and applied in selected examples.

The excursion in the area of Davos illustrates how the interactions between climatic and edaphic factors shape the distribution of alpine plants. Visits of multiple sites on different bedrocks in the subalpine and alpine elevational belts reveal connections between climatic conditions, soil formation and vegetation development.

The pedological excursions are field trips to personally inspect the major soil types in our region. The various soil horizons can be seen and assessed in excavated soil pits. The purpose of this excercise is to recognize the important features of these soils and to understand the ecosystem processes at these sites. This unit complements the teaching materials and contents of the courses taught in

The ability to critically evaluate original (scientific) literature and to summarise the information in a succinct manner is an important skill for any student. This course aims to practice this ability, requiring each student to write a term paper of scientific quality on a topic of relevance for research in the areas of biogeochemistry and pollutant dynamics.

This class is the 2nd part of a series and participation is conditional on the successful completion of "Term Paper 1: Writing". The results from the term paper written during the previous term are presented to the other students and advisors and discussed with the audience.