CH-QUAT: Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Quartärforschung
The Swiss Society for Quaternary Research (CH-QUAT) is a network for scientists and professionals from research and applied fields dealing with the Quaternary period (the last 2.6 Ma of Earth's History), focusing on environmental and climate change, geology, and human development. At our annual meetings and excursions, we offer a platform to promote an exchange of knowledge, ideas and contacts between students, scientists, professionals from governmental institutions, private companies, and the greater public.
In 2023 the highlights were the CH-QUAT Annual Meeting in Bern, a two-day excursion to Lake Constance and a well-attended Quaternary Sciences session at the 21st Swiss Geoscience Meeting in Mendrisio. During the year, we provided financial support to 10 students and young researchers either to carry out field work or to present their results at conferences. CH-QUAT, representing Switzerland in the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA), actively participated in the 21st INQUA Congress in Rome with many contributions from CH-QUAT members.
CH-QUAT Annual Meeting
For the annual meeting in Bern (March 18), CH-QUAT invited six keynote speakers to present their research on landscape evolution in the Alps and their foreland. The keynotes covered a wide range of aspects of the topic, including past, present and future perspectives on landscape dynamics. CH-QUAT thanks the keynote speakers Angela Langraf (Nagra), Naki Akçar (University of Bern), Thomas Reitmaier (Archäologischer Dienst Graubünden), Jean Nicolas Haas (University of Innsbruck), Cristian Scapozza (SUPSI) and Fritz Schlunegger (University of Bern) for their excellent presentations. The keynote lectures were accompanied by breaks for networking, discussions and additional poster presentations.
CH-QUAT Excursion to Lake Constance
The 2023 CH-QUAT excursion (September 15 and 16) took place in the Lake Constance region and focused on archaeology, paleoecology, and glacial geology. The first day started at the offices of the Archaeological Service and the Archaeological Museum of the Canton of Thurgau in Frauenfeld where Urs Leuzinger (Amt für Archäologie Thurgau) gave us a background tour. It was great to see the exciting collection and to get a first-hand insight into the work and the organization of such an institution. The second stop was on the shores of Hüttwilersee. Oliver Heiri and Lucia Wick (both University of Basel) presented new high-resolution paleoenvironmental datasets obtained from sediment cores from Hüttwilersee and Bichelsee as part of the research project "Klima, Mensch und Umwelt im Thurgau (KUMiT)". The third stop was at Pfyn Breitenloo, where Urs Leuzinger and Jean Nicolas Haas (University of Innsbruck) gave us an overview and new insights into the Neolithic settlement (Pfyn Culture) at this site.
On the second day, Flavio Anselmetti (University of Bern) presented an updated overview of the glacial history, neotectonics, and postglacial environmental changes of Lake Constance, based on the rich core, seismic, and bathymetric data acquired in recent years. Together with Urs Leuzinger, Flavio Anselmetti also reported on the exciting discovery of man-made Neolithic mounds along the shores of Lake Constance. Aboard the motorboat MS Zeppelin, the 20 participants floated over some of the best-studied mounds, where even partial underwater excavations had been carried out. The second half of the day was led by Sarah Kamleitner (ETH Zurich), who presented the fascinating results of her doctoral thesis on the subglacial landforms of the Rhine Glacier, which covered the Lake Constance area during glacial times. Sarah Kamleitner took us to textbook drumlins in the Thur valley and explained her approach of mapping and integrating streamlined subglacial landforms to better understand the ice-flow dynamics of past glaciations.
Scientific Session at the Swiss Geoscience Meeting
At the 21st Swiss Geoscience Meeting in Mendrisio (November 17–18), CH-QUAT organized the session "Quaternary environments: landscapes, climate, ecosystems and human activity during the past 2.6 million years" as a platform for the Swiss Quaternary community. The session hosted 17 talks and 17 posters. All contributions were of excellent quality and the session was well attended throughout the day.
INQUA Congress, Rome
CH-QUAT is the organization representing Switzerland in the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA). The INQUA Congress is an important opportunity to meet and interact with the global Quaternary research community and takes place only every 4 years. In 2023, the 21st INQUA Congress "Time for change" was organized at the Sapienza University of Rome (July 14–20). The scientific program attracted over 3000 delegates, including many Swiss participants. Presentations, workshops, etc. covered the full range of Quaternary disciplines and the meeting provided great opportunities for networking and socializing. In addition, CH-QUAT board members participated in the organizational meetings of INQUA's International Council.
In 2023, ten students and ERC researchers were financially supported by CH-QUAT's Support for Young Scientists, which is intended for field work, research trips, conferences and course expenses for young researchers. The number of supported people was higher than in previous years because many young scientists attended the INQUA Congress, which is a great opportunity for young scientists to present their research to the international Quaternary community.
Support for was granted to:
1) Giovanni Baccolo, Paul Scherrer Institute: Attendance to the Swiss Geoscience Meeting in Mendrisio
2) Ricardo N. Santos, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel: Attendance to the Goldschmidt Conference in Lyon
3) Janine Fankhauser, Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Bern: Support for Thesis on the timing of the Poschiavo Rock Avalanche
4) Lena Camenzind, Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Bern: Support for Thesis on the Evolution of the Polygenetic Le Pont Cone, The Ferret Valley, Mont Blanc Massif
Support for attendance of the 21st INQUA Congress, Rome was granted to:
1) Ieva Grudzinska-Elsberga, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel
2) Neal Mathes, Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich
3) Ronald Lloren, Department of Earth Sciences, ETHZ Zürich
4) Giorgia Camperio, Department Surface Waters Research & Management, EAWAG
5) Dylan Cook, Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich
6) Pierre Lapellegerie, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel
CH-QUAT regularly informs its members about current events of other associations or projects related to national and international Quaternary research. It also coordinates external inquiries in the field of Quaternary sciences. In addition, current and future events are continuously uploaded to our homepage on the SCNAT portal. CH-QUAT also maintains an X account (@ChQuat) for the exchange of information within the Quaternary community via social media.
We also support the International Geochronology Summer School, which teaches young researchers (PhD students and PostDocs) about dating techniques in environmental research. In 2023, the 14th Summer School was organized in the Morteratsch area (August 27–September 2)