The Swiss voice in the world since 1935
Top stories
Stay in touch with Switzerland

Pollen has greater weather impact than assumed: Swiss research

Swiss research team discovers blind spot in weather models
Swiss research team discovers blind spot in weather models Keystone-SDA

Pollen and bacteria from forests in the air can cause heavy rainfall, Swiss researchers have shown in a new study.

+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

Such biological particles have not yet been taken into account in weather and climate models.

+ The Böög: Switzerland’s exploding weather forecaster

“In view of our results, weather and climate models must definitely take biological particles into account,” said Athanasios Nenes in a press release issued by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL).

This is particularly true as an increase in these particles is expected with global warming.

Clouds form when water condenses on particles in the atmosphere. Extreme weather events are associated with the formation of large amounts of ice in clouds.

As researchers from EPFL showed in a study published on Monday in the journal Climate and Atmospheric Sciences, biological particles such as pollen, bacteria, fungal spores and plant material released into the air from forests are very effective in the formation of ice in clouds.

More

Translated from German by DeepL/mga

How we work

We select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate them into English. A journalist then reviews the translation for clarity and accuracy before publication. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. The news stories we select have been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team from news agencies such as Bloomberg or Keystone.

Did you find this explanation helpful? Please fill out the short survey below to help us understand your needs.

External Content

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

New work of art by Saype adorns the Vaud Alps

More

New work by artist Saype adorns Swiss Alps

This content was published on The French-Swiss artist Saype has created a new giant painting on the summit of the Grand Chamossaire above Villars-sur-Ollon VD. The 2500 square metre work depicts a boy with a rucksack on his shoulders.

Read more: New work by artist Saype adorns Swiss Alps
Actor Carlos Leal returns to Switzerland

More

Swiss actor Carlos Leal leaves ‘arrogant’ LA

This content was published on According to "Schweizer Illustrierte", Swiss actor Carlos Leal is returning to Switzerland - after 15 years in Los Angeles. "It's become loud there, megalomaniacal and arrogant," he said in the online edition of the magazine.

Read more: Swiss actor Carlos Leal leaves ‘arrogant’ LA
Office of the Attorney General is investigating criminal charges relating to the sale of the Goldvreneli

More

Swissmint sued for alleged gold coin fraud

This content was published on A coin collector has filed a criminal complaint with the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland against Swissmint, the federal mint, for fraud in connection with the sale of the limited-edition 100-franc gold Vreneli.

Read more: Swissmint sued for alleged gold coin fraud
Vreni Schneider gets a museum

More

Museum to open devoted to Swiss ski legend Vreni Schneider

This content was published on Vreni Schneider is to have a museum in the centre of her home village of Elm. The legendary Swiss ski racer has numerous memorabilia at home, which she is now releasing and exhibiting.

Read more: Museum to open devoted to Swiss ski legend Vreni Schneider
Unknown persons steal weapons from shooting range in Wittenbach SG

More

Weapons stolen from Swiss shooting range

This content was published on A shooting range in Wittenbach, northeastern Switzerland, was broken into on Sunday night. The unknown perpetrators stole several antique weapons.

Read more: Weapons stolen from Swiss shooting range
Gurten Festival attracts 98,000 people to Bern's local mountain

More

Gurten Festival wraps up with 98,000 music lovers

This content was published on Over the four days, around 98,000 people – including volunteers – made their way up Bern’s local mountain for the 42nd edition of the festival.

Read more: Gurten Festival wraps up with 98,000 music lovers

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR