Dr. Stefan Osterwalder
Dr. Stefan Osterwalder
Lecturer at the Department of Environmental Systems Science
Research interest
My research interests include the atmospheric chemistry, transport and biogeochemistry of trace gases, in particular mercury (Hg), and the quantification of their surface-atmosphere exchange using micrometeorological methods. My research covers a range of issues relevant to terrestrial and marine Hg cycling, from innovating new flux measurement systems (REA, Eddy Mercury), and leading comprehensive field campaigns to analysis of high-resolution data and process modeling.
Projects
Curriculum Vitae
Professional
- 2021 - now | Researcher and Lecturer, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
- 2019 - 2021 | Postdoctoral researcher, Institute of Environmental Geosciences (IGE), Université Grenoble Alpes, France (SNF Postdoc.Mobility fellowship)
- 2017 - 2018 | Postdoctoral researcher, Environmental Geosciences, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Switzerland
- 2016 - 2017 | Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Forest Ecology and Management, SLU Umeå, Sweden
- 2016 | Project leader, Canton Valais, Sion and Arcadis Schweiz AG, Schlieren
Education
- 2012-2016 | PhD in Geosciences, Department of Forest Ecology and Management, SLU Umeå, Sweden and Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Switzerland. Thesis title: Land-atmosphere exchange of elemental mercury: New insights using a novel relaxed eddy accumulation system and enclosure techniques
- 2009-2012 | MSc in Environmental Geosciences, University of Basel, Switzerland. Master thesis title: Elemental mercury evasion from a boreal mire
- 2005-2008 | BSc in Geosciences, University of Basel, Switzerland
Publications
28. Osterwalder S, Schibler R, Hüglin, C, Schwarzenbach B, Stupple G,MacSween K, Bishop K, Alewell C, Buchmann N (2024) Spatial and Seasonal Dynamics of Gaseous Elemental Mercury Concentrations over Switzerland Observed by a Passive Air Sampler Network. Environmental Science: Atmospheres 4: 848-860, doi: external page 10.1039/D4EA00052H
27. Bishop K, Li C, Osterwalder S (2024) Plant demethylation in global mercury cycling. Nature Food 5: 15-16, doi: external page 10.1038/s43016-023-00909-4
26. Gustin MS, Dunham-Cheatham SM, Osterwalder S, Magand O, Dommergue A (2024) What is the utility of measuring gaseous HgII dry deposition using Aerohead samplers?: A review. Science of The Total Environment 907: 167895, doi: external page 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167895
25. Li C, Jiskra M, Nilsson, MB, Osterwalder S, Zhu W, Mauquoy D, Skyllberg U, Enrico M, Peng H, Song Y, Björn E, Bishop K (2023) Mercury deposition and redox transformation processes in peatland constrained by mercury stable isotopes. Nature Communications 14: 7389, doi: external page 10.1038/s41467-023-43164-8
24. Chen C, Huang J-H, Li K, Osterwalder S, Yang C, Waldner P, Zhang H, Fu X, Feng X (2023) Isotopic characterization of mercury atmosphere–foliage and atmosphere–soil exchange in a Swiss subalpine coniferous forest. Environmental Science & Technology 57: 15892-15903, doi: external page 10.1021/acs.est.3c03576
23. Noumonvi KD, Ågren AM, Ratcliffe JL, Öquist MG, Ericson L, Tong CHM, Järveoja J, Zhu W, Osterwalder S, Peng H, Erefur C, Bishop K, Laudon H, Nilsson MB, Peichl M (2023) The Kulbäcksliden Research Infrastructure: A unique setting for northern peatland studies. Frontiers in Earth Science 11:1194749, doi: external page 10.3389/feart.2023.1194749
22. Huang J-H, Berg B, Chen C, Thimonier A, Schmitt M, Osterwalder S, Alewell C, Rinklebe J, Feng X (2023) Predominant contributions through lichen and fine litter to litterfall mercury deposition in a subalpine forest. Environmental Research 229: 116005, doi: external page 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116005
21. Li C, Enrico M, Magand O, Araujo BF, Le Roux G, Osterwalder S, Dommergue A, Bertrand Y, Brioude J, De Vleeschouwer F, Sonke JE (2023) A peat core Hg stable isotope reconstruction of Holocene atmospheric Hg deposition at Amsterdam Island (37.8°S). Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 341: 62-74, doi: external page 10.1016/j.gca.2022.11.024
20. Araujo BF*, Osterwalder S*, Szponar N*, Lee D, Petrova MV, Pernov JB, Ahmed S, Heimbürger-Boavida L-E, Laffont L, Teisserenc R, Tananaev N, Nordstrom C, Magand O, Stupple G, Skov H, Steffen A, Bergquist B, Pfaffhuber KA, Thomas JL, Scheper S, Petäjä T, Dommergue A, Sonke JE (2022) Mercury isotope evidence for Arctic summertime re-emission of mercury from the cryosphere. Nature Communications 13: 4956, doi: external page 10.1038/s41467-022-32440-8 (* shared first authorship)
19. Osterwalder S, Dunham-Cheatham SM, Ferreira Araujo B, Magand O, Thomas JL, Baladima F, Pfaffhuber KA, Berg T, Zhang L, Huang J, Dommergue A, Sonke JE, Gustin MS (2021) Fate of Springtime Atmospheric Reactive Mercury: Concentrations and Deposition at Zeppelin, Svalbard. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry 5: 3234-3246, doi: external page 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.1c00299
18. Osterwalder S, Nerentorp M, Zhu W, Jiskra M, Nilsson E, Nilsson MB, Rutgersson A, Soerensen AL, Sommar J, Wallin MB, Wängberg I, Bishop K (2021) Critical Observations of Gaseous Elemental Mercury Air-Sea Exchange. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 35: e2020GB006742, doi: external page 10.1029/2020GB006742
17. McLagan DS, Osterwalder S, Biester H (2021) Temporal and spatial assessment of gaseous elemental mercury concentrations and emissions at contaminated sites using active and passive measurements. Environmental Research Communications 3: 051004, doi: external page 10.1088/2515-7620/abfe02
16. Ballabio C, Jiskra M, Osterwalder S, Borrelli P, Montanarella L, Panagos P (2021) A spatial assessment of mercury content in the European Union topsoil. Science of the Total Environment 769: 144755, doi: external page 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144755
15. Wohlgemuth L, Osterwalder S, Joseph C, Kahmen A, Hoch G, Alewell C, Jiskra M, (2020) A bottom-up quantification of foliar mercury uptake fluxes across Europe. Biogeosciences 17: 6441-6456, doi: external page 10.5194/bg-17-6441-2020
14.1 Osterwalder S, Eugster W, Feigenwinter I, Jiskra M (2020) Eddy covariance flux measurements of gaseous elemental mercury over a grassland. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 13: 2057–2074, doi: external page 10.5194/amt-13-2057-2020
14.2 Osterwalder S, Eugster W, Feigenwinter I, Jiskra M (2020) Dataset of eddy covariance flux measurements of gaseous elemental mercury over a grassland. ETH Research Collection, doi: external page 10.3929/ethz-b-000393131
13. Huang J-H, Shetaya WH, Osterwalder S (2020) Determination of (Bio)-available mercury in soils: A review. Environmental Pollution 263: 114323, doi: external page 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114323
12. Wohlgemuth L, McLagan D, Flückiger B, Vienneau D, Osterwalder S (2020) Concurrently Measured Concentrations of Atmospheric Mercury in Indoor (household) and Outdoor Air of Basel, Switzerland. Environmental Science & Technology Letters 7: 234-239, doi: external page 10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00110
11. Sommar J, Osterwalder S, Zhu W (2020) Recent advances in understanding and measurement of Hg in the environment: Surface-atmosphere exchange of gaseous elemental mercury (Hg0). Science of the Total Environment 721: 137648, doi: external page 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137648
10. Bishop K, Shanley JB, Riscassi A, de Wit HA, Eklöf K, Meng B, Mitchell C, Osterwalder S, Schuster PF, Webster J, Zhu W (2020) Recent advances in understanding and measurement of mercury in the environment: Terrestrial Hg cycling. Science of the Total Environment 721: 137647: doi: external page 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137647
9. Petäjä T, Duplissy E-M, Tabakova K, Schmale J, Altstädter B, Ancellet G, Arshinov M, Balin Y, Baltensperger U, Bange J, Beamish A, Belan B, Berchet A, Bossi R, Cairns WRL, Ebinghaus R, Haddad IE, Ferreira-Araujo B, Franck A, Huang L, Hyvärinen A, Humbert A, Kalogridis A-C, Kontantinov P, Lampert A, MacLeod M, Magand O, Mahura A, Marelle L, Masloboev V, Moisseev D, Moschos V, Neckel N, Onishi T, Osterwalder S, Ovaska A, Paasonen P, Panchenko M, Pankratov F, Pernov JB, Platis A, Popovicheva O, Raut J-C, Riandet A, Sachs T, Salvatori R, Salzano R, Schröder L, Schön M, Shevchenko V, Skov H, Sonke JE, Spolaor A, Stathopoulos V, Strahlendorff M, Thomas JL, Vitale V, Vratolis S, Barbante C, Chabrillat S, Dommergue A, Eleftheriadis K, Heilimö J, Law KS, Massling A, Noe SM, Paris J-D, Prévôt A, Riipinen I, Wehner B, Xie Z, Lappalainen HK (2020) Overview: Integrative and Comprehensive Understanding on Polar Environments (iCUPE) – concept and initial results. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 20: 8551-8592, doi: external page 10.5194/acp-20-8551-2020
8. Osterwalder S, Huang J-H, Shetaya WH, Agnan Y, Frossard A, Frey B, Alewell C, Kretzschmar R, Biester H, Obrist D (2019) Mercury emission from industrially contaminated soils in relation to chemical, microbial, and meteorological factors. Environmental Pollution 250: 944-952, doi: external page 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.03.093
7. Shetaya WH, Huang J-H, Osterwalder S, Mestrot A, Bigalke M, Alewell C (2019) Sorption kinetics of isotopically labelled divalent mercury (196Hg2+) in soil. Chemosphere 221: 193-202, doi: external page 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.01.034
6. Xu Y-H, Brandl H, Osterwalder S, Elzinga E J, Huang J-H (2019) Vanadium-basidiomycete fungi interaction and its impact on vanadium biogeochemistry. Environment International 130: 104891, doi: external page 10.1016/j.envint.2019.06.001
5. Osterwalder S, Sommar J, Åkerblom S, Jocher G, Fritsche J, Nilsson MB, Bishop K, Alewell C (2018) Comparative study of elemental mercury flux measurement techniques over a Fennoscandian boreal peatland. Atmospheric Environment 172: 16-25, doi: external page 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2017.10.025
4. Osterwalder S, Bishop K, Alewell C, Fritsche J, Laudon H, Åkerblom S, Nilsson MB (2017) Mercury evasion from a boreal peatland shortens the timeline for recovery from legacy pollution. Scientific Reports 7: 1-9, doi: external page 10.1038/s41598-017-16141-7
3. Shetaya WH, Osterwalder S, Bigalke M, Mestrot A, Huang J-H, Alewell C (2017) An Isotopic Dilution Approach for Quantifying Mercury Lability in Soils. Environmental Science & Technology Letters 4: 556-561, doi: external page 10.1021/acs.estlett.7b00510
2. Osterwalder S, Fritsche J, Alewell C, Schmutz M, Nilsson MB, Jocher G, Sommar J, Rinne J, Bishop K (2016) A dual-inlet, single detector relaxed eddy accumulation system for long-term measurement of mercury flux. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 9 509-524, doi: external page 10.5194/amt-9-509-2016
1. Fritsche J, Osterwalder S, Nilsson MB, Sagerfors J, Åkerblom S, Bishop K, Alewell C (2014) Evasion of Elemental Mercury from a Boreal Peatland Suppressed by Long-Term Sulfate Addition. Environmental Science & Technology Letters 1: 421-425, doi: external page 10.1021/ez500223a