The Hans Peter HaPe Schmid Lab

Hans Peter Schmid’s lab studies the physics and measurement of land-surface, atmosphere, and ecosystem exchange, with a strong focus on eddy covariance, greenhouse-gas fluxes, and environmental observation networks. The group develops and evaluates methods for measuring CO2, CH4, water vapor, and energy fluxes over complex landscapes, including forests, wetlands, mountain regions, and other heterogeneous terrains. A major theme is improving the accuracy, representativeness, and uncertainty quantification of flux measurements through instrument setup, spectral correction, quality control, and standardized data processing. The lab also works on long-term observation infrastructures such as TERENO, ICOS, and MOSES, where integrated monitoring, remote sensing, geophysics, and modeling are combined to understand climate and land-use change. Another important direction is using machine learning and causal modeling to interpret environmental controls on methane emissions and other ecosystem processes. Students can expect a mix of field measurements, data analysis, atmospheric science, and environmental modeling, with applications in climate research, carbon-cycle science, and the design of robust environmental monitoring systems.