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Summer quiz: ETH in the field

With drones in the air, on glaciers and inside the earth: experiments by ETH researchers are carried out at the remotest locations. In this quiz, we take you with us on a journey to where ETH research takes place.

by Michael Walther

Would you have believed it? In the summer quiz series, we take you on a tour of discovery through remarkable, peculiar and fun facts from the research and teaching of ETH Zurich. This issue addresses research in the field.

Summer quiz: ETH in the field

  1. Question 1 of 6
    Panoramic view of Rhone glacier and tents

    1. ETH researchers carried out experiments in April on the Rhone glacier to measure icequakes. What did they use to do this?

    • ✓ Correct They did use fibre-optic cables. Vibrations can be measured using short laser pulses. If there is no change in the cable, the dispersion signal remains the same. If it expands in response to seismic activity, the dispersion signal is modified. Further information

    • ✘ False They did use fibre-optic cables. Vibrations can be measured using short laser pulses. If there is no change in the cable, the dispersion signal remains the same. If it expands in response to seismic activity, the dispersion signal is modified. Further information

  2. Question 2 of 6
    WingtraOne drone before take-off

    2. The vertical take-off drone of ETH spin-off Wingtra uses high-precision cameras to survey fields, vineyards and mines. What was the drone originally intended for?

      • ✓ Correct The drone was originally intended for parcel transport. Founder and ETH graduate Basil Weibel wanted to use it to reduce transport costs in the parcel delivery market. He developed the first drone in a focus project where students apply the knowledge they have learned to practical solutions. Further information

      • ✘ False The drone was originally intended for parcel transport. Founder and ETH graduate Basil Weibel wanted to use it to reduce transport costs in the parcel delivery market. He developed the first drone in a focus project where students apply the knowledge they have learned to practical solutions. Further information

    • Question 3 of 6

      3. What can be heard here?

        • ✓ Correct This is presumably the first registered Marsquake. These are signals of the Mars lander InSight that reached the earth on 6 April 2019. Scientists in the group led by ETH Professor Domenico Giardini believe that the signals come from within the planet. (Soundfile: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory) Further information

        • ✘ False This is presumably the first registered Marsquake. These are signals of the Mars lander InSight that reached the earth on 6 April 2019. Scientists in the group led by ETH Professor Domenico Giardini believe that the signals come from within the planet. (Soundfile: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory) Further information

      • Question 4 of 6
        Marslander on the surface of Mars

        4. How long does it take to transmit data from Mars to Earth?

          • ✓ Correct The data cover the distance from Mars to Earth in about 20 minutes. The seismometer’s core task is to measure the seismic waves caused by meteorite impacts or Marsquakes. The highly sensitive instrument will record signatures from different waves that are reflected and refracted as they encounter different layers inside the planet, which will allow scientists to infer the nature and composition of Mars. Further information

          • ✘ False The data cover the distance from Mars to Earth in about 20 minutes. The seismometer’s core task is to measure the seismic waves caused by meteorite impacts or Marsquakes. The highly sensitive instrument will record signatures from different waves that are reflected and refracted as they encounter different layers inside the planet, which will allow scientists to infer the nature and composition of Mars. Further information

        • Question 5 of 6

          5. What are these noises?

            • ✓ Correct These are noises of earthworms burrowing tunnels, recorded by piezoelectric sensors, in time-lapse. Researchers from ETH Zurich and the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) have been using piezoelectric sensors to investigate various soils for acoustic emissions. The result: when roots grow or earthworms burrow tunnels, they make noises. Further information

            • ✘ False These are noises of earthworms burrowing tunnels, recorded by piezoelectric sensors, in time-lapse. Researchers from ETH Zurich and the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) have been using piezoelectric sensors to investigate various soils for acoustic emissions. The result: when roots grow or earthworms burrow tunnels, they make noises. Further information

          • Question 6 of 6
            HoloBalloon in the sky and sunlight

            6. This helium balloon will soon be collecting data about the microphysical cloud structure. Where?

              • ✓ Correct The balloon will soon be collecting data in Spitzbergen. Here at one of the earth’s northernmost settlements, the air is relatively uncontaminated by pollutant emissions. Researchers led by Ulrike Lohmann, Professor of Experimental Cloud Physics at ETH Zurich, hope to use the HoloBalloon to find out how particles in the air influence the climate. They expect this to facilitate more precise climate predictions.

              • ✘ False The balloon will soon be collecting data in Spitzbergen. Here at one of the earth’s northernmost settlements, the air is relatively uncontaminated by pollutant emissions. Researchers led by Ulrike Lohmann, Professor of Experimental Cloud Physics at ETH Zurich, hope to use the HoloBalloon to find out how particles in the air influence the climate. They expect this to facilitate more precise climate predictions.

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