Natacha Tofield-Pasche
EPFL ENAC LIMNC
GR A2 435 (Bâtiment GR)
Station 2
1015 Lausanne
Web site: Web site: https://limnc.epfl.ch/
Biography
Dr. Natacha Tofield Pasche is a limnologist with strong interests in biogeochemical processes in lakes. Environmental Engineer from EPFL, she accomplished her PhD on nutrient cycling and methane production in Lake Kivu. From 2009 to 2013, she worked for the Government of Rwanda to create a monitoring program on Lake Kivu, to check the impacts from methane extraction plants. Since September 2013, she is the Deputy Director of the Center of Limnology at EPFL. She coordinated the science, logistic of expeditions and finances of three large research projects. The first one aimed at mapping water quality using innovative aerial images, the second investigated the life under ice in Lake Onego, and the third one the primary production in Swiss lakes. As project leader, she managed the construction and the exploitation of LéXPLORE platform, that collects innovative and high-frequency data on Lake Leman, and coordinates the different research projects. Since 2021, she became Operational Director for the Limnology Center, where she manages a team of 4-5 persons. She is also teaching the Limnology Course to SIE Master students.Current work
As Operational Director, I manage the exploitation of the LéXPLORE platform. I largely contributed to install the experimental platform LéXPLORE on Lake Geneva, after 5 years of intensive work. This innovative infrastructure, unique worldwide, is born from a partnership between 5 academic insitutions and promotes a high-tech research on Lake Geneva with over 50 scientific projets. The unpreceding data aquisition at high resolution will allow to understand and modell important processes in lake, in oder to predict its evolution.As Deputy Director of the Limnology Center, I managed three large multidisciplinary projects on several lakes in Russia and in Switzerland. The project Leman-Baikal compared these two lakes from the air using a new technology of hyperspectral cameras, which is now commercialized by the start-up Gamaya. The project "Life under Ice" gathered 8 international institutions and more than 40 researchers, in order to understand processes in Lake Onego (Russia) in winter during 7 field campaigns. Their results were published in a special edition of Inland Waters in 2019. The third project focussed on the primary production in Swiss lakes and largely benefitted from the LéXPLORE platform.
Professional course
Operational Director
Limnology Center
EPFL
09.2021 to present
Deputy Director
Limnology Center
EPFL
09.2013 to 08.2021
Deputy Director
Swiss Polar Institute
EPFL
05.2016 to 07.2018
Expert in Limnology
Lake Kivu Monitoring Program (http://www.lake-kivu.org/)
Energy and Water Sanitation Authority, Rwanda
11.2009 to 08.2013
Scientific Assistant
Choros
EPFL
10.2002 to 03.2006
Education
Environmental Engineer
Master degree
EPFL
10.1999 to 03.2004
Doctor es Science
Nutrient cycling and methane production in Lake Kivu
Eawag and ETHZ
01.2006 to 10.2009
Publications
Other publications
Peer-reviewed publications
Hannah Chmiel, Hilmar Hofmann, Sebastian Sobek, Tatyana Efremova, and Natacha Pasche (2019): Where does the river end? Drivers of spatiotemporal variability in CO2 concentration and flux in the inflow area of a large boreal lake. Limnology and oceanography (accepted).Alfred Wüest, Natacha Pasche, Bastiaan Ibelings, Sapna Sharma and Nikolay Filatov (2019): Life under Ice in Lake Onego (Russia) – An Interdisciplinary Winter Limnology Study. Inland Waters 9 (2), editorial.
Natacha Pasche, Hilmar Hofmann, Damien Bouffard, Carsten J. Schubert, Petr A. Lozovik, Sebastian Sobek (2019): Implications of river intrusion and convective mixing on the spatial and temporal variability of under-ice CO2. Inland Waters 9 (2) in Life under Ice in Lake Onego (Russia) – An Interdisciplinary Winter Limnology Study.
Camille Thomas, Victor Frossard, Marie-Elodie Perga, Natacha Tofield-Pasche, Hilmar Hofmann, Nathalie Dubois, Natalia Belkina, Mariya Zobkova, Serge Robert, Emilie Lyautey (2019): Lateral variations and vertical structure of the microbial methane cycle in the sediment of Lake Onego (Russia), Inland Waters 9 (2) in Life under Ice in Lake Onego (Russia) – An Interdisciplinary Winter Limnology Study.
Tatyana A. Efremova, Albina V. Sabylina, Petr A. Lozovik, Vera I. Slaveykova, Maria V. Zobkova and Natacha Pasche (2019): Seasonal and spatial variation in hydrochemical parameters in Lake Onego (Russia): insights from 2016 field monitoring, Inland Waters 9 (2) in Life under Ice in Lake Onego (Russia) – An Interdisciplinary Winter Limnology Study.
Damien Bouffard, Roman E. Zdorovennov, Gallina E. Zdorovennova, Natacha Pasche, Alfred Wüest and Arkady Y. Terzhevik (2016): Ice-covered Lake Onega: effects of radiation on convection and internal waves; Hydrobiologia. DOI: 10.1007/s10750-016-2915-3.
Pasche Natacha, Tuyisenge Janvière, Mugisha Ange, Rugema Edouard, Muzana Alice, Uwasempabuka Aline and Umutoni Augusta (2015). Building Local Capacities to Monitor Methane Extraction in Lake Kivu, pp 235-244. Chapter 21 in Hostettler, Silvia, Gadgil, Ashok, Hazboun, Eileen (Eds) Sustainable Access to Energy in the Global South, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-20209-9_21, © Springer International Publishing
Fabrice A. Muvundja, Alfred Wüest, Mwapu Isumbisho, Mwenyemali B. Kaningini, Natacha Pasche, Päivi Rinta, Martin Schmid (2014): Modelling Lake Kivu water level variations over the last seven decades. Limnologica Ecology and Management of Inland Waters 47, p 21–33, doi:10.1016/j.limno.2014.02.003.
Natacha Pasche, Fabrice Muvundja, Martin Schmid, Alfred Wüest, and Beat Müller (2012): Nutrient cycling in Lake Kivu, p 31 - 45. Chapter 3 in J.-P. Descy et al. (eds.), Lake Kivu: Limnology and biogeochemistry of a tropical great lake, Aquatic Ecology Series 5, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-4243-7_3, © Springer Science Business Media B.V. 2012.
Natacha Pasche (2012): Paleolimnology of Lake Kivu: past climate and recent environmental changes, p 153 - 163. Chapter 9 in J.-P. Descy et al. (eds.), Lake Kivu: Limnology and biogeochemistry of a tropical great lake, Aquatic Ecology Series 5, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-4243-7_9, © Springer Science Business Media B.V. 2012.
Alfred Wüest, Lukas Jarc, Helmut Bürgmann, Natacha Pasche and Martin Schmid (2012): Methane formation and future extraction in Lake Kivu, p 165 - 180. Chapter 10 in J.-P. Descy et al. (eds.), Lake Kivu: Limnology and biogeochemistry of a tropical great lake, Aquatic Ecology Series 5, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-4243-7_10, © Springer Science Business Media B.V. 2012.
Natacha Pasche, Martin Schmid, John Kessler, Mary Pack, Bill Reeburgh, Carsten Schubert, Francisco Vazquez and Helmut Bürgmann (2011): Methane sources and sinks in Lake Kivu. Journal of Geophysical Research 116, G03006.N
Natacha Pasche, Georges Alunga, Keely Mills, Fabrice Muvundja, David B. Ryves, Michael Schurter, Bernhard Wehrli and Martin Schmid (2010): Abrupt onset of carbonate deposition in Lake Kivu during the 1960s: response to recent environmental changes.Journal of Paleolimnology 44, 931-946.
Natacha Pasche (2009): Nutrient cycling and methane production in Lake Kivu, thesis es science, 127pp, ETH No.18606, Zürich.
Natacha Pasche, Christian Dinkel, Beat Müller, Martin Schmid, Alfred Wüest and Bernhard Wehrli (2009): Physical and biogeochemical limits to internal nutrient loading of meromictic Lake Kivu. Limnology and Oceanography 54, 1863-1873.
Fabrice Muvundja, Natacha Pasche, Fred W. B. Bugenyi, Mwapu Isumbisho, Beat Müller, Jean-Népomuscène Namugize, Päivi Rinta, Martin Schmid, Ruth Stierli and Alfred Wüest (2009): Balancing nutrient inputs to Lake Kivu. Journal of Great Lakes Research 35, 406-415.
Sebastian Sobek, Durisch-Kaiser Edith, Zurbrügg Roland, Nuttakan Wongfun, Martin Wessels, Natacha Pasche, and Bernhard Wehrli (2009), Organic carbon burial efficiency in lake sediments controlled by oxygen exposure time and sediment source. Limnology and Oceanography 54, 2243-2254.
Mathias Kneubühler, Toni Frank, Tobias Kellenberger, Natacha Pasche and Martin Schmid (2007): Mapping chlorophyll-a in Lake Kivu with remote sensing methods. European Space Agency, (Special Publication) ESA SP (SP-636).
Teaching & PhD
Teaching
Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Projeter ensemble ENAC
Courses
Limnology
Focus is on lakes, rivers and reservoirs as aquatic systems. Specific is the quantitative analyse (incl. exercises) of physical, biogeochemical and sedimentological processes. The goal is to understand the relevant processes for the water quality from an engineering perspective