DOMINO: a new SPI Flagship Initiative on Antarctic research
© 2026 EPFL
The Swiss Polar Institute Flagship Initiative “Dynamic changes in air-snow-ice-ocean interactions with global warming” (DOMINO) was awarded to a consortium including EPFL, Uni Bern, Uni Lausanne, WSL/SLF and ETHZ, led by EPFL (Dr. Hendrik Huwald, CRYOS laboratory together with Prof. Franziska Aemisegger, GIUB Uni Bern).
During five years (2026-2030), DOMINO will measure and study key physical processes linking the atmosphere, snow, ice, and ocean in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.
Photo: H. Huwald
Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are undergoing rapid environmental changes with major consequences for the global climate system. The interconnected nature of physical and biogeochemical systems can produce cascading impacts and potential tipping points. Key processes occurring at the interface between the atmosphere, snow, floating and grounded ice, and the ocean regulate exchanges between climate compartments but remain poorly observed.
The DOMINO project establishes a multi-year observational framework embedded within the international Antarctica InSync program to better understand these processes. Using field measurements, satellite observations, and numerical models, the project will investigate atmospheric processes, ice sheet mass balance, snow-sea ice interactions, and ocean biogeochemistry.