Podcast

‘More than wind and weather’: GeoSphere Austria's science podcast.

Every month, we tell you about the exciting fields of meteorology, climatology, geophysics and geology. The guests and people with expertise come from our own company and report in a relaxed atmosphere on what is currently happening in the respective fields or explain the basics. Open your ears, there is a lot to discover.

Episode 25: Crime Scene: The Weather – Investigating the Damage

On 1 March 2008, Storm Emma swept across Austria. Whilst the Braunau/Ranshofen weather station recorded ‘only’ 104 km/h, several high-voltage pylons were toppled just a few kilometres away. How does this add up? Was the storm actually stronger than the measurement data suggest?

Brainstorm: Stormy times – A look back at the 2026 Natural Hazards Conference

How does a weather forecast become a warning – and how does a warning lead to effective protective measures?

Episode 24: When weather forecasts were considered immoral – 175 years of weather forecasting in Austria

‘Weather forecasting is immoral and damaging to a meteorologist’s character. ’ – With this surprising quote, we embark on a journey through 175 years of weather forecasting in Austria.

Episode 23: The Ozone Hole: How the World Solved an Environmental Problem – The Ozone Trilogy (3/3)

Most people have probably heard of the ozone hole. But how does it actually – formand is it really just a hole in the atmosphere?

Episode 22: Stratospheric Ozone: A Protective Shield and a Prerequisite for Life – The Ozone Trilogy (2/3)

Ozone has two quite different sides: Near the ground, it can really give us a hard time in the summer—but high up in the stratosphere, it serves as an indispensable protective shield for life on Earth.

Episode 21: Tropospheric Ozone: A Trace Gas Causes Trouble – The Ozone Trilogy (1/3)

Not all ozone is the same: whilst the ozone layer high up in the stratosphere protects us from harmful UV radiation, ozone at ground level can become a problem. In the first episode of our ozone trilogy, we therefore take a closer look at ground-level, or tropospheric, ozone.

Rewind – Summer 2026

Summer, sun, heat stress—that’s more or less how the summer of 2026 felt for many people.

Episode 20: Dryness, drought and the atmosphere’s thirst

Alongside the heat, dry spells and droughts have been among the defining weather topics of this summer. But what exactly distinguishes a dry spell from a drought? Does it all depend solely on rainfall? And what is the difference between meteorological and hydrological drought?

Episode 19: Groundwater is on everyone’s lips

Groundwater – a topic that’s been in the news time and again this year. But what exactly lies behind our most important freshwater reservoir?

Episode 18: Thunderstorms – The ultimate challenge for weather forecasting?

Why can we calculate the exact time of a solar eclipse down to the second, but often can’t say whether a thunderstorm will strike right above your location tonight?

Brainstorm: The June heatwave of 2026

Europe under heat stress: At the end of June 2026, large parts of Europe experienced one of the most extreme heatwaves in recent history – with record-breaking temperatures, tropical nights and massive impacts on daily life, health and infrastructure.

Brainstorm: El Niño - a regulator in the global climate system

El Niño—ever heard of it, but never quite understood what it’s all about?

Episode 17: From a single pixel to a downpour - How does the precipitation radar work?

It has become an indispensable part of short-term forecasting – though it was discovered rather by chance. As well as insects, it can be used to track debris swept up by tornadoes, and even ornithologists benefit from its observations.

Rewind – Spring 2026

What a spring that was!

Episode 16: The Collection – Millions of Years at a Glance

Buckle up and hold on tight – today we’re travelling back in time! This episode is all about fossils, some of which are millions of years old. Our palaeontologist Holger Gebhardt gives us a glimpse into his day-to-day work, explains why mouse teeth are highly sought-after finds, and why there are hardly any dinosaur fossils in Austria. We’ll also be discussing: What are index fossils? And why are animal fossils often found without heads? You’ll find out all this and much more in this exciting episode!

Brainstorm: The Long Night of Research 2026

It takes place every two years: the Long Night of Research. This year it was that time again – and we from the Salzburg Regional Office were there too. In this Knowledge Flash, which was partly filmed live at the LNF, you can find out what we had on offer, how our visitors got on, and just how much preparation goes into this research event.

Brainstorm: Your eyes provide our data

Attention weather enthusiasts: we need you!

Episode 15: After a worst-case scenario comes prevention – Lessons from Chernobyl

Forty years ago, a reactor accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant shocked the world. For hours, there was silence, even as a radioactive cloud was already making its way across Europe. To be better prepared for potential nuclear emergencies, GeoSphere Austria is now part of an international network of crisis preparedness centers. There, researchers model how radioactive substances spread and are transported in the atmosphere and what effects they may have. These analyses provide important decision-making tools to minimize risks to the population, agriculture, and ecosystems.

Brainstorm: Austria’s glaciers in transition

The latest glacier report from the Austrian Alpine Club has caused quite a stir. An overwhelming majority of the country’s glaciers have lost length and mass, and many are at risk of disintegration. Gerhard Hohenwarter has been responsible for surveying Austria’s southernmost glacier for years and tells us how his “home glacier” has fared relatively well over the years despite its low elevation, and he contextualizes these developments within the broader landscape of Austria’s ice giants.

Brainstorm: Dusty greetings from the Sahara

Tiny, well-travelled and highly effective: Saharan dust travels up to 4,000 km, makes the sunshine appear cloudy and sometimes colours our sunsets a beautiful red. We explain its origin, transport, measurement methods and why desert dust is of concern to weather models, glaciers and lungs.

Episode 14 – Atmosphere of change

We're in a party mood: ‘More than Wind and Weather’ is celebrating its first birthday! But there's something that has dampened our festive spirits: How many well-known and historically significant female scientists can you think of off the top of your head? We couldn't think of many... This is exactly where we come in – and put some female pioneers from the fields of geology, palaeontology and meteorology in the spotlight in this anniversary episode. There are also a few current figures on the subject of women in science and at Geosphere Austria. Have a listen – and join in the celebrations!

Rewind – Winter 2025/26

Do you often feel like the past season went this way or that way?

Brainstorm: Whats the polar vortex?

With its excursions southward, this atmospheric feature causes cold spells to reach mid-latitudes – most recently with a deadly cold wave in North America. Find out exactly what this polar vortex is all about and what “sudden stratospheric warming” is in this episode

Episode 13: Between stability and collapse – processes of mass movement

We leave no stone unturned: this episode is about gravitational mass movements – from inconspicuous landslides to spectacular rockfalls and landslides, such as the one that recently occurred in the swiss village of Blatten. Michael Lotter explains what drives these processes, what role water, rock type and slope inclination play, and why they are becoming more frequent and dangerous in times of climate change. How does the permafrost in the Alps differ from that in the far north? And how must mountain sports respond to the changes in the mountains? Have a listen!

Episode 12: GeoSphere Worldwide – The weather knows no borders!

GeoSphere Austria may be the national weather service, but our responsibilities are not limited to Austria. A team has been formed within GeoSphere Global Support (GGS) that provides weather forecasts for the entire world, advising various global players such as the EU Crisis Center and the UNHCR. How did the Austrians come to be involved in global weather forecasting, and what is the difference between a typhoon, a hurricane, and a cyclone? Listen in and find out!

Brainstorm: White Christmas!?

It is the crucial question that we meteorologists have to ask ourselves every year at this time: Will we have a white Christmas? How exactly is a “white Christmas” defined, how does climate change affect it, and – most excitingly – what does this year's Christmas forecast look like?

Episode 11: The not-so-eternal ice

They are part of the landscape of the Alps and other large mountain ranges, and they are also an integral part of the polar regions. We are talking about glaciers. How bleak is the future for these striking ice formations in Austria? Is our drinking water supply also under threat, as is the case in other regions of the world, should the glaciers disappear completely? Bernhard Hynek is a glaciologist and, thanks to his many years of experience in Austria and Greenland, has a lot to say on this fascinating topic. Tune in and learn everything you ever wanted to know about glacier research!

Brainstorm: World Climate Conference in a nutshell

This year's United Nations Climate Change Conference is taking place in Belém, Brazil. In this knowledge flash, we take a brief look at when and why the UN Climate Change Conferences were established and who participates in them. We explain the impact of the Kyoto Protocol and the status of the Paris Climate Agreement targets. And, of course, we also highlight what we can expect from this year's World Climate Summit.

Episode 10: The stormy side of the sun

Attention, attention – this is a storm warning from outer space! The everyday work of astrophysicists Christian Möstl and Hannah Rüdisser isn't quite that wild (yet), but they definitely have exciting things to report about their activities. How dangerous are solar storms and in what cycles do they occur? How trees react to space weather and when the Northern Lights were even seen in the Caribbean – you can find out all this and more in the latest episode.

Brainstorm: The Natural Hazards Conference 2025

The 2025 Natural Hazards Conference took place in Dornbirn and focused on the topic of heat. Laura Mainetti was there as our roving reporter and interviewed the speakers on the topic of blackouts and the effects of increasing heat. She also interviewed the winner of the award for the best climate change adaptation project in municipalities.

Episode 9: The glass ball of trust

What does a model developer think of weather apps? How is a weather model created in the first place and what role does artificial intelligence play? You could ask Christoph Wittmann an infinite number of questions about numerical weather prediction - and he would have a good answer to most of them! If you want to know how you can manage to predict the chaotic weather conditions reasonably well and why not every model is equally suitable for every task, listen to this exciting episode!

Fact check – Climate change

Climate change is a highly polarising and much-discussed topic. There are a number of arguments circulating that not only downplay the climate crisis, but also unsettle many people. In this special episode, we examine the five most common arguments used by climate change deniers with our expert Marc Olefs and refute them with scientific facts.

Episode 8: The one about climate change

Climate change is an urgent but also highly polarising issue. Opinions range from ‘it's not that bad’ to ‘we're glueing ourselfes on the strees’. In this episode, we take an objective approach to the topic and discuss the scientific facts behind climate change with our climate expert Marc Olefs. Listen to the latest episode to find out which three key questions everyone can ask themselves to help solve the climate crisis and what gives even climate experts courage and hope!

Episode 7: Geothermal energy – the hot topic of heat supply

What do the earth and a freshly boiled egg have in common? Geologist Cornelia Steiner explains it to us! She takes us on a journey into the bowels of the earth and as we go deeper and deeper, we learn how we can exploit this subterranean heatpotential thats sleeping in our planet. What does all this have to do with popcorn and for whom does the use of geothermal energy pay off? Listen in and find out!

Episode 6: Heat – the underestimated natural hazard

Heat is a topic that leaves no one indifferent: In this episode, we discuss the diverse effects of heat on people and nature with Laura Mainetti from Geosphere Austria's RiskLab. How are heatwaves defined, why are cities heat islands and what are the current climate scenarios for the future? When does hot become too hot? You can find out all this and much more in this episode

Brainstorm – Recordhunt

The meteorological summer of 2025 has already begun! Before the next heatwave rolls in and it gets really hot again for the dog days, we'll tell you about the current heat records in Austria, Europe and the world. We take a look at the Death Valley, but also England, and show you that not every measurement is automatically confirmed by the WMO and why a thorough data check is extremely important.

Episode 5: Good heavenas, a thunderstorm episode!

For many, thunderstorms are probably the most fascinating weather there is. Lightning and thunder, squalls, heavy rain and hail, but also tornadoes, impressive and threatening at the same time. GeoSphere Austria's thunderstorm expert, Georg Pistotnik, explains what happens in the atmosphere when it really cracks in summer and when it becomes dangerous for the population. The experienced storm chaser has chased supercells in the USA and Europe and tells us how he ended up having to hide from one in a toilet cubicle.

Episode 4: Discovering the underground

Looking underground is worthwhile, as Ingrid Schlögel from the Department of Near-Surface Geophysics shows us. Her team has already been involved in excavations in Ephesus and Stonehenge and she has also tracked down various settlements from the Roman Empire in Austria. In this episode, you can find out what tools are available to geophysicists, what exactly a ‘drill jumbo’ is and what the earth sounds like. The sound of the earth from the ‘Tiefenrausch’-project can be found here

Episode 3: Lord of the Books

Thomas Hofmann is the head of the GeoSphere Austria library, publishing house and archive. He is the master of countless treasures and pieces from the largest geological and meteorological library in Austria. There are also some real rarities in the adjoining archive. In this episode, the busy science journalist explains how many kilometers of shelves our library fills, how and what is stored in the shelves and metal cabinets of his realm and how a fossil snail came to be named after him.

Brainstorm – State of the Global Climate 2024

The WMO's climate status report for 2024 is out. We summarize the most important points from the report of the World Meteorological Organization and give you an overview of how the temperature, the CO2 in the atmosphere, the oceans or the sea ice were in 2024 (spoiler alert: not good). We also explain what the WMO, the IPCC and El Nino are and take a look back at some extreme weather events.

Episode 2: From a snowflake to an avalanche

Claudia Riedl and Veronika Krieger give an insight into the daily work of the avalanche warning service. The qualified meteorologists show how they differ from meteorologists, how they arrive at their danger assessments and how ski tourers can recognize and assess danger signs themselves. The two also explain how cross-border cooperation with other avalanche warning services works and how they create an overall picture from a large number of individual observations in the terrain, also with the participation of the public.

Episode 1: The Woman, that came out of the ice

How does the daily operation of a research station in the Antarctic work? Why are penguins sometimes somewhat clumsy animals? And how do wind farms affect coastal ecosystems? Elke Ludewig knows all this and more. She is the head of the Sonnblick Observatory and in this episode she answers our questions about her very special working environment and what can be researched there.