Carbon stocks and dynamics in newly created salt marshes and mangroves
(ref. BAP-2024-41)
Laatst aangepast: 19/01/24
Within the department of Earth & Environmental Sciences at KU Leuven, we are looking for highly motivated candidates to take up a PhD position focusing on the carbon stocks in newly developed tidal wetland, e.g. mangrove and salt marshes. The PhD position will be for a duration of 4 years. This is a collaborative research project between the department of Earth & Environmental Sciences divisions of Geography and Tourism, Soil and Water Management and a consortium of researchers from he University of Antwerp, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. The candidates will work in close collaboration with other partners in the consortium, and will benefit from links with other ongoing research projects on complementary topics.
Project
Traditionally, coastal areas have relied on human interventions, including breakwaters, storm walls, dikes and sand replenishment, to protect against storms and extreme events. However, as we face a challenging future with emerging phenomena like rising sea levels and intense storm events, the effectiveness of this approach is questioned. Scientific evidence shows that only relying on the traditional hard engineering approach for coastal protection is not sustainable in the face of future climate change. Tidal wetlands, in particular vegetated systems such as salt marshes and mangroves, can serve as a natural buffer zone, protecting human communities from storm surges and sea-level rise. They have the ability to adapt to rising sea levels by vertically building up their soils through the accumulation of organic matter and thereby moreover sequester and store a significant amount of carbon. To utilize tidal wetlands as so-called nature-based solutions, more accurate estimates on sediment capture and carbon storage, and the underlying drivers, is necessary.
The VLAIO project WETCOAST, consisting of a consortium of researchers from the University of Antwerp, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and KU Leuven, will fill this research gap through field observations, remote sensing and numerical modelling. You will be part of the KU Leuven research team consisting of Steven Bouillon (Fac. of Biosciences Engineering– Soil & Water Management Division, KU Leuven campus Leuven) and Christian Schwarz (Fac. Engineering Science – Hydraulics and Geotechnics, KU Leuven campus Leuven, and Fac. Sciences – Geography and Tourism, KU Leuven campus Leuven) focusing on quantifying sediment and carbon fluxes entering and leaving the tidal wetlands. You will utilize state-of-the-art measurement equipment to quantify sediment and carbon trapping efficiency of a recently disembarked (salt marsh, Scheldt Estuary, BE) and created (mangrove forest, Guayaquil Estuary, ECU) wetland.
Profiel
To qualify for this 4-year PhD trajectory, you should have an MSc degree (graduated with distinction) in a field that provides you with a solid background in biogeochemistry, environmental engineering, geomorphology, hydraulics or a related field with a keen interest in coastal and wetland sediment transport and soil properties. Lateral tidal fluxes between tidal wetlands and the connected estuary result in exchange of carbon in different forms. Organic carbon and inorganic carbon are exchanged in both particulate and dissolved forms, including dissolved CO2 and CH4. You will measure these fluxes using a combination of tidal water flux measurements (combining flow velocity, turbidity and water level sensors) and by taking water samples for further processing and analyses in the lab. You will carry out field sampling, set up field measurement installations and carry out laboratory analysis.
Aanbod
Applications for this position can be submitted between the 19th of January 2024 and the 10th of February 2024. Candidates should be fluent in English, have a relevant background and be interested in working with and in this interdisciplinary consortium. The expected starting date is 1st of May 2024 or as soon as possible after that date.
Interested candidates should send a CV and motivation letter (pdf) before 10th of February 2024 using the KU Leuven submission tool.Feel free to contact us for specific questions prior to submitting your application: christian.schwarz@kuleuven.be, steven.bouillon@kuleuven.be.
Interesse
For more information please contact Prof. dr. Christian Schwarz, tel.: +32 16 32 64 27, mail: christian.schwarz@kuleuven.be or Prof. dr. ir. Steven Bouillon, tel.: +32 16 32 64 51, mail: steven.bouillon@kuleuven.be.
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