The aim of this PhD position is to investigate:
- How nutrient export dynamics (i.e. long-term trend, seasonal variations and storm responses) vary across spatial scales from small headwater catchments (<10 km²) to meso-scale catchments (50-500 km²)
- How hydro-climatic extremes (droughts, heatwaves, extreme precipitation events) differentially influence water quality according to catchments size and stream order.
The research hypothesizes that the land-to-water delivery signal dominates nutrient export dynamics in the smaller catchments, while the influence of in-stream processes and point sources increases in larger catchments.
This project will rely on high-resolution water quality monitoring data from research catchments in Sweden, Germany, France, Ireland and the United Kingdom, complemented by analysing public water surveillance data across the EU.
In addition to the analysis of these long-term environmental observation data, you will implement a 2-year water quality monitoring downstream of one of the research catchments (Agrhys in western France https://eng-agrhys.rennes.hub.inrae.fr/, 5km²) to study how the water chemistry signal observed by current monitoring propagates downstream.
Data analysis methods will include statistical spatial and temporal data analysis and parsimonious modelling. As part of this PhD position, you can take part in short visits and secondments to BEYOND partners for additional training and knowledge exchange.
The project will be supervised by Rémi Dupas (INRAE, France) and Ophélie Fovet (INRAE, France) and co-supervised by Magdalena Bieroza (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) and Per-Erik Mellander (Teagasc, Republic of Ireland).
Miriam Glendell (James Hutton Institute, UK) and Michael Rode (UFZ, Germany) will be advisors of PhD.
The position duration is three years. You will be based in the joint research unit SAS https://eng-umrsas.rennes.hub.inrae.fr/ in Rennes, France.
