Description

Wind erosion is the movement of soil aggregates under the action of wind. Every year, it is responsible for the emission of millions of tonnes of aerosols (more commonly known as desert dust) into the atmosphere. In the areas where these aerosols are emitted (mainly the arid and semi-arid regions of the globe), these aerosols represent a loss of nutrients for the soils from which they originate. At the scale of agricultural plots, this decline in soil fertility can lead to a decrease in crop yields.

Given the significant impact that erosion has on soil health, preventing soil erosion is one of the eight specific objectives of the mission implementation plan developed by the European Commission. Thus, through a multi-process integrated approach, the EUROSION (European Soil Erosion Monitoring and Modelling Network for Sustainable Agricultural Land Management; https://eurosion.eu/) project, under which this thesis is funded, aims to develop a dynamic pan-European soil erosion monitoring system to assess the status and trends of soil erosion at different spatial and temporal scales in order to propose and promote best management practices to agricultural land managers and decision-makers to reduce soil erosion.

Assessing the status and trends of wind-induced soil erosion across different spatial and temporal scales requires the use of numerical modelling tools. There are various approaches to model and even quantify wind erosion. Among these approaches, we can cite physically based models, including the one developed by the Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques, le Dust Production Model (DPM, Marticorena and Bergametti, 1995), which simulates wind erosion fluxes and associated desert aerosol emissions. Today, this model – originally developed for arid regions – does not allow for the calculation of mass balances at the plot level or for accounting for the impacts of agriculture on a soil’s susceptibility to be eroded by wind. That is why the objective of this thesis will be to adapt the DPM to represent and quantify wind erosion at the scale of agricultural plots. To do so, the student selected for this position will initially draw upon the literature and the numerous measurements conducted in wind tunnels and in the field to develop the parameterizations necessary for adapting the model. In a second phase, the model developed will be evaluated using measurements collected as part of the EUROSION project on agricultural plots in various soil-climate environments.

Skills required

The candidate must hold a Master’s degree in research in a field related to environmental sciences. He or she must also have a basic understanding of computer programming and data processing and analysis. The candidate must also be able to work effectively in a team. Writing and presentation skills are also desirable.

Bibliography

Marticorena, B., & Bergametti, G. (1995). Modeling the atmospheric dust cycle: 1. Design of a soil-derived dust emission scheme. Journal of Geophysical Research, 100(D8), 16415–16430.
Sterk, G., Herrmann, L., & Bationo, A. (1996). Wind-blown nutrient transport and soil productivity changes in southwest Niger. Land Degradation & Development, 7(4), 325–335.
Zhao, A., Ryder, C. L., & Wilcox, L. J. (2022). How well do the CMIP6 models simulate dust aerosols? Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 22(3), 2095–2119.

Keywords

numerical modelling, wind erosion, agricultural practices