We welcome MSc and PhD students in geo-sciences and archaeology, as well as early career and advanced researchers and professionals in our geochronology training course.  The full course qualifies for 24 contact hours or 3 ECTS. It is possible to participate in part (8h or 1 ECTS) of the training program. A certificate for the doctoral school can be issued on request.  

The training course is organised with support of  the Doctoral School of Ghent University, the Flemish Government, and the graduate College in Science “UNITER” supported by the FNRS. 

Informations

Training program (4-6 October 2022)

Venue

The Royal Academies for Sciences and Arts of Belgium. Palace of the Academies, Hertogsstraat 1 Rue Ducale - 1000 Brussels.

Registration fee

There will be a small registration fee to cover the catering (coffee breaks, lunch): a reduced fee of 70€ for MSc, PhD and early career researchers, and a full fee of 100€ for advanced researchers and professionals. Members of the Doctoral School of Natural Sciences of Ghent University can participate free of charge, and members of the Doctoral School UNITER can have their transportation costs covered.

Organizing Committee

Koen Beerten, SCK CEN, Engineered and Geosystems Analysis, Mol, Belgium

Matthieu Boudin, Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, KIK-IRPA, Brussels, Belgium

Nathalie Fagel, Department of Geology, University of Liège, Belgium

Veerle Vanacker, Earth and Life Institute, University of Louvain, Belgium

Dimitri Vandenberghe, Department of Geology, Ghent University, Belgium

With support of: the Doctoral School of Ghent University, the Flemish Government, and the graduate College in Science “UNITER” supported by the FNRS.

This training session will consist of an introductory course to Latex, along with some exercises.

When: Tuesday 12th November 2019 (6:30-830 pm) OR Tuesday 18th February 2020 (6:30-8:30 pm)

Where: Cérès room

Register here

La conference (en anglais) sera suivie d’une table ronde (en français) sur les incitants, les pratiques et le potentiel de séquestration de carbone dans les sols en Région wallonne avec la participation de :

• Esther Goidts, Direction de la Protection des Sols, Service Public de Wallonie
• Yannick Delvaux, Soil Capital
• Antoine Stevens (McKinsey)

Arctic landscapes underlain by permafrost are threatened by climate warming and may degrade in different ways, including active layer deepening, thermal erosion, and development of thermokarst features. In Siberian and Alaskan late Pleistocene ice-rich permafrost, rapid and deep thaw processes cause surface subsidence due to loss of ground ice and mobilisation deep organic matter. With thawing, formerly freeze-locked organic matter is remobilized. This contributes to the carbon-climate feedback by reactivation of old carbon as greenhouse gases. The permafrost carbon climate feedback has been a process of global significance in the past and may contribute to acceleration of climate warming.

In my research, I studied the carbon pools of the deep and ice-rich Yedoma permafrost, which is widespread in Siberia, Alaska and parts of NW Canada. I led data synthesis efforts and analysed field data to estimate that the Yedoma presently stores between 83±12 and 129±30 Gt of frozen organic carbon. During the last glacial period, such deposits potentially stored about 657 ± 97 Gt of organic carbon. Focusing on the estimates for the present and including deposits in degradation features we found ~398 Gt thaw-susceptible carbon in the Yedoma domain. While the Yedoma domain is covering only 7 % of the permafrost region, it represents more than 25 % of the frozen soil carbon pool of the permafrost zone.

For our first PechaKucha session ever, we will have three speakers: Erasmus Zu Ermgassen with a talk entitled Tracking the trade in deforestation-linked products, François Massonnet with a talk entitled A voyage across Arctic spatial scales and François Clapuyt.

Relative importance of climatic and geochemical factors in controlling colluvial SOC stabilization

The Teams group can be joined here.

Guidelines for attendees :

- we ask that you join the Teams group a few minutes before so we can start on time

- please turn off your microphone during the talk to limit noise

- you can ask your questions at the end of the presentation : either (1) by writing it out fully in the chat (Patrick or I will point them out to the speaker), OR (2) by writing  a « :thumbup » in the chat and we then will give you the opportunity to ask your question yourself

Guidelines for speakers :

- we strongly encourage you to aim for a 20 min presentation, with an emphasis on introduction material

- a few days before your seminar, please send us an image that we can use to advertise your talk

- please join the Teams group 10 min prior to make sure everything is working well

- you will present by sharing your screen to the audience, however it is your choice if you would prefer to have your webcam on or off

Le Jeudi 16 janvier 2020, sera intitulé :

"Crise climatique, crise de la biodiversité, crise de l'anthropocentrisme : s’agit-il d’une seule et même crise ? »

Avec Philippe Marbaix (ELIC), Nicolas Titeux (ELIB), Charlotte Luyckx (ISP) et Nathalie Frogneux (ISP)

All industrials, scientists and students who aim to develop their skills in micro-organism handling and preservation are invited to join the training (14-18th of September 2020).

http://bccm.belspo.be/training-2020

Pour l’obtention du grade de Docteur en sciences agronomiques et ingénierie biologique

Mankind is concerned about its influence on the environment. In this context, beef production systems, are facing challenges especially to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this respect, current emission levels and management strategies allowing their reduction have to be specified. The target of this thesis was to produce specific local values and to test the influence of factors such as barn type (tied stalls and deep litter), cattle diet and manure management strategies (manure removal frequency of deep litter systems) on GHG emissions by beef cattle and their manures in the barn but also during the storage of these manures. Nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) flows were also quantified for environmental and agronomical purposes. By in vivo experiments, it was emphasized that (1) cattle diet, manure management and barn type are driving factors of GHG emissions and nutrient losses from cattle husbandry; (2) the GHG emissions from farmyard manure during its storage can contribute significantly to the global emissions from cattle husbandry; (3) ambient conditions during farmyard manure storage were key factors for controlling these emissions and losses; (4) the farmyard manure management system with the highest straw supply rate showed the highest nitrogen and carbon losses and the highest levels of GHG emissions. In the future, the evaluation of the effects at earlier or later stages (e.g. feed production, emissions due to manure spreading, impact on soil C sequestration, etc.), of the factors tested should allow the quantification of the environmental impact and production efficiency of the whole system.

Parmi celles-ci, plusieurs sont déjà planifiées et certaines démarrent à la fin de ce mois de janvier. Pourront notamment vous être utiles :

-       Plusieurs formations en R (dont « Analyses multivariées exploratoires en R » qui démarre le 27 janvier, ou « Introduction to data analysis with R » à partir du 11 février (attention, à Woluwé)) ;

-       Plusieurs formations à SAS (notamment « Pratique de la statistique avec SAS » qui démarre le 14 février) ;

-       Des formations en Python ;

-       Des formations à JMP (« Introduction au logiciel JMP » ou « Inférence et modélisation statistique avec JMP » qui s’organiseront si le nombre d’intéressés est suffisant).

Pour plus d’information et pour inscription, ou pour obtenir la liste complète de notre offre de formations, direction notre site : www.uclouvain.be/smcs

Pour toute question : smcs-stat@uclouvain.be

Pour rester au courant de la planification de nos formations et ne rien louper de nos actualités, inscrivez-vous à notre newsletter et suivez-nous sur LinkedIn.

14h00-14h20  Presentation, objective and status of the Sen4CAP project (UCLouvain)

14h20-14h50  Sen4CAP processing system and visualization tool: system overview, architecture, data flow – presentation (UCLouvain, CS RO, Sin)

14h50-15h30  Crop type mapping from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2: concepts and methods, crop diversification use case (UCLouvain)

15h30-15h45  Biophysical indicators derived from Sentinel-2: concept and methods (UCLouvain)

15h45-16h10 Break

16h10-16h50  Grassland mowing detection from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2: concepts and methods, permanent grassland monitoring use case (e-GEOS)

16h50-17h30  Agricultural practices monitoring from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2: concepts and methods; EFA use case (GISAT)

17h30-18h00  Questions and discussions

· Thursday – 23 January (full day):

9h00-10h30  Hands-on training using Unix Virtual Machines on CREODIAS (UCLouvain, CS RO) § First steps with the Sen4CAP system for an automated usage § LPIS / GSAA data preparation and upload

10h30-11h00  Break

11h00-12h30  Hands-on training using Unix Virtual Machines on CREODIAS (continued) § Manual usage of the Sen4CAP processors § System installation and ICT requirements

12h30-14h00  Lunch

14h00-15h30  Hands-on training using the Sen4CAP products § Products download from the system (UCLouvain, CS RO) § Sen4CAP visualization tool (Sinergise) § Products exploration in visualization (or QGIS) (e-GEOS, GISAT, UCLouvain)

15h30-16h00  Break

16h00-17h00 Hands-on training using the Sen4CAP products

Willy Irakoze is a bioengineer, trained in plant pathology (2014, UCLouvain). In 2015, he began his PhD training in plant physiology at UCLouvain. He is a lecturer and researcher at the University of Burundi.

The response of the climate system to more greenhouse gases is marked by amplified warming at the poles, driven by physical processes in the atmosphere-ocean-sea ice system. Active biological and chemical processes, recently documented in the sea ice zone, could however modify the climate response in polar regions through changes in ocean carbon uptake or aerosol release. Here, I ask whether sea ice biogeochemistry is a neglected element of global biogeochemical cycles. I argue that the sea ice biogeochemical processes have only a limited importance on global biogeochemical cycles. The processes occurring in the ice itself are generally of minor importance as compared to ocean ones, mainly due to the limited size of the sea ice reservoir, compared to sub-surface oceanic stocks of chemical elements. I will explain and qualify my arguments based on observations and numerical simulations.

If you would like more information or would like to meet the speaker at some point during the day, please contact caroline.nieberding@uclouvain.be.

Résumé : "Via ce projet actuellement présenté à l'Organisation des Nations Unies, les arbres sont considérés comme un bien commun de l'humanité et la destruction volontaire de forêts primaires, de forêts de protection ou de toutes autre forêt sur une superficie de plus de 1000 hectares constituera un crime contre l'humanité. Toute une série de normes de protection sont définies dans le projet de Convention. Venez nombreux écouter et discuter de ce projet d'origine Belge qui concerne autant les écologistes, les juristes, les géographes, les biogénieurs et les administrations. La présentation sera en français. Pour en savoir plus sur le projet de convention: https://www.declarationuniverselledesdroitsdelarbre.org/convention-internationale-droits-arbre/"

interactive aborde un sujet d'actualité: le déclin des pollinisateurs. Que

signifie la pollinisation ? Quelles plantes ont besoin d'insectes pour se

reproduire ? Quels sont les insectes qui visitent les fleurs ? Que mangent ils

? Quelles sont les menaces qui pèsent sur ces espèces ? Quelles

solutions pouvons-nous trouver ? À partir de modèles, de fleurs et

d'insectes, et d'observations au binoculaire, venez explorer le monde

fascinant des insectes pollinisateurs !

Infos complémentaires : https://uclouvain.be/fr/decouvrir/scinfuse/evenements/exposition-urban-bees.html

It is a harsh paradox that in Africa hunger and malnutrition remain pervasive on a continent with ample agricultural endowments. Could “agribusiness” be a remedy? Africa, a contemporary emerging market with relatively high economic growth has the resources to add value to extricate itself from “poverty”. Africa is sitting on an agribusiness “gold-mine” that is estimated at over $1trillion and currently doing just about 30%. Trade of agricultural products in Africa has continued to expand with global demand for agricultural products expected to remain firm in future decades, and this market evolution is expected to continue and Africa’s agribusiness have taken notice. Despite the “agribusiness” potential of Africa, the average age of farmers in “sub-Saharan Africa” is 60, whilst over 60 per cent of Africa’s population is under 24 years of age.

International Agribusinesses with their relatively advanced agricultural technologies are presenting their business infrastructure to Africa. With “globalization”, “Big Agribusiness” investments are seeking “partnerships” in Africa with resource-optimizing techniques to partner farmers/local agribusiness in the food systems to increase incomes. Africa’s agriculture/food system is therefore undergoing transformation with “globalization” and gone more private-oriented and commercial.

Understanding opportunities and challenges presented by agribusiness elements, will contribute to accelerating productivity, profitability and employment creation in the agricultural sector for the mostly under-employed African youth.

In this presentation, perspectives are drawn of the agribusiness sector in Africa and contextualized by looking at the peculiarities, paradoxes and prospects, new product development in the agri-food industry in Africa, international opportunities for Africa’s agribusiness, critical issues in Africa’s agribusiness and Innovation, and the presentation ends by reflecting on these perspectives and critical issues including providing a supporting environment for the youth in Africa to thrive in agriculture and agribusiness

Quatre leçons suivantes sont également programmées.

Merci de vous inscrire à la leçon inaugurale du 3 mars via le formulaire d'inscription.

Erik Mathijs is the director of the Sustainable Food Economies Research Group (SFERE) and professor of agricultural and resource economics in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at KU Leuven. He holds an MSc in Bioscience Engineering (major: agricultural economics and sociology; minor: soil science; KU Leuven, 1991), and completed the Doctum Colloquium in Economics in 1995 and his PhD in agricultural economics in 1998, both at KU Leuven.

His research focuses on the practices, metrics and policies for fostering the transformation of the European agricultural and food system towards sustainability and resilience. He has been coordinator of the FP7 TRANSMANGO project (which assesses the impact of drivers of change on Europe's food and nutrition security) and of the H2020 Sustainable Finance for Sustainable Agriculture and Fisheries (SUFISA) project.

He acted as expert group rapporteur of the 3rd (2011) and chair of the 4th (2015) Foresight Exercise for the EU’s Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR). From 2016 to 2019 he was Chair of the Science Council of the Agropolis Foundation (Montpellier, France). Currently, he is vice dean for education at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, KU Leuven.

Au nord-est de la République démocratique du Congo, au cœur d’un éden échoué, la biologiste Anne Laudisoit s’embarque pour une exploration scientifique à la rencontre des espèces qui peuplent l’une des dernières « Terra incognita » d’Afrique centrale. Au creux des Monts Bleus, le long d’une vallée luxuriante et inaccessible, palpite une diversité inattendue, un véritable laboratoire de l’évolution. Il y aurait même des chimpanzés…

En octobre 2015, la parasitologue et aventurière belge Anne Laudisoit apprend par hasard la rumeur de leur existence alors qu’elle est en train d’étudier des mouches qui transmettent un ver porteur de maladie. C’est son guide et ami Oti qui lui révèle ce secret bien gardé, et à qui elle fait la promesse de revenir pour élucider ce mystère. Après 2 ans de repérages, Anne Laudisoit tient parole, monte une expédition et mobilise une petite équipe de scientifiques congolais accompagnée des fidèles guides locaux Oti et Pasteur.

Leur objectif : inventorier la faune et la flore selon des méthodes non invasives respectueuses de l’environnement et prouver la présence de cette communauté inédite de chimpanzés à poils longs aux mœurs intrigantes. L’équipe va ainsi s’orienter selon les récits et croyances locales, les signes et les indices glanés sur le terrain, et les images capturées par des pièges photos.

Traçant d’éprouvants transects (layons) tous azimuts dans le cœur de la forêt, l’équipe scientifique mène une enquête minutieuse, dans l’espoir fou d’arriver à remonter la trace des fameux primates, à partir de leur source « Mbudha » (« L’eau des Chimpanzés ») renseignée par les villageois…

Cette découverte permettrait in fine de tenter de préserver la biodiversité insoupçonnée mais menacée de ces reliques de forêts cachées au cœur de l’Afrique Centrale, et qui recèlent encore bien des trésors.

16h30 Conférence

18h15 Projection du film

Le 21 et 22 avril prochains, nous aurons le plaisir d’accueillir les professeurs Tim Benton (University of Leeds et Chatam House) et Matthew Gandy (University of Cambridge), Doctor Honoris Causa (DHC) de notre Secteur des Sciences et Technologies et dont les DHC seront co-livrés par la Faculté d’Agro et ELI (Tim Benton) et par la Faculté d’Architecture LOCI et ELI (Matthew Gandy).

Le programme de la journée du 21 avril est déjà arrêté. Des activités sont prévues avec les autres DHCs du secteur, Yves Bréchet et Isabel Arends, et la journée sera clôturée par la cérémonie officielle de livraison du diplôme (des informations détaillées suivront dans les prochaines semaines).

Matthew Gandy

https://www.geog.cam.ac.uk/people/gandy/

https://www.rethinkingurbannature.org/

Matthew Gandy est professeur ordinaire en Cultural and Historical Geography à l’Université de Cambridge, où il dirige actuellement le projet ERC Advanced Grant Rethinking urban nature à la croisée entre géographie culturelle et environnementale et écologie politique. Avant de rejoindre Cambridge, il a été professeur à l’University College London, où il a fondé et dirigé l’Urban Laboratory, centre de recherche d’excellence, qui a encouragé l’approche interdisciplinaire face aux défis urbains les plus urgents.

Ses recherches ont apporté un éclairage nouveau sur la production de l'espace urbain et ses dimensions culturelles et politiques face aux transformations écologiques à l'échelle globale, et ont ouvert de nouvelles perspectives sur les dynamiques de la nature urbaine dans ses formes spontanées.

Il été élu Fellow de la British Academy en 2016, et de l’Academy of Social Sciences du Royaume-Uni en 2015. Il est professeur invité au sein de nombreuses universités telles que la Columbia University, l’University of California Los Angeles et l’Humboldt Universität Berlin

Tim Benton

https://biologicalsciences.leeds.ac.uk/school-of-biology/staff/28/prof-tim-benton

https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/tim-benton

Le professeur Tim Benton dirige le programme Énergie, environnement et ressources à Chatham House. Il a rejoint Chatham House en 2016 en tant qu'éminent boursier invité, alors qu'il était également doyen des initiatives de recherche stratégique à l'Université de Leeds.  De 2011 à 2016, il a été le «champion» du programme britannique de sécurité alimentaire mondiale, qui était un partenariat multi-agences des organismes publics du Royaume-Uni (ministères, gouvernements décentralisés et conseils de recherche) s'intéressant aux défis liés à l'alimentation.  Il a travaillé avec les gouvernements britanniques, l'UE et le G20. Il a été l'un des responsables de l'agenda mondial du Forum économique mondial et est l'auteur du rapport spécial du GIEC sur l'alimentation, la terre et le climat (2019) et de l'évaluation des risques du changement climatique au Royaume-Uni.  Il a publié plus de 150 articles universitaires, dont beaucoup traitent de la manière dont les systèmes réagissent aux changements environnementaux. Son travail sur le leadership en matière de développement durable a été récompensé par une bourse d’honneur de la Société britannique pour l’environnement.

The Teams group can be joined here.

-----

Guidelines for attendees :

- we ask that you join the Teams group a few minutes before so we can start on time

- please turn off your microphone during the talk to limit noise

- you can ask your questions at the end of the presentation : either (1) by writing it out fully in the chat (Patrick or I will point them out to the speaker), OR (2) by writing  a « :thumbup » in the chat and we then will give you the opportunity to ask your question yourself

Guidelines for speakers :

- we strongly encourage you to aim for a 20 min presentation, with an emphasis on introduction material

- a few days before your seminar, please send us an image that we can use to advertise your talk

- please join the Teams group 10 min prior to make sure everything is working well

- you will present by sharing your screen to the audience, however it is your choice if you would prefer to have your webcam on or off

The Teams group can be joined here.

Guidelines for attendees :

- we ask that you join the Teams group a few minutes before so we can start on time

- please turn off your microphone during the talk to limit noise

- you can ask your questions at the end of the presentation : either (1) by writing it out fully in the chat (Patrick or I will point them out to the speaker), OR (2) by writing  a « :thumbup» in the chat and we then will give you the opportunity to ask your question yourself

Guidelines for speakers :

- we strongly encourage you to aim for a 20 min presentation, with an emphasis on introduction material

- a few days before your seminar, please send us an image that we can use to advertise your talk

- please join the Teams group 10 min prior to make sure everything is working well

- you will present by sharing your screen to the audience, however it is your choice if you would prefer to have your webcam on or off

The Teams group can be joined here.

Guidelines for attendees :

- we ask that you join the Teams group a few minutes before so we can start on time

- please turn off your microphone during the talk to limit noise

- you can ask your questions at the end of the presentation : either (1) by writing it out fully in the chat (Patrick or I will point them out to the speaker), OR (2) by writing  a « :thumbup» in the chat and we then will give you the opportunity to ask your question yourself

Guidelines for speakers :

- we strongly encourage you to aim for a 20 min presentation, with an emphasis on introduction material

- a few days before your seminar, please send us an image that we can use to advertise your talk

- please join the Teams group 10 min prior to make sure everything is working well

- you will present by sharing your screen to the audience, however it is your choice if you would prefer to have your webcam on or off

Photo : CREUXNOIR/getty/images

The Teams group can be joined here

Guidelines for attendees :

- we ask that you join the Teams group a few minutes before so we can start on time

- please turn off your microphone during the talk to limit noise

- you can ask your questions at the end of the presentation : either (1) by writing it out fully in the chat (Patrick or I will point them out to the speaker), OR (2) by writing  a « :thumbup » in the chat and we then will give you the opportunity to ask your question yourself

Guidelines for speakers :

- we strongly encourage you to aim for a 20 min presentation, with an emphasis on introduction material

- a few days before your seminar, please send us an image that we can use to advertise your talk

- please join the Teams group 10 min prior to make sure everything is working well

- you will present by sharing your screen to the audience, however it is your choice if you would prefer to have your webcam on or off

Vous aurez l’occasion d’écouter 5 key note internationaux, d’échanger des connaissances lors du biodiversity market ainsi que de participer à divers workshops organisés dans le cadre de la conférence.

Une Session de posters sera également organisée. L’échéance pour la soumission d’abstract est le 31 mars.

We found that heat reduced growth and yield and that heat induced bolting and flowering independently of vernalization. We observed that high temperatures impaired inulin production as a result of root growth inhibition even if it increased photosynthesis. Our results suggested that heat reduced sugar translocation from the leaves to the roots. Bolting reinforced root growth inhibition and thus inulin yield decreases. High temperatures induced bolting and flowering but paradoxically, we also confirmed that high temperatures may have a de-vernalization effect by suppressing flowering in vernalized plants. We found that heat increased FLC-LIKE1 (CiFL1) expression, a gene previously shown to be repressed by vernalization in chicory. Our results suggested that the control of flowering by temperature is complex in root chicory and that CiFL1 could be involved in its regulation. We also found that hormonal profile was affected by vernalization and high temperatures and that high temperatures affected the development of reproductive structures and decreased flower fertility.

To conclude, this study showed that chicory is relatively resistant to heat even if growth and yield were affected and that heat had contrasting effects on flowering induction: it induced bolting and flowering in non-vernalized plants, whereas it induced de-vernalization and suppressed flowering of vernalized plants.

The first part of the thesis (Chapters 3 and 4) deals with understanding the direct impact of roots in small scale rhizotron and pot via process-based numerical models. We quantify the direct impact of roots while incorporating both direct (root explicit electrical properties) and indirect (root water uptake patterns) in the forward numerical model. To date this is the closest to reality, a numerical model can achieve in understanding electrical signatures of root systems in soils. We also prove that electrical response if measured in magnitude and phase components, magnitude part represents mainly indirect impact (root water uptake) while the phase part represents mainly direct impact (root architecture) and both magnitude and phase part contain root geometrical information.

The second part of the thesis deals with quantifying the indirect impact of water, i.e., soil water depletion in field-scale ERT experiments. We propose a new methodology where we use a numerical model to interpret field data. The model informed us if the changes we observe in the ERT experiment was due to plants or an artifact. This allowed us to quantify even the slightest changes in water depletion from different plants. Finally, we show that it is possible to phenotype similar plants belonging to different species at field scale using the ERT method.

Protection des vergers par lutte biologique : une sélection adaptée des auxiliaires

voir programme en annexe

In this research, we investigate the long-term trends of woody vegetation in order to discuss its persistence and its effects on two ecosystem functions (primary productivity and biogeochemical cycles) when facing three types of disturbances (drought, fire and grazing). This vegetation is examined from 1965 to 2018 using different indicators of the vegetation state and persistence, computed at several spatial scales and derived from multiple datasets (field inventory, remote sensing and literature). We first studied the spatial differentiation of the current woody vegetation according to the topography. Second, we evaluated changes since 1965 onward in terms of specific composition, density and woody cover. Third, we transposed the different indicators from the first two parts into a functional level of the woody communities, focusing on the vegetation response and effects on ecosystem. Based on this functional approach, we suggest some avenues for a potential management of this zone, in order to maintain the sylvo-pastoralism as land use.

The public defense of Morgane Dendoncker scheduled for Thursday 08 October at 16:15 will indeed take place in the form of a video conference Teams

This work first consisted in a survey from processors with the aim to review the local knowledge on technologies of production of GP, SF and SDF. Practices of processing raw pork into GP and fresh fish into SF and SDF, the storage conditions applied, and the quality attributes of the end products were documented. The microbiological quality of GP, SF and SDF as sold to consumers were then assessed through samples collected from various processors. Out of 60 samples investigated, 26 (43%) were not compliant with the acceptable limits recommended by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) for Aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMB), Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus and Clostridium perfringens. No sample contained Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus or Listeria monocytogenes. A metagenomics approach was also used to explore the bacterial diversity of SF and SDF. The 48 SF and SDF samples randomly collected displayed substantial diversity profiles. Through a follow-up of processing trials, performed by experienced processors, several quality-compromising practices related to processors, raw material, processing methods and equipment were identified.

Based on these results, improved processing practices adapted to the cottage industries of pork grilling and fish smoking were proposed and implemented by the processors, and the safety of the end products was assessed. 100% of samples exhibited AMB loads ranged from 1.0 to 2.8 Log10 CFU g-1, which were far below the acceptable limit of 7.0 Log10 CFU g-1 recommended by HPA. Furthermore, Enterobacteriaceae, E. coli, B. cereus, C. perfringens and yeasts were not detected. Finally, a storage experiment was carried out on SDF using cardboard paper and old cloths as traditionally practiced by processors, and heat-sealed plastic bag as new packaging mode. The results showed that the storage in plastic bag preserved the microbiological quality and organoleptic properties of SDF for at least 180 days, while with the traditional method, a loss of safety and sensory quality was observed already after 30 and 60-day storage, respectively.

La thèse aborde ces aspects de la complexité hydrologique. Une analyse épistémologique et historique du concept de causalité explore la compréhension humaine des systèmes hydrologiques. Basée sur des approches empiriques appliquées au système karstique de la Lhomme à Rochefort en Belgique, la thèse étudie ensuite les méthodes pour analyser la nonlinéarité de la dynamique de tarissement de la Lhomme et l'associer à la complexité géomorphologique du bassin versant. La thèse aborde en outre la discrimination des comportements dynamiques dominants dans le continuum hydrologique du sous-sol à Rochefort en se basant sur un modèle de résistivité électrique et des méthodes de classification automatique regroupant des séries chronologiques en fonction de leur similarité. Finalement, l’étude cartographie l'organisation du système karstique de Rochefort en détectant les interactions causales entre les dynamiques de la résistivité du sous-sol et les percolations mesurées dans les grottes par des méthodes d'analyse de séries chronologiques et d'inférence causale.

en téléconférence et publiquement accessible via le lien  

The public defense of Marie Bertucci scheduled for Friday 18 December at 14:00 will take place in the form of a video conference Teams

Un débat qui recevra deux invités hors du commun : Pierre KROLL,dessinateur de presse et licencié en sciences de l’environnement de l’ULiège et Bruno COPPENS, humoriste et chroniqueur

Le séminaire LENVI2002 s’ouvre cette fois au grand public et en particulier à vous.
Inscrivez-vous en cliquant sur ce lien (les instructions de connexion seront communiquées après inscription) :
https://ucl.odoo.com/event/seminaire-lenvi2002-environnement-parlons-en-avec-humour-2020-12-01-114/register-open
 

Si cet événement vous intéresse, vous trouverez ci-attaché l'invitation (le programme) et la façon de s'inscrire (c'est gratuit).

The composition of the microflora in traditional Vietnamese fermented foods was first examined using a metagenomic approach. This analysis showed that LAB (Lactic Acid Bacteria), especially Lactobacillus spp., were predominant in all samples. Besides, other GRAS species, such as members of the Bacillus subtilis group, were found with a noticeable abundance in samples of fermented meat, vegetables and marine products.

Then, the antibacterial compounds from LAB and members of the B. subtilis group were screened against a panel of foodborne pathogens and characterized for their potential applications. This screening selected one Lactobacillus brevis and eight Bacillus velezensis strains for their broad range antibacterial activities. The antibacterial compound from L. brevis strain HQV07 isolated from thit chua displayed activities against various bacteria, including the Gram-positive Listeria innocua, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus and the Gram-negative Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Yersinia enterocolitica and Campylobacter jeujeni. This antibacterial compound has a molecular weight of ca. 2.5 kDa and was shown to be sensitive to proteolytic enzymes and stable at 72oC for 15 min. Besides, bacilysin, a non-ribosomal peptide, was found in all B. velezensis strains by using Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry and is likely to play a major role in the antagonistic activity against Gram-negative foodborne pathogens. In conclusion, this work has unraveled two promising biopreservation agents for potential applications in the food industry.

The public defense of Huong Quynh Vu scheduled for Friday 29 January at 09:00 a.m will take place in the form of a video conference Teams

What is Open Science? Open science is the movement to make scientific research, data and dissemination accessible to other researchers and to all levels of an inquiring society. That includes Open Access (scientific publications), making your data FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) and your computational code Open Source, with specific licence terms.

Why does it matter for you as Early Career Researcher ? Open Access is a requirement under H2020 and Horizon Europe and will become the rule in 2021 for all research funded by the Plan S funders (including Science Europe). Concerning research data, the European Open Science Cloud is being implemented and will support future mandatory FAIR data policies by funders. Additionally, the shift to open science is likely to bring changes in the processes of research evaluation.  

Want to understand the implications of open science policies on your future? Follow the training organized by the ACELI on the 25th of January.

Program : 

-        Introduction to Open Science (V. De Herde): “Doing research tomorrow like we do today? An overview of Open Science practices”

-        Open Science: Why it can benefit your research (G. Lobet): "We will discuss Open Science principles and how to apply them as practicing scientists. More importantly, we will discuss how this can help you advance your career and create a better CV. If we have some time left, we will also discuss how to (and why) build a presence online."

Where: Teams
When: Monday 25th January 2021 (6.30-8.30 pm)

If you want to take part in the training session, please register here on the corresponding team on Teams. 

Contrary to what is commonly believed, the Antarctic sea ice has been relatively unaffected by global warming. Until recently, satellite observations even showed a small positive sea ice cover trend. This trend is punctuated by large interannual variations, with a record-high cover in 2014 and a record-low cover in 2017. This makes the Antarctic climate unique and sea ice predictions challenging.

At short timescales, predictions are subject to errors originating from incorrect initial conditions (ICs), model imperfections, and by “chaos”. While we can act to reduce the first two sources of errors, chaos is inherent to fully coupled climate models. Focusing on this source of error using an idealized protocol, this thesis demonstrates that such models can provide skilful sea ice edge predictions. The predictability is accounted for by the ocean with its great thermal inertia. Unfortunately, we showed that there is still a large predictability gap between idealized and operational predictions. The dearth of observations is problematic to start a prediction. Our results suggest that the errors in the ocean–sea ice ICs could even dominate the errors coming from an incorrect representation of the atmospheric conditions. The imperfect representation of the Antarctic climate in models is another major obstacle. A better observational coverage would certainly help to fix both issues.

Teams

« L’usage des sols pour l’agriculture et l’élevage dans la crise de la biodiversité »

• Prof. Nicolas Vereecken, Agroecology Lab, ULB - "Pesticides, climat, utilisation du sol et l’Armaggedon des insectes pollinisateurs : comment sortir de l’impasse ?"
• Dr. Christine Frison, Institut pour la recherche interdisciplinaire en sciences juridiques (JURI), UCL - "Appropriation des semences: Enjeux de gouvernance internationale pour l’agrobiodiversité"
• Prof. Patrick Meyfroidt, Earth and Life Institute, UCL - "Utilisation des sols: quels compromis entre productivité de la terre, du travail et densité d’emplois pour équilibrer les dynamiques globales et les enjeux locaux"

Inscription pour accéder à la réunon sur Teams nécessaire. Contacts : caroline.nieberding@uclouvain.be, Charles.Pence@uclouvain.be

Although the use of bacteria belonging to the genus Bacillus is a promising sustainable alternative in crop protection. Many questions remain on their modes of action in the biocontrol of plant pathogens. This work aims to evaluate and characterize the modes of action of the biocontrol agent B. subtilis 30B-B6 against early and late blight diseases on Solanaceae. First, we investigate the potential of 30B-B6 to manage the late blight disease on potato crop. Our results highlighted that 30B-B6 significantly reduces the disease severity caused by Phytophthora infestans. This study also investigates the potential of 30B-B6 to control the necrotrophic fungus Alternaria solani on tomato. Our findings indicate that 30B-B6 can control the pathogen by direct antagonism, but also by the stimulation of plant defenses, since the two microorganisms were applied on different plant parts and remain physically separate. This work is a first insight into the molecular pathways involved in the induction of systemic resistance by 30B-B6 in tomato. We used RT qPCR and hormone (salicylic acid) quantification to understand the action of 30B-B6 on plant defenses, and to characterize the active ingredients produced by the bacterium. We showed notably that salicylic acid is involved in the response of the plant against the infection by A. solani after treatment with 30B-B6. Our results also indicated that lipopeptides and siderophore produced by 30B-B6 significantly reduced symptoms of early blight. Taken together, this thesis confirms the interest of 30B-B6 in plant protection against early and late blight and reveal the multiple modes of action of the bacterium

Soutenance uniquement organisée en téléconférence et publiquement accessible via le lien  

Registration is mandatory for both speakers and spectators.

ELI Day program

This year, ELI-Day will be held as an in-person event (provided COVID restrictions don't change). The ACELI team has worked hard to organize an interesting scientific and social event, where we hope to see many of you! The conference will be a full day and the program is the following :

• 09h30 - 10h30 : Oral presentations
• 10h30 - 11h15 : Poster session
• 11h15 - 12h15 : Oral presentations
• 12h15 - 14h : Lunch break & Posters
• 14h00 - 15h00 : Oral presentations
• 15h00 - 15h15 : Break
• 15h15 - 16h15 : Oral presentations
• 16h15 - 16h30 : Break
• 16h30 - 17h30 : Oral presentations
• 17h30 - 19h00 : Posters & Drink

All sessions will consist of one group presentation and three individuals talks on varied subjects within the Earth and Life Institute.

Practical information

Date & Location : The ELI-Day will take place on May 19th, 2022, in the SUD Auditoriums on Place Croix du Sud, Louvain-la-Neuve.

Food : Please be advised that we will not be providing lunch nor dinner, you will have to bring you own food.

Drink : However, a drink will be held by the ACELI at the end of the day. All participant are welcome to join! If you intend to be there, we do ask that you register for the drink seperatly in the form below, so we know how many people will join us for this celebration.

Help needed : We would like to take this opportunity to ask the ELI community for help! If you have a moment to spare, we would be grateful for your help in setting up poster stands on May 17th (lunch time or 17h00) and taking them down on May 20th. If you wish to help the organizing team during the ELI-Day itself, that works too. We have included boxes in the form below, please tick them if you are available and wish to help.

Inscription

https://www.circle-u.eu/news/2021/addressing-21st-century-water-challenges.html

https://uclouvain.be/fr/chercher/louvain4water/interdisciplinary-symposium-26-04-2021.html

​ by Simon Bager (UCLouvain), Tiago Reis (UCLouvain), Floris Leijten (Unilever-VU Amsterdam)

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/team/19%3aafaa3eeb5f9d4d20b2f2cb668b13d270%40thread.tacv2/conversations?groupId=c73fe292-108d-4a9c-a93f-5cbe7b94f329&tenantId=7ab090d4-fa2e-4ecf-bc7c-4127b4d582ec

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/team/19%3aafaa3eeb5f9d4d20b2f2cb668b13d270%40thread.tacv2/conversations?groupId=c73fe292-108d-4a9c-a93f-5cbe7b94f329&tenantId=7ab090d4-fa2e-4ecf-bc7c-4127b4d582ec

Antarctic ice shelves are a unique feature of the Southern polar region. They consist in potentially large (i.e. larger than most European
countries) floating glaciers, mechanically linked to the rest of the Antarctic ice sheet from above, but also directly connected to the
Southern Ocean from below within what is called "ice shelf cavities". In these cavities, the relatively warm ocean is in direct contact with the
ice sheet, which then injects cold and fresh meltwater at depth. While this ocean-impacting phenomenon has been identified decades ago,
representating it within numerical models is a much more recent endeavor. In this talk we will present our first investigations on the
potential feedback between a hypothetical Southern Ocean surface warming due to increased radiation, and the action of ice shelf meltwater. In
other words, how does the presence of ice shelf cavities affect the reaction of the Southern Ocean to a surface warming that can be expected
from global climate change? Does the presence of ice shelf cavities trigger thermodynamical mechanisms which make the ocean even warmer than
if cavities did not exist? Or does it stabilize the pertubation and bring temperatures back to "normal"? While the complexity of the
Southern Ocean prevents any global and definitive conclusions to be established, the different behaviors across basins suggest that the response conceals distinct physical phenomena, and greatly depends on
the nature of the water masses reaching the Antarctic continental shelf.

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/team/19%3aafaa3eeb5f9d4d20b2f2cb668b13d270%40thread.tacv2/conversations?groupId=c73fe292-108d-4a9c-a93f-5cbe7b94f329&tenantId=7ab090d4-fa2e-4ecf-bc7c-4127b4d582ec

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/team/19%3aafaa3eeb5f9d4d20b2f2cb668b13d270%40thread.tacv2/conversations?groupId=c73fe292-108d-4a9c-a93f-5cbe7b94f329&tenantId=7ab090d4-fa2e-4ecf-bc7c-4127b4d582ec

Soil hydrological processes were daily modeled in the period of Jan/2019- Mar/2021 and further solute fluxes were estimated biweekly. The water flux in the soil profiles was simulated by calibrating and validating the 1D HYDRUS model based on observed soil moisture at three depths. The resulting fluxes were further independently validated by field-measured water fluxes. Soil solution was collected biweekly at different soil horizons, analyzed in the field and lab for anions, cations, DOC and Si. Finally, solute concentrations were verified by ionic balance and used to estimate solute fluxes.

Our results suggest that soil hydrological processes under CU are controlled by high evapotranspiration (77 ± 5%) as a result of higher water content available at the uppermost soil layer produced by large air-entry head and large total available water associated to lowest bulk density and highest saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_SAT). This results in lower water fluxes as well as lower deep drainage. Contrastingly, TU profile is dominated by higher water fluxes and deep drainage (55 ± 10%) resulting from lower evapotranspiration related to lower air-entry head at the uppermost layer along with a uniform K_SAT with depth. On the other hand, the impact of vegetation type on concentration and solute fluxes was mainly restricted to the uppermost horizon. Solute fluxes were significantly higher under CU for HCO₃ (~13 mg 15days^-1) and especially for non-particulate organic carbon (NPOC) fluxes (~21 mg 15 days-1) compared to TU (8 and ~1 mg 15days^-1 for HCO₃ and NPOC, respectively). These fluxes can be related to higher total organic carbon (TOC) under CU in the A horizon. The highest NPOC flux can also be related to the highest K_SAT. On the contrary, in the same uppermost horizon, under TU fluxes of NO₃, Ca and Mg were significantly higher compared to CU.

This contribution provides a case study that illustrates the existence of associations between vegetation types and soil properties with water and solute fluxes along the soil profile depth in the Ecuadorian high Andes.

The Antarctic Ice Sheet is the biggest reservoir of fresh water on Earth, that represents a potential 57 meters sea-level rise if the entire Ice Sheet melted. Therefore, any changes in its mass has a large impact on the global sea-level. During the 20th century, the Antarctic Ice Sheet has gained mass at its surface through an enhanced snow accumulation. This increase has mitigated the global sea-level rise by about 1 centimeter during the past century. However, our understanding of the Antarctic snow accumulation variability is still limited due to a sparse observational instrumental network that only covers a short period of time. This directly impacts on our confidence in the origin of the 20th century increase and the future contribution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to the sea-level rise. The main objective of this thesis is to highlight the physical mechanisms behind snow accumulation variability by investigating the links between snow accumulation and other variables characterizing the surface climate at high southern latitudes. As the observational network is particularly limited in the Antarctic, the present work is based on various types of data – instrumental observations, paleoclimate records and climate model simulations –, focused on different time periods – from the last millennium to the 21st century – and uses diverse methodologies, such as a data assimilation procedure.

Our results show that the variability in snowfall and temperature are strongly related over Antarctica, and therefore that the classical Clausius-Clapeyron relationship explains relatively well the multi-decadal, regional to continental-scale snow accumulation changes. In contrast, modifications in the atmospheric circulation plays an important role in the year-to-year variations, in particular at smaller scales. Additionally, the local link between the temperature and snow accumulation can changes with time and depend on small modifications of the mean state, in particular of the atmospheric circulation. Our work also highlights that data assimilation is particularly appropriate for reconstructing the surface climate changes in the Antarctic over the past centuries as the observational network is sparse and includes various types of records and because of the non-stationarity of the link between the proxy records and reconstructed variables. With this technique, we have been able to provide robust past estimates for temperature and snow accumulation but also of variables that cannot be directly obtained from the record themselves such as the atmospheric circulation and even the sea-ice coverage.

en téléconférence et publiquement accessible via le lien    

Meeting ID: 872 7870 8561

Passcode: 451010

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/team/19%3aafaa3eeb5f9d4d20b2f2cb668b13d270%40thread.tacv2/conversations?groupId=c73fe292-108d-4a9c-a93f-5cbe7b94f329&tenantId=7ab090d4-fa2e-4ecf-bc7c-4127b4d582ec

will take place in the form of a video conference Teams

The public defense of Véronique De Herde scheduled for Friday 04 June at 3:00 p.m will also take place in the form of a video conference Teams

During my thesis, I participated to the development of HETEROFOR, an individual-based and spatially explicit tree growth model through the integration of a phenological and a water cycling module, two key processes for understanding how climate conditions affect forest ecosystem functioning. Using this model, I realized simulations according to different climate projections and greenhouse gas emission scenarios in order to predict how climate change will affect oak and beech tree growth in European temperate forests and how this response will be modulated by the local soil, stand and climate conditions.

The simulation results showed that, on average, under constant atmospheric CO2, net primary production (NPP) slightly increased in the temperate continental and mountainous regions and remained unchanged in the oceanic area even if, locally, considerable productivity reduction appeared. The NPP changes were negatively affected by the mean air temperature during the vegetation period and the rainfall decline and depended on the climate model used for the projections. To a lower extent, they were also influenced by soil extractable water reserve and stand characteristics. They were positively affected by longer vegetation periods and negatively affected, for beech, by drought and, for oak, by larger autotrophic respiration costs. For both species, the NPP gain was much larger when considering an increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration mainly due to the CO2 fertilization effect. There is however a large uncertainty regarding the long-term persistence of this effect.

Even if the stand characteristics had a limited influence on the forest response to climate change, they explained a large part of the NPP variability, which gives the forester the possibility to act on the stand productivity and to prepare forests to possible adverse effects of climate change by reinforcing forest resilience.

The association aims to:

• Spread scientific knowledge about food microbiology
• Create a network of professionals engaged in food microbiology
• Become a national and international point of contact for, and a representative of, academic food microbiology

A variety of activities will be organized to promote these aims.

Our results support that B. cytotoxicus is rare in nature. Overall, 39 out of 339 food and environment samples were positive to B. cytotoxicus, with a high prevalence in potato products. From Malian foods though, B. cytotoxicus was also found in Millet flour for children and fish powder for the first time ever. A study case in a potato processing food-industry revealed that B. cytotoxicus and other thermotolerant B. cereus were positively selected by the industrial process. RAPD and plasmid profiling of 57 strains showed six RAPD patterns and eleven plasmids profiles. SNPs computing revealed that strains with RAPD pattern A and C fitted in genomic clade C and D, respectively. Members of RAPD patterns E and F did not fit in any genomic clade. Inositol degradation and acetoin anabolism operons, and lactose uptake and utilisation coding genes were first ever reported in B. cytotoxicus. Prophages sequences and plasmid content played a role in genomic diversity the species. Finally, a mutant lacking the cytK-1 gene showed significantly decreased in cytotoxicity on human cell lines. This suggests that CytK-1 is the main toxin responsible of B. cytotoxicus toxicity

Due to the particular position of North Africa in transitional zone between wet European mid-latitude and adry subtropical climate, its precipitation is characterized by high spatial and temporal variability. In addition, its climate differs significantly between coastal and inland areas, which makes this region highly vulnerable to climate changes. In this thesis work, analysis are conducted to better understand the causes of droughts and hydroclimate aridification over the past millennium and in the future changes in North Africa region (from Morocco to Tunisia and North of Libya). Our interest is to improve water management by tracking, anticipating and responding to hydroclimate variability and climate change impacts.

Auditoire MERC 12, Place Louis Pasteur,3 - will also take place in the form of a video conference Teams

Nos chercheurs et chercheuses seront présent·es pour parler des tiques, mais pas uniquement. Ils·elles se feront un plaisir de vous faire découvrir différents aspects de la forêt comme les liens entre les arbres et les changements climatiques, entre nos écosystèmes et ceux qui se situent à l'autre bout de la planète.

Sachez aussi que d'autres activités ludiques sont prévues pour les jeunes et les moins jeunes, tout au long de l’après-midi : animations, parcours guidés, spectacle, etc.

Plus d'infos

 en collaboration avec l’Université de Gand, la KU Leuven et des équipes de toute l'Europe.

Plus d'info

1. How can public actors contribute to, support, coerce, incorporate or otherwise foster governance efforts across the agro-food sector.
2. To what extent, how and why are companies in the agro-food sector governing sustainability, in particular reducing deforestation?
3. What approaches exist for governing agro-food commodity supply chains, what the challenges for implementing these, and how can governance solutions foster sustainable land use?

To explore these questions, I draw on the concepts of telecoupling, global value chains, and polycentric governance. I combine qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze data collected from companies and NGOs and public repositories. I conclude that it is not a lack of governance approaches, which hinders sustainability governance of agro-food commodity supply chains. Rather, a confluence of four specific factors complicates public and private governance. Firstly, the complexity of the problem, in particular the ‘wicked’ nature of agro-food commodity-driven deforestation, causes unclear feedbacks and spatially separated cause-effect mechanisms. Secondly, companies and private sector governance play a crucial, but underappreciated role in delivering governance. I show that company characteristics affect governance, while insufficient commitment among laggards and inadequate support for leaders limit the capacity of private sector governance. Thirdly, public governance plays an increasingly important role by supporting, engaging, and enabling private governance efforts through layered governance. Finally, technological advancements can enable governance by aiding implementation, reducing complexity, increasing accountability, and empowering supply chain actors, but technology is not a silver bullet that solves all governance issues.

 will also take place in the form of a video conference Teams

Online registration before 1 October is obligatory.

We are looking forward to welcoming you at this important event for Forest Science.

The promotors:

Prof. Bart Muys, Forest Ecology & Management, KU Leuven
Prof. Quentin Ponette, Forest Ecology & Management, Université Catholique de Louvain
Prof. Kris Verheyen, Forest Ecology & Management, Ghent University
Prof. Charles de Cannière, Food & Wood Ecology, Université libre de Bruxelles

on teams

In this work, we use a hydrological model coupled to a sediment transport model to simulate future changes in discharge and river load in the Peruvian Western Andes. The Cañete River is studied as it plays an important role in the social and economic development of the region due to its provision of water and energy to rural and urban areas.

on teams

Constraining depositional phases in braided river deposits can be challenging if only based on sedimentology or geochronology. We explored how different data sources can provide complementary information on the depositional history of Pleistocene fluvial deposits. The study was realized on the Zutendaal gravels that outcrop in Northeastern Belgium. In a 8 m high exposure of gravel sheets, we collected bulk samples that were processed for grain size, elemental geochemistry and 10Be concentration. The outcrop in the Zutendaal gravels contains three depositional units with significant differences in grain size and chemical weathering extent and representing distinct 10Be accumulation phases. Sedimentary hiatuses were identified based on fining upward sequences and 10Be concentration-depth profiles, whereby local deviation in 10Be concentration at the top of the fining upward sequence provided information on the duration of the hiatus. The correlation between 10Be, weathering and provenance proxies indicates that weathering is essentially intraformational or post-depositional. The case-study illustrates how co-variations in weathering, provenance, granulometry indices and 10Be concentration are informative for the depositional history of fluvial sediments, and landscape stability during the Pleistocene.

In this context, this research sheds light on the impacts of the liberalisation reform on producer price dynamics, supply and agricultural services provision to farmers in Côte d’Ivoire. In particular, it focuses on three major commodities, namely Rubber, Cocoa, and Oil Palm, and addresses multiple questions using time series econometrics as well as game theory models.

The first chapter analyses the transmission of rubber world prices to the domestic market. It highlights the link between world price and domestic Ivorian producer prices and tests the presence of asymmetry in the transmission process. The second chapter focuses on the cocoa producer price and supply responses to world price shock after the liberalisation reforms with a comparison to the neighbouring Ghana which has not fully liberalised its cocoa sub-sector. The third chapter presents a theoretical assessment of the impact of competition between processors on the provision of agricultural services to farmers. The key findings of this research will help to formulate policies to enhance the competitiveness of the agricultural export sector and improve farmers' incomes.

However, to make it interesting, every participant is asked to read the article thoroughly in advance and think of a few questions/points to discuss too

From an engineering perspective, we often think of landslides as a natural hazard that predominantly occurs in steep terrain. Yet from a geomorphologic perspective, landsliding itself contributes to shaping the topography. If we want to understand how landscapes change through time, quantifying the role of landslides is key. In this seminar, I explore the impact of landslides on landscape evolution using a novel numerical model (HyLands, see inset figure). We will discuss how numerical models can help to understand landscape response to environmental perturbations, such as earthquakes or increased storm activity under a changing climate. I will further outline strategies to use numerical models and data assimilation techniques to better understand, quantify and predict future landslide risk in alpine and arctic regions.

Small-scale processes might be an answer. These processes, which take place at scales smaller than 100 km, are particularly hard to observe and cannot be explicitly resolved by most climate models. In this thesis, we explore their role in the interactions between the ocean, cryosphere, and atmosphere using high-resolution numerical models. The focus is given to the Adélie Land sector, one of the few birthplaces of the Antarctic Bottom Water which fills the depths of the World Ocean. The influences of ocean-ice shelf interactions, ocean tides, small-scale katabatic winds, and mesoscale eddies in ocean-cryosphere-atmosphere interactions are investigated. We show that, despite their small spatial scales, these processes have non-negligible effects on sea ice production and transport, water masses transformations, and on the exchanges of heat, freshwater, and momentum between the ocean, cryosphere, and atmosphere. Our results suggest that these processes could have important implications for the dynamics of the Antarctic climate and the way it will responds to the anthropogenic forcing. This thesis improves our understanding of rarely observed processes and stresses the need to incorporate them in climate models.

The public defense will take place in the form of a video conference

Meeting ID: 832 7968 0125
Passcode: 117239

Soutenance publique de thèse également organisée en téléconférence et publiquement accessible via le lien

The public defense of Adia Bey scheduled for Friday 19 November at 4:00 p.m will take place in the form of a video conference

Three different land surface models were used to gain insight into the hydrological impacts of deforestation. Because most models use climatological vegetation data and static land cover parameters, they lack the ability to accurately represent the ongoing land cover changes in the Dry Chaco. Therefore, land cover changes were implemented using time-varying satellite-derived vegetation indices together with annually updated land cover information. Our results show that there are large regional and long-term differences in the simulated water budget components among the three models. The three models also redistribute water differently in response to the updated vegetation and land cover treatment.

This study also shows that there are large regional differences in soil salinity across the region. Natural soil salinity is strongly correlated with climatic and topographic gradients in the region. The most saline soils are found in the drier parts of the Chaco with shallow groundwater tables. These areas are prone to severe soil salinization after deforestation. In the wetter parts of the Chaco or in areas with deep groundwater tables, the risk for severe soil salinization is relatively low. The results of this study can provide a basis for further research on the spatial variations of soil salinization in dryland ecosystems and support the development of appropriate land use planning.

The public defense of Jeanne Rezsohazy scheduled for Tuesday 07 December at 4:00 p.m will take place in the form of a video conference

Le titre du microfilms est « Why is life the way it is? » du Dr. Nick Lane (un discours enregistré par la Royal Society)

Firstly, ground-based L-band radiometer measurements were performed at the Selhausen remote sensing field laboratory (Germany) over the growing season of a winter wheat as well as a mustard vegetation stand. L-band microwave observations were collected over two different footprints within the homogenous vegetation stands in order to disentangle the emissions originating from the soil and from the vegetation. Based on brightness temperature measurements, the vegetation optical depth (VOD) was retrieved using the τ-ω radiative transfer model. The VOD showed to be time, polarization and angle dependent and varied between the two investigated vegetation types (winter wheat & mustard). In addition, a clear relationship with in situ measurements of vegetation properties was shown and the soil water content (SWC) retrieval was greatly improved by accounting for the vegetation effect in comparison to in situ SWC measurements.

Secondly, we addressed the retrieval of vegetation water content from VOD. Knowledge of the vegetation water status and its spatio-temporal dynamics is essential to monitor changes in ecosystem health and to assess the vegetation component of the water budget. In this study, we developed and validated an approach to estimate the gravimetric vegetation water content (mg). mg is defined as the amount of water [kg] per wet biomass [kg]. The validation is based on the comparison between mg from L-band radiometer observations and from in situ measurements. The mg estimates showed a good agreement with in situ measurements. This demonstrates the potential of L-band radiometer measurements for plant water status monitoring.

Overall, the results highlight the potential of passive microwave remote sensing for the characterization of soil surface and vegetation canopy properties. In addition, field-scale radiometer measurements at L-band shows great potential for improving spaceborne microwave products and for increasing the spatial coverage of ground-based soil moisture sensing beyond point-based networks.

Teams

Together with Yannick Agnan (ELI-E), the aim of the first pillar of this research is to quantify pesticide residue concentrations in agricultural soils in the PoL and to analyse the influence of soil characteristics and agricultural practices on these residue concentrations. With Philippe Baret (ELI-A), the second pillar of the research will focus on the study of the agricultural production systems in the PoL, and on the lock-ins, constrains and drivers of transitions towards reduced agricultural pesticide use. A series of semi-directed interviews will be conducted with farmers, pesticide resellers and advisers, researchers and other local agricultural actors (up- and down-stream in the agri-food chains). A seminar about the first pillar of the research (pesticide residues) has already been given in October. This seminar will focus on the second pillar (agricultural production systems).

Avec des approches économétriques et des données primaires et secondaires, les résultats montrent que la fertilisation microdose peut contribuer à une augmentation significative du rendement du maïs et du sorgho. Ceci requiert que les producteurs aient une main-d’œuvre disponible et un accès aux engrais minéraux et à la formation. Ces facteurs affectent les décisions d’adoption des producteurs et permettent d’expliquer les différences de rentabilité économique observées entre les adoptants. En dehors du warrantage et de la mécanisation, des stratégies endogènes sont aussi envisageables par les producteurs pour minimiser les effets des facteurs de risque liés à la fertilisation microdose. Ceci implique que les décideurs politiques devraient promouvoir le warrantage, accélérer la mécanisation et appuyer le renforcement de capacités des organisations rurales.

Teams

The concept of food system has gained prominence in recent years amongst both scholars and policy-makers. Experts from diverse disciplines and backgrounds have in particular discussed the nature and origin of the “unsustainability” of our modern food systems. These efforts tend, however, to be framed within distinctive disciplinary narratives. In this paper we propose to explore these narratives and to shed light on the explicit -or implicit- epistemological assumptions, mental models, and disciplinary paradigms that underpin those. The analysis indicates that different views and interpretations prevail amongst experts about the nature of the “crisis”, and consequently about the research and priorities needed to “fix” the problem. We then explore how sustainability is included in these different narratives and the link to the question of healthy diets. The analysis reveals that the concept of sustainability, although widely used by all the different communities of practice, remains poorly defined, and applied in different ways and usually based on a relatively narrow interpretation. In so doing we argue that current attempts to equate or subsume healthy diets within sustainability in the context of food system may be misleading and need to be challenged. We stress that trade-offs between different dimensions of food system sustainability are unavoidable and need to be navigated in an explicit manner when developing or implementing sustainable food system initiatives. Building on this overall analysis, a framework structured around several entry points including outcomes, core activities, trade-offs and feedbacks is then proposed, which allows to identify key elements necessary to support the transition toward sustainable food systems.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X18303115

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PEPA/General Teams channel

In this thesis, we advance our understanding on hydraulic anatomy influence at different scales and for specific soil and environmental constraints.

Firstly, we created a new way to estimate root hydraulic properties. Secondly, we developed a method to generate root hydraulic atlases based on a combination of root cross-section images and modeling tools. Then, we investigated in silico the crucial role of root anatomy, subcellular hydraulic properties and maturation stages on water uptake. It showed that the root radii, the contribution of aquaporins to the cell membrane permeability and root maturation rates can create contrasted uptake patterns and influence the cumulative water

uptake of in silico maize plants. These exploratory findings inform potential candidate sets of traits which could be investigated furthermore.

What : the data best practices of each research data cycle steps. More information on the UCLouvain Libraries' training catalog.

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ACELI13 - Research Data Management

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Oceanic and atmospheric circulation plays a vital role in regulating the regional climate and the spatial distribution of natural ecosystems. Therefore, it is important to understand how it responds to climate change. In this talk, I will present independent lines of evidence from satellite observations, paleo-proxies and model simulations to show that the large-scale oceanic and atmospheric circulation could shift towards higher latitude under warmer climate. I will also provide a possible dynamical mechanism to explain why it moves.

Teams

INSCRIPTION REQUISE

In this thesis, we tackle the issue of intercropping in market gardening with the objective of providing market gardeners with knowledge and reliable information enlighting management choices. We begin by listing the interactions observed in intercropping, both between the associated crops and with their environment, and present these interactions as networks. We then investigate the prediction of intercropping outcome based on complementarity principles by comparing the results of a series of intercrops in on-field trials. We show the importance of the difference in sowing date, growth dynamics and maximum soil coverage between associated crops in the determination of yield gain and yield gain asymmetry in intercrops. Finally, we address the issue of inter-site variability of yield by comparing the growth and outcome of specific intercrops in different farms, using participatory on-farm trials. We explain the participatory methodology we used and show the consistency of intercrops relative outcome across a gradient of environmental conditions and crop management practices.

Our approach was purposely exploratory and aimed at taking an overview of our subject. This thesis paves the way for the scientific study of intercropping in market gardening and highlights some key points about the use of intercropping by market gardeners.

This talk is organized in the frame for the international Francqui chair promoted by KU Leuven (B. Muys), Ghent University (K. Verheyen), Université Libre de Bruxelles – ULB (C. de Cannière) and Université catholique de Louvain – UCLouvain (Q. Ponette).

 In the current context of global changes, the management of our forests represents a major challenge, particularly because of the great degree of uncertainty associated with these changes. Faced with this reality, our current practices which aim at simplifying and predicting with certainty the evolution of our forests are no longer appropriate and we must review the way we manage our forests. Complexity theory forms the conceptual framework for the functional approach, which encourages a more holistic and flexible view in forest planning. This requires us to accept the idea that forests are complex, dynamic and therefore relatively unpredictable systems. This presentation therefore aims to explain the theoretical and practical bases of forest management based on functional diversity and connectivity, which aims to maximize the adaptability

 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211912422000086

Documentaire sur l'eau en Tunisie dans le cadre de la journée mondiale de l'eau, le 22 mars

More info

À l’échelle mondiale, nous sommes entourés par plus de 400,000 espèces de plantes. Cette diversité est un socle majeur de la civilisation humaine : les plantes sont à la base de notre alimentation, servent à produire des matériaux de construction, de l’énergie, du papier, des textiles, des molécules d’intérêt pharmaceutique, elles ornent nos jardins et espaces publics, sans oublier leur rôle fondamental au sein des écosystèmes.

À la croisée de nombreuses disciplines –systématique, écologie, évolution, biotechnologie, physiologie, anatomie, agronomie, horticulture, phytopathologie-, la biologie végétale explore la lignée des plantes pour mieux la comprendre et permettre à l’humanité de valoriser et protéger au mieux ces précieuses ressources.

Dans le cadre de la septième édition du “Fascination of Plants Day” qui sera organisée dans le monde entier le 18 mai, les chercheurs et chercheuses en biologie végétale de l’UCLouvain proposent de lever le voile sur le monde fascinant des plantes et de vous emmener en découvrir les mystères.

Plusieurs activités seront proposées à Louvain-la-Neuve, au départ des serres de l’UCLouvain (sentier Croix du Sud) les 12 et 15 mai 2024 entre 13h30 et 18h. Voici le planning des activités (valable pour le dimanche et le mercredi) :

Coulisses des serres de recherche (sur inscription) 13H45 – 15H & 15H45 – 17H00   Et si la fabuleuse aventure des plantes vous était contée? Le début, le vrai début de l’aventure des plantes et par voies de conséquence de l’aventure des animaux et de l’homme s’est produit dans la mer, il y a au moins 3 milliards d’années. Que de chemin parcouru depuis ! Au travers des essais menés à l'UCLouvain et des collections, nous vous proposons de venir découvrir ce monde fascinant avec une visite des serres expérimentales. S’inscrire le dimanche 12 mai  S'inscrire le mercredi 15 mai	A la rescousse de la plante qui parle (pour enfants de 6 à 12 ans, sur inscription) 13H45 – 15H15  &  15H45 – 17H15 Planti s’est réveillé ce matin, comme tous les matins mais, étrange, elle se retrouve avec deux jambes, deux bras, un tronc et une tête !! Cela a alerté ce scientifique, Alfred, qui l’a retrouvé dans sa serre ce matin. Alfred a promis de ne rien dire à ses collègues car Planti veut absolument retourner dans son corps de base. Il les a donc recrutés pour obtenir l’aide précieuse de ces jeunes biologistes qui passaient par là (les enfants, les bac (6-8 ans) et les masters (9-12 ans)). Cette activité est uniquement destinée aux enfants et non pour les parents;) S’inscrire le dimanche 12 mai  S'inscrire le mercredi 15 mai
Les plantes, des usines à médicaments (accès libre) 13H45 – 17H30   Rejoignez l’aventure, et initiez-vous à la production de médicaments en plantes ! Qu’elles soient entières ou en culture, les plantes sont très prometteuses pour la production de nombreux composés pharmaceutiques. Venez ainsi découvrir l’envers du décor en vous plongeant dans ce monde fascinant qu’est le « molecular farming ». Enfilez gants et tabliers et apprenez les ficelles du métier.	Dites 33!  (accès libre) 14H – 17H30 Tout comme le médecin prend votre tension, mesure votre saturation en oxygène ou écoute le battement de votre coeur, le biologiste observe une série de fonctions vitales de la plante pour connaître son état. Respiration, transpiration, photosynthèse, contenu en chlorophylle sont autant d'indices sur la santé d'un organisme végétal. Venez découvrir Thomate, notre plante modèle qui se prète aujourd'hui pour vous au grand jeu de la "plante d'hopital", reliée à différents appareils mesurant son fonctionnement en direct.
Back to the roots : à la recherche de nos racines (libre accès) 14H00 – 17H30   Vous êtes-vous déjà demandé ce qui se passait sous la terre, à quoi pouvait ressembler un système racinaire d'une plante aussi répandue que le maïs? Ou encore comment celui-ci se développe-t-il? Rhyzitrons, hydroponie, aéroponie, pots, autant d'ingénieux systèmes qui se prêtent à l'observation et l'étude de la rhyzosphère. Venez les découvrir avec nous...	Les plantes dans nos assiettes (sur inscription, 16 ans et plus) 14H00 – 15H15 & 16H00 - 17H15 Les plantes cultivées pour nourrir l'humanité sont nombreuses, résultants de multiples processus de domestication aux quatre coins du monde. Lors de cet atelier, vous aurez l'occasion de découvrir la diversité végétale qu'on retrouve dans nos assiettes. Tandis que certaines espèces sont produites à grande échelle et très connues, d'autres sont relativement marginales, néanmoins prometteuses pour produire la nourriture de demain.   S’inscrire le dimanche 12 mai        S'inscrire le mercredi 15 mai
Balade botanique (sur inscription) 14H00 – 15H15 & 16H – 17H15   Un arbre, au fond, c'est quoi ? Quelle diversité de silhouettes, de feuilles, d'écorces ! Qu'y a-t-il dans la pelouse ? Et entre les pavés ? Immobiles, les plantes, vraiment ? Oui, mais non... Et peut-être d'autres histoires de fleurs, de racines bizarres, de pucerons savants, de feuilles mille fois trouées, de crochets, de sucre à fourmis, voire peut-être d'explosions... S’inscrire le dimanche 12 mai S'inscrire le mercredi 15 mai	Bourse aux graines et aux boutures (libre accès) 13H30 – 17H45 Rejoignez-nous pour un moment de partage et de découverte végétale. Apportez vos plantes et boutures à échanger ou profitez de notre sélection de plantes gratuites. Vous pourrez également recevoir des graines de plantes communes et moins commune pour enrichir votre jardin. Que vous soyez débutant(e) ou expert(e), venez partager votre passion avec nous.
Anatomie florale à croquer  (sur inscription, 16 ans et plus) 13H45-15H & 15H30 - 16H45 Explorez le processus de fructification en observant les organes floraux à travers un binoculaire ! En scrutant de près ce passage mystérieux de la fleur au fruit, vous découvrirez l’origine des fruits qui nous entourent. S’inscrire le dimanche 12 mai S'inscrire le mercredi 15 mai	Les pollinisateurs de nos jardins  (sur inscription, 16 ans et plus) 13H45 – 15H & 15H45 - 17H Vous les voyez butiner de fleurs en fleurs, les papillons, les abeilles et autres insectes pollinisateurs. C’est grâce à eux que les fleurs colorent les prairies et les jardins. Venez découvrir la pollinisation et ces insectes essentiels. Nous vous proposons d’aller observer ces petites bêtes et d’en apprendre plus sur elles et leur fascinante relation avec le monde floral. S’inscrire le dimanche 12 mai S'inscrire le mercredi 15 mai
Comment identifier une plante à fleurs ?   (sur inscription, 16 ans et plus) 15H15-16H15 & 16H - 18H Avez-vous déjà regardé toutes ces petites plantes à fleurs indigène à la Belgique qui envahissent nos parterres au printemps? Venez découvrir comment les reconnaître! S’inscrire le dimanche 12 mai S'inscrire le mercredi 15 mai	Les lichens pour évaluer la qualité de l'air  (sur inscription, 16 ans et plus) 13H45 - 16H Les lichens sont des symbioses entre champignons et algues. Leurs caractéristiques biologiques les rendent sensibles aux polluants de l’air ce qui fait d’eux d’excellent outils de de surveillance biologique. Cet atelier vise à observer et identifier ces organismes afin de devenir autonome pour évaluer la qualité de l’air autour de chez vous dans le cadre du programme participatif Lichens GO.         S’inscrire le dimanche 12 mai S'inscrire le mercredi 15 mai

Walk in the Lauzelle wood, without registration, to which all ELI members are invited (departure from the Hergé museum at 15.30). Come and get some fresh air!

Inscription

Débat (en anglais, sur inscription) sur les liens climat-migration, avec trois invités exceptionnels (Sylvie Sarolea - UCLouvain, Jean-Pascal van Ypersele - UCLouvain, François Gemenne - ULiège / Sciences Po Paris) en plus de Michael Mann

inscris-toi à un atelier 2tonnes immersif pour explorer le futur et agir ensemble pour le climat!

Un objectif pour le climat :2tCO2e/an par personne en 2050

Dans le cadre de la Chaire Collen-Francqui internationale attribuée au Professeur Christian Messier

Invitation à une conférence-débat

« L'approche des réseaux complexes fonctionnels pour favoriser la résilience des forêts aux changements globaux »

Quentin Ponette (UCLouvain) et Charles De Cannière (ULB) ont l’honneur de vous inviter à un débat contradictoire qui permettra au Professeur Christian Messier, professeur d’écologie forestière à l’Université du Québec à Montréal, de répondre aux questionnements de plusieurs représentants de la filière forêt-bois parmi lesquels nous aurons le plaisir de retrouver :

• Charles Debois, Président de Pro Silva Wallonie
• Emmanuel Defays, Directeur de l’Office Économique Wallon du Bois
• François De Meersman, Secrétaire général de la Confédération Belge du Bois
• Dominique Godin, Président de la Société Royale Forestière de Belgique
• Nicolas Henryot, Fédération Nationale des Experts Forestiers
• Pascal Lambert, Inspecteur général du Département de la Nature et des Forêts (SPW)
• Frédéric Petit, Président de NTF - Propriétaires Ruraux de Wallonie
• Lionel Wibail, Département de l’Étude du Milieu Naturel et Agricole (SPW)

Après l’exposé de Christian Messier, les représentants de la filière forêts-bois disposeront chacun de dix minutes pour exposer et débattre de leur point de vue. Cet échange d’idées sera ensuite prolongé par les questions du public. La séance se clôturera vers 19h30 - 19h45 par le verre de l’amitié.

Il est nécessaire de s’inscrire en ligne avant le 9 juin 2022

Toute information complémentaire peut être obtenue auprès des organisateurs : charles.de.canniere@ulb.be – 0474 66 78 11 ou quentin.ponette@uclouvain.be – 0495 28 14 48

The work of this thesis focused on the detection capability of the development dynamics of soil physical crust. The general objective was to understand whether soil physical crust development could be detected and modelled by means of multispectral remote sensing, using low-altitude uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAS), with a case study on loamy soils of the Belgian loess belt. This work has been structured on an ideological pathway to test a set of sensors and their detection capability for soil properties, starting from laboratory analysis and progressively scaling to the remote sensing domain.

After a preliminary assessment of spectral sensor technology and analytical methods, this thesis proposed an innovative methodology to model soil physical crust development, as defined by the spectral changes caused on the soil surface by cumulative amounts of rainfall kinetic energy. This was achieved by developing a data processing protocol for multispectral imaging in the visible and near-infrared range. By validating the laboratory methodology in real field conditions, the results offered some evidence that it is possible to map the development of soil physical crust with a remote sensing application. The last part of this thesis tackled a critical issue with the negative effects of soil anisotropy on multispectral imaging, proposing a semi-empirical correction methodology with good preliminary results, and easing the way for wide scale UAS-based assessment of soil properties with multispectral imaging.

nous avons le plaisir d’accueillir deux membres du jury pour un séminaire et un échange entre 12h30 et 14h le 17 mai dans la salle Océan (bâtiment de Serres, étage 0)

nous avons le plaisir d’accueillir deux membres du jury pour un séminaire et un échange entre 12h30 et 14h le 17 mai dans la salle Océan

In this thesis, we started with a non-imaging spectrometer mounted on UAS-borne and showed good capability for SOC content prediction. Meanwhile, we developed a transfer function to align UAS-based and laboratory-based measurements to enable the use of an existing model based on a soil spectral library. In a second phase, we focused on imaging sensors to have spatial and structural information of the soil surface. The result demonstrated the robustness and repeatability of photogrammetry using Structure from Motion (SfM) algorithms with precise georeferencing and accurate camera calibration based on post-processed positioning data. Next, we assessed the pre-processing approaches for UAS-based multispectral images to reduce the error caused by soil roughness and anisotropy to optimize the workflow of SOC mapping in bare croplands. Furthermore, we characterized soil surface roughness and illumination geometry using UAS-based imaging spectroscopy, and investigated their influence on soil reflectance measurement and SOC estimation. These studies help to understand the capabilities and limitations of UAS-based spectroscopy in soil mapping and monitoring in croplands, and the potential of improving its accuracy and efficiency in SOC estimation by comprehensively considering perturbing factors and mechanisms behind it.

Christine Frison will present her ERC project proposal "EcoLAWgy", which echoes some of the implications for governance and practice identified by Patrick Meyfroidt in the area of land systems. EcoLAWgy proposes a new framing to design and implement international biodiversity law taking into account ecological constraints. Generally focused on short-term human needs, environmental treaties emerge as a reaction to an environmental threat or destruction through a negotiated text by the international community and where power games significantly impact the output. Considering the current status of biodiversity loss, it is time for a change of paradigm to slow down or reverse the pace of the on-going ecological collapse.

Moderator: Prof. E. Hanert (Earth and Life Institute, Environmental Sciences, UCLouvain)

14h00-14h40: Fostering active and deep learning of biosciences engineers and environmental scientists in a digital environment: What will stick from the Covid era? (Prof. E. Mathijs, Faculty of bioengineering, KULeuven).

14h40-15h20: The FAO strategic framework for research with academic institutions (Dr. Raschad Al-Khafaji, Director FAO liaison office Brussels) 

15h20-16h00: Loving the Alien: CO2 deserves our affection but save a seat for some other surprising climate change alies  ( Dr. Jan Mertens, Chief Science Officer, ENGIE-Brussels)

17h00 : séance académique

18h00 : inauguration et visite du bâtiment rénové

18h30 : cocktail

Pour la première édition de la quinzaine de l’économie circulaire, initiée par Circular wallonia, l’OpenHub et le MakiLab organisent Circular’ici, deux journées de conférences et d’ateliers afin de visibiliser le potentiel wallon en matière de circularité.

LA PLASTIQUE, EST-CE FANTASTIQUE ?

10h-11h

Invités: Nicolas Leclercq est Bioingénieur, spécialité Agroalimentaire (UCLouvain) et doctorant au Earth and Life Institute (UCLouvain). Ignace Adant est docteur en Economie, chercheur au Earth and Life Institute (UCLouvain) et Professeur invité à la Faculté des Bioingénieurs (UCLouvain).

Face aux impératives écologiques, le plastique devient un matériau dénigré. C’est pourquoi, les producteurs et industriels d’emballages plastique sont incités à s’engager dans l'économie circulaire ou à innover. Comment constituer rapidement une base de connaissances scientifiques qui éclairent ces changements ? Nicolas et Ignace présentent les résultats d’un premier travail visant à développer un canevas transdisciplinaire qui réunit et articule ces connaissances à partir de l’analyse de la chaine de valeur du PET (PolyÉthylène Téréphtalate) sous l’angle de l’eau embouteillée. Quels sont les avantages et les enjeux pour les embouteilleurs ? Quelles sont les limites et risques des technologie de recyclage ? Ce sont des questions auxquelles vous aurez des réponses à la fin de la conférence.

Atelier : fabrication de toupie à partir d’un masque chirurgical grâce à la technologie de l’injection plastique

Inscription: via fabmanager

To accomplish this objective necessitates implementation of efficient and effective forest management measures to enhance the C storage capacity of forests. However, previous studies on the impact of management measures on forest C storage mostly occurred in single forest and/or focused on one ecosystem component. Therefore, there is paucity of robust and generalizable information about the impact of key forest management measures on C storage and distribution in multiple forest ecosystem components to guide forestry in Europe.

This thesis investigated the impact of tree species identity and mixing on C storage and distribution in aboveground woody biomass, coarse roots, and soil ecosystem components in 21 forest triplets (two-species mixed forest and their respective monocultures at the same site) in seven European countries. The triplets consisted of Scots pine, European beech, and Oak.

The broadleaved forests (European beech, oak) increased C storage in above and belowground woody biomass more than Scots pine, but the opposite was observed for soil C storage. Considering total C stocks (aboveground + coarse roots + soil), the mixed forests were at least equivalent to the most performing monocultures, implying that mixed species forestry may not compromise total C storage.

La mycothèque, présente dans l’exposition, est l’une des plus importantes collections de cultures fongiques au monde : elle conserve plus de 30 000 souches vivantes de champignons. Fondée en 1894, la mycothèque fait partie, depuis 1983, de BCCM, un consortium de 7 collections de cultures coordonnées et financées par Belspo. Hébergée au sein du laboratoire de mycologie, et dirigée par le Pr Stephan Declerck, elle collabore avec de nombreux scientifiques et offre un large panel de services aux entreprises.

En pratique

· Palais royal de Bruxelles

· Du 23 juillet au 28 août 2022

· De 10h30 à 17h00 (dernières entrées : 15h45)

· Entrée gratuite - Fermé le lundi

Plus d’informations

royal.belspo.be (site accessible à partir du 20 juillet)

Prof. Julianne Meisner, University of Washington, Department of Global Health

“Livestock and the epidemiology of sleeping sickness: mechanisms and implications”

Julianne Meisner is a veterinarian and epidemiologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Global Health at the University of Washington. She will be discussing her research using spatial epidemiology and causal inference methods to estimate the magnitude of and mechanism for the effect of livestock density on human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) risk, and evaluate the feasibility of HAT elimination with and without control of domestic animal reservoirs.

Dr. Beth Purse, UK Center for Ecology and Hydrology, Disease Ecology group

“Inter-disciplinary ecosystem approaches for understanding and mitigating zoonotic diseases”

Exposure to zoonotic diseases can trade-off against livelihood-critical activities, particularly in degraded tropical forest ecosystems. The emergence of zoonotic pathogens in such degraded environments is best understood and mitigated using inter-disciplinary, ecosystem approaches. These are where ecological dynamics and socio-political drivers of vulnerability are jointly studied at the human-animal-environment interface across affected landscapes. Moreover, One Health co-production of research and tools with cross-sectoral stakeholders can bridge gaps in knowledge and management of zoonoses between sectors. We describe how these approaches have been applied to a case study: human tick-borne infection, Kyasanur Forest Disease, affecting marginalised forest-dependent communities in south India, to inform and improve mitigation.

13h to 15h: Roundtable with Beth and Julianne.  

Please register here : https://forms.office.com/r/bgHiHhAVS9

Come discuss your work with our guests and other members of the spatial epidemiology and geography of health community in Belgium.

The first objective of this thesis is to investigate the impact of the interaction between tides, storm surges, and river discharges in the KRD, particularly in the densely-populated city of Pontianak, which lies on the delta. The interactions between the driving forces and the effects on compound flooding are simulated using a hydrodynamic model (SLIM). Then, based on the maximum water-level profile, compound flooding hazard zones along the Kapuas River are delineated. In the second phase, this thesis combines the process-based and data-based modeling approaches to tackle the issue caused by limited computational resources and observational data. The process starts with building a hydrodynamic model to run flood scenarios in the KRD. The next step is to create machine learning (ML) models and train them using the outputs of the hydrodynamic model to predict water levels and future floods. Several ML algorithms are evaluated to ensure that the ML model is robust. Random forest (RF) performs best, highly accurate for the application in the study area. The last phase is to assess future compound flooding risks in the KRD using limited observation data under climate change in the three emission scenarios: low (RCP2.6), medium (RCP4.5), and high (RCP8.5). The assessment is conducted using integrated ML and GIS-based bathtub models, resulting in current and future flood maps of the potentially inundated areas under a 100-year flood (1% annual exceedance probability) scenario. The results suggest that in 2100, more buildings will be exposed (increased by about 6.4% - 11.9%), and more roads will be impacted (increased by approximately 6.8% - 12.7%) depending on the emission scenarios. These assessment outputs are essential for the local water managers in the KRD to mitigate the impacts and create adaptation strategies.

In this thesis, I studied personality differences between woodland, agricultural and urban populations of the speckled wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria), a former forest specialist that successfully colonised anthropogenic habitats. Using behavioural tests that quantify variation in boldness, activity and exploration, I show that butterflies from different landscapes of origin differed regarding mean levels of boldness and syndrome structure (i.e. the correlation between personality traits). As these experiments involved laboratory-reared individuals, results suggest a genetic basis to the observed differences. The conducted experiments also shed light on environmental conditions that affect personality traits through phenotypic plasticity, including age and intraspecific interactions (i.e. male-male fights). Additionally, I show that developmental conditions affect the repeatability of behavioural traits. Using different experimental approaches, I also tested the ecological relevance of personality traits in the speckled wood butterfly. While boldness does not correlate with aspects of spatial use, more active males were more likely to win territorial fights, which may give them a fitness advantage.

Together, these results provide valuable insights into the field of invertebrate personality – a group that has been rather overlooked in the context of animal personality – and they contribute to understanding the response of species to human activities.

Root systems are often described using integrative variables, e.g. number and biomass, that are cost-effective but provide limited cues on root distribution. Modelling studies have shown that root systems can also be described using process variables, depicting growth and development processes. These are expected to be more closely connected to the underlying biology than the integrative variables and to lead more directly to optimisation paths.

In this thesis, we created a novel high-throughput phenotyping pipeline of plants grown in aeroponics. This pipeline exploits high spatial and temporal resolution image series to estimate process variables from simple morphologic features, with very limited computing resources. It was used to analyse the genetic architecture of process and integrative variables on diversity panels of bread and durum wheat (500 genotypes) and was evaluated against independent experiments (pouches, rhizotubes and field).

We demonstrated that process information can be estimated easily from simple morphologic features if dense time series are available. We also showed that lateral root formation, despite being highly variable along the root system, can be constant when cumulated at the whole plant level. Cross-experiment validation revealed that genotypic differences for process variables were largely environment-specific. Finally, the genetic architecture of process variables was not found to be simpler than that of the integrative ones.

Functional-structural root-soil models (FSRSMs), which combine root functional and structural information have been developed to simulate carbon, water and nutrient transfers between plants, atmosphere and soils. These models can therefore help predict the impact of plant root architecture and the distribution of soil and root hydraulic properties on root water uptake (RWU) and investigate the key factors determining SM and RWU variability.

This PhD thesis is a combination of three-dimensional simulation at the plant scale and experimental work at the field scale to advance our comprehension of the hydraulic resistances in the soil-plant system that control transpiration and RWU. First, the 3D FSRSM R-SWMS was validated by combining root and tracer distributions obtained by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to inverse modeling. Second, we demonstrated the importance of rhizosphere resistance on the relationship between plant transpiration and leaf water potential. This result was obtained by using an FSRSM to represent the experimental behavior of two Maize genotypes (with and without root hairs). Finally, a field scale experiment highlighted that plant associations with complementary root systems did better tolerate water deficit than other associations by exploiting specific depth niches.

Bio

Jake is an environmental scientist with over 10 years of experience studying the ecology, hydrology, and biogeochemistry rivers, lakes, and wetlands across the US and France. His primary research interests are ecosystem dynamics and their services to humanity, how water, nutrients, and biota are connected across ecosystems, and natural resource management and sustainability. He grew up in Florida, USA, where he developed his fond attachment to hydrosystems and the ecosystems they support. He attended the University of Florida for a BE in Environmental Engineering and an MS in Ecohydrology after which he worked in environmental consulting in Salt Lake City, Utah for several years. He graduated with his PhD in Ecohydrology from Virginia Tech and promptly started postdoctoral work in Lyon, France, where he still resides and works.

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suivi par Ulrich Martin (UCLouvain). An insight into the trophic ecology of chimaeras from New zealand.

Cette conférence se donne dans le cadre d’une des Class of excellence organisées au cours de cette chaire Francqui.