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In French Guiana (FG), the exposure of populations living along rivers and coastal areas to trace metals and metalloids (TMs) is a major concern for public health organizations. Today, the origin of these exposures still remains poorly understood. The high levels of potentially toxic TMs (e.g., Hg,

With this proposal, we aim at combining geological and biological data to unravel the links between the subduction dynamics and terrestrial life in subduction zones based on the case study of the Antilles hotspot. This short and dynamic subduction zone is ideally circumscribed by two giant continent

The fine scales (1-100 km, days to weeks) largely control the fate of surface tracers in the ocean. Model results show that this regime also drive phytoplankton community structure and diversity. However, this biodiversity process is today inadequately resolved in observations, and represents a sour

High altitude precipitation and the related accumulation rates on the glaciers are variables with the highest uncertainties, when it comes to assessing the status of the cryosphere in High Mountain Asia (HMA), especially in the poorly documented Pamir Mountains in Central Asia. Within the RECAP proj

Volcanic eruptions and extreme solar proton events (SPEs) contribute significantly to variability in the chemical composition and dynamics of the stratosphere, which in turn can affect vertical coupling between the stratosphere and troposphere. Our knowledge of past solar and volcanic events is base

This project aims to investigate the role of metamorphism and tectonics impacting the mobility of critical elements and their concentration into the ore-deposits of critical raw materials that are essential for building sustainable low-carbon societies. This study will generate novel knowledge in th

Catastrophic floods and sustained droughts will be increasing according to the IPCC 2018 report. It is uncertain how this change will impact flow pathways and sediment yield within the watersheds of major rivers during hydrological extremes. A crucial element in the routing of discharge, and its ero

The biological carbon pump (BCP) annually supplies 5-10 Gt of carbon to the oceans’ interior, driving long-term carbon sequestration. However, the vast majority of sinking particulate organic carbon (POC) entering the mesopelagic zone (~100-1000 m) is remineralized. This dramatic vertical decrease i

Cirrus are pure ice clouds at high altitudes that remain largely unknown due to the variability and complexity of their composition. These unknowns lead to high uncertainties in their representation in global climate models and the ability to estimate their radiative effects and contribution to futu

Heteroaggregation is a crucial step in the fate of natural and anthropogenic nanoparticles (NPs) in environmental waters: heteroaggregation between NPs and suspended natural organic or mineral matter can significantly influence the transport and bioavailability of NPs. In order to obtain a realistic

In the context of the changing climate, sea ice extent and concentration are reducing at an accelerating rate. To integrate these changes, the next generation of sea ice and climate models will require a fine characterization, with an accuracy and resolution that cannot be obtained with current sate

High resolution space-time rainfall estimation remains an open challenge for hydro-meteorologists. The overall purpose of this project is to improve the quality of radar rainfall estimation at high spatial and temporal resolutions and their applicability to urban storm water management. More specifi

The project will evaluate the impact of more frequent and more intense drought events on CO2 emissions of temperate soils and how such relationships are modulated by the legacy of agricultural management practices. The project will propose an upscaling methodology to improve prediction of large sca

Predicted climate changes will impact photosynthetic CO2 assimilation and thereby plant growth and crop production. In the near future plants will be exposed to more extreme weather conditions such as more frequent periods of increased temperatures and droughts, both abiotic stress conditions that i

Transformations happening in cloud droplets are induced by light and oxidants and potentially drive atmospheric chemistry more than expected. Microorganisms have been detected in clouds and recent studies have revealed the potential importance of microbiological processes on atmospheric chemistry, s

Iron (Fe) is an essential micronutrient for the development of oceanic biomass, which is one of the main carbon sinks on a global scale. In about 30% of the oceans, the development of this biomass is constrained by an iron deficiency that limits primary production. This deficiency is related to the

The BACCOPA project aims to study the impact of biomass burning aerosols (BBA) emitted in tropical Africa on the hydrological cycle of this region, and in particular their contribution to the recently extension of the dry season lenght. More specifically, it aims to quantify the impact of BBA plumes

Estuaries are highly productive environments where the transition from freshwater to saltwater leads to increased metal availability and accumulation in the sediment. As such, estuaries are strategic natural laboratories to study the interaction between biofilms, sediments, water and metals. Estuari

Mantle rock alteration is a widespread process that enriches fluids in H2 driving unique chemical environments for ecosystems, and reactions involving redox-sensitive elements such as C, S or metals. While mantle-dominated oceanic lithosphere, linked to detachment faults, may account for up to 25%

Forty percent of the Earth’s population depends on carbonate aquifers for water supply. The goal of PREFAB is to understand how carbonate aquifers develop and are further preserved following burial, with a particular emphasis on the precursor role of early diagenesis. Two questions are at the core

Oceanic convection remains poorly understood even though it is one of the main driver of the oceanic dynamics. Convection can be penetrative (entrain water from below the mixed layer) or non-penetrative. While it is reasonably straightforward to formulate conceptual parameterizations of non penetrat

In the context of climate change, forests will face more frequent and intense periods of water deficit. How forests react to this climatic stress will depend, to a large extent, on their access to the soil water resource. For a long time, the so-called “available water content” (AWC, in millimeters

The presence of emerging contaminants (ECs) in the atmospheric environment is a growing and potential significant issue in environmental sciences. Environmental studies are mostly focused on the occurrence and fate of ECs in aqueous environments. In contrast, less attention is paid to the atmospheri

We are entering a new dimension of the Anthropocene age affecting the Earth and its vital biogeochemical cycles in an unprecedented way. The anthropogenically-produced mass (including plastics, titanium dioxide (TiO2), and ultrafine-soot particles) had surpassed all global living biomass with annual

CO2 plays a crucial role in the climate. However, changes in CO2 concentration during the warm interglacial periods of the last 800,000 years remain unexplained. In particular, the CO2 concentration during the "old" interglacials before the Mid Brunhes Event (MBE, about 430,000 years ago), is lower

Groundwater (GW) systems exist in dynamic balance with the climate and human pressure, connecting interfacing zones of recharge and discharge with multiple feedbacks. Quantifying the aquifer recharge and the stream-aquifer is a key issue for hydrogeologists to consider the safe yield and good water

Dating of geological strata is the basis of our understanding of Earth’s history. The accurate estimation of durations of geological events is a key, long-lasting, and often elusive target for the geological community. Cyclostratigraphy has revolutionized this field of research over the last decade.

Plastics benefit society in innumerable ways and their production has drastically increased over the last century, resulting in a dramatic generation of plastic wastes. Most studies assessing plastics focused on microplastics (MP) in marine environments, while the occurrence of nanoplastics (NPT) ha

Trace elements (TE; e.g. As, Cr, U, Cu) are responsible for serious threats to the environment in both developing and industrialised countries. Although the mechanisms controlling their speciation have been extensively studied, we are still unable to correctly predict their behaviour and fate in nat