Australia-France Network of Doctoral Excellence (AUFRANDE)’s Post

It was great to catch up with CDR folks (and "CDR-curious" friends) this past week at #ERW24 and the Yale University symposium. I'm thinking a lot these days about how quickly this new applied earth science path has developed and how many of my paleoclimate/geochemistry colleagues have entered it. Because of this I'm also wondering how the grad school-to-CDR pipeline will shake up earth science academia, how sustainable (career-wise) this new path will continue to be, and how we may be able to rapidly foster CDR/carbon system expertise and awareness from high schoolers up to PhDs. Have others been mulling this?

Exponentially increasing understanding of early life on Earth - University of California, Riverside: UCR study could shape the search for life on other planets. https://lnkd.in/e5e7ZVDA

Over the moon (literally in the below pic 😅) to have received an award from BFWG (The British Federation of Women Graduates)! Read more about the competition here: https://lnkd.in/dwmfHXTy #CoastalGeomorphology #WomenInGeoscience #WomenInSTEM

Is the future of life on Earth written in the sediments of the seafloor? The Oceanic Flux Program (OFP), a pioneering research initiative, has been unveiling the mysteries of the deep Sargasso Sea since 1978. As the longest-running continuous time-series of its kind, the OFP provides an unprecedented window into the "biological pump" - the intricate dynamics between physics, biology, and chemistry that transfers material from the ocean's surface to its abyssal depths. Utilizing state-of-the-art tools, including carbon analysis instruments from UIC Inc, the OFP has shed light on the seasonality and tight coupling between deep fluxes and upper ocean processes. The program's findings have revolutionized our understanding of ocean biogeochemical cycles, revealing the influence of meteorological forcing, mesoscale variability, and lateral advection on flux generation. Moreover, the OFP has illuminated the intense biological reprocessing of sinking flux in the mesopelagic zone and the impact of climate phenomena like ENSO and NAO on interannual and decadal particle flux variability. By meticulously analyzing sinking particles, which carry essential elements and organic compounds, the OFP is decoding the nutrient distributions that regulate ocean productivity, global elemental cycles, and the ocean's capacity to absorb atmospheric CO2. This groundbreaking research is not only unraveling the mysteries of the present but also shedding light on Earth's past, as preserved in seafloor sediments. The OFP's findings are a testament to the power of long-term, multidisciplinary scientific endeavors in understanding our planet's complex systems.

UMN Professors Susan Wolf, JD, Chair of the Consortium on Law and Values in Health, Environment & the Life Sciences, and John Bischof, Director of Advanced Technologies for the Preservation of Biological Systems (ATP-Bio), are among authors of a new study, published in BioScience, proposing a plan that could safeguard Earth’s endangered biodiversity through storage on the Moon at extremely low temperature. The study led by the Smithsonian Institution outlines a roadmap for the creation of a lunar biorepository. The paper proposes an approach for governance, the types of biological material to be stored, and a plan for experiments to address challenges like radiation and microgravity. https://lnkd.in/gHum2mwc

Sequoia Scientific, Inc. is supporting the Carbon to Sea Initiative and COVE as they launch one of the world’s first open-source R&D initiatives focused on ocean climate science! This Joint Learning Opportunity (JLO) is focused on scientific investigations and deploying new and existing technologies to explore the efficacy of ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) to serve as a marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) strategy. The initiative includes collaborations with Planetary Technologies and Dalhousie University. As a leading manufacturer of optical instrumentation for the in-situ study of marine and freshwater particles, Sequoia is uniquely suited to support various aspects of this research. Sequoia instrumentation will be deployed throughout the OAE research to measure particles and optical properties of the water in-situ to support the study of particle transportation, accumulation, and dissolution. Participation in this JLO presents an exciting opportunity to test and validate Sequoia’s sensors in a new application area and contribute to an important scientific investigation addressing climate change. Pictured: Dr. Ole Mikkelsen (Sequoia President/CEO), preparing instrument package installation Photo credit: Darren Calabrese Link: https://lnkd.in/g6Uq_qDJ #LISST #OAE

💡 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸. 𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺: Dr. Andrea Reimuth. Dr. Andrea Reimuth studied environmental engineering and joined the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in 2016. She completed her doctorate in an energy transition project and worked on urbanization, natural risks and climate change adaptation in her PostDoc. At the Chair of Physical Geography and Nexus Research, she is researching the climate resilience of energy systems. ❓ 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁? Of course there are several! In research, creativity comes first - the freedom to think in all directions. Especially when collaborating with different disciplines: Keeping an eye on how other disciplines think and research. And in teaching, I enjoy teaching the first semester. The students are still at the very beginning, they are motivated and eager to learn and we can play a big part in helping them find their way in geography. ❓ 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲? I'm actually very happy in geography. Because the subject is so interdisciplinary, you actually already have all these overlaps with other areas. But when I retire, I might study physics for fun. I like this world in which everything follows logical rules. ❓ 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲? My favorite method is environmental modeling and model development. I like the fact that you have to abstract the real world and reduce it to its essential elements and processes in a model. To come back to the previous question: I like logic and models work according to fixed logics. I mainly work with so-called land surface processes and vegetation models. I extend and use them to simulate the energy transition and to better understand how the expansion of renewable energies can work and what interactions there are with, for example, the agricultural sector. 🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮'𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://lnkd.in/dGiqCjTs 🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗴: https://lnkd.in/dpCx9P_d 📸 ©Jana Kießer #research #researchnews #geonews #gischat #lmu #munich #introduction #gettoknowus #nexusresearch #geography #physicalgeography

Sequoia Scientific, Inc. is supporting the Carbon to Sea Initiative and COVE as they launch one of the world’s first open-source R&D initiatives focused on ocean climate science! This Joint Learning Opportunity (JLO) is focused on scientific investigations and deploying new and existing technologies to explore the efficacy of ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) to serve as a marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) strategy. The initiative includes collaborations with Planetary Technologies and Dalhousie University. As a leading manufacturer of optical instrumentation for the in-situ study of marine and freshwater particles, Sequoia is uniquely suited to support various aspects of this research. Sequoia instrumentation will be deployed throughout the OAE research to measure particles and optical properties of the water in-situ to support the study of particle transportation, accumulation, and dissolution. Participation in this JLO presents an exciting opportunity to test and validate Sequoia’s sensors in a new application area and contribute to an important scientific investigation addressing climate change. Pictured: Kirby Simon, Sequoia Science & Technology Lead, inspecting the instrument package installation Link: https://lnkd.in/g6Uq_qDJ #LISST #OAE Photo credit: Darren Calabrese

🌱 Exploring Plant Growth in Space 🌌 As part of my recent research project, I've been fascinated by how plants adapt to the challenging conditions of space. Two major factors that impact plant growth beyond Earth are 𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 and 𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Microgravity, while not stopping growth, alters plant physiology. Meanwhile, ionizing radiation can damage plant DNA, although we're still piecing together the full extent of these effects. A particularly intriguing study experimented with growing green beans on simulated Moon and Mars terrain. They used 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲-𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲 as a fertilizer, which surprisingly increased bean production. This innovative approach highlights the potential for sustainable agriculture in extraterrestrial environments. Building on these concepts, the 𝗠𝗘𝗟𝗶𝗦𝗦𝗔 project by ESA proposes an exciting approach to a Bioregenerative Life Support System (BLSS). MELiSSA envisions a closed-loop ecosystem where human waste is recycled to provide nutrients for microalgae and plants. In turn, these organisms supply food, oxygen, and fresh water for the crew — it's like a tiny Earth up there! Further advancing this field, the 𝗘𝗗𝗘𝗡 𝗜𝗦𝗦 project is developing advanced technologies for controlled environment agriculture. Their work focuses on producing safe food on the International Space Station (ISS) and exploring future applications for long-term space missions. It's amazing to see how plants can survive and thrive even in the most extreme environments, serving as a reminder that life finds a way. #SpaceAgriculture #PlantBiology #SpaceExploration #Research References: Veronica Micco, Giovanna Aronne, Nicol Caplin, Eugénie Carnero-Diaz, Raul Herranz, Nele Horemans, Valerie Legue, F. Javier Medina, Veronica Pereda-Loth, Mona Schiefloe, Sara De Francesco, Luigi Gennaro Izzo, Isabel Le-Disquet, and Ann-Iren Kittang. 𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑢𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠. Microgravity, 08 2023 Angelo Vermeulen, Alvaro Papic, Igor Nikolic, and Frances Brazier. 𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑖𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐 𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑜𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔-𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠. Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, 10, 08 2023. Wieger Wamelink and Charlotte Pouwels. 𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑛 𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠. Open Agriculture, 2024

17 PhD Positions on Atmospheric Dust which we are now recruiting for: We are launching the Dust Doctoral Network, and we have 17 unique PhD opportunities on the theme of atmospheric dust, and based in Nicosia, Cyprus; Reading, UK; Évora, Portugal; Athens, Greece; Barcelona, Spain; Darmstadt, Germany; Karlsruhe, Germany; and Davos, Switzerland. I would greatly appreciate if you could circulate this announcement within your scientific network and to potentially interested students. Dust-DN: PhD opportunities on atmospheric dust Looking for a prestigious PhD opportunity in Europe? With this message I would like to introduce you to the DUST DOCTORAL NETWORK (Dust-DN, https://dust-dn.cyi.ac.cy/ ) which is recruiting on 17 ambitious research projects in the theme of *atmospheric dust*. Dust is a major atmospheric aerosol, and it gives us one of the most visible and detectable aspects of transboundary transport of atmospheric constituents, impacting visibility, radiation and climate. It affects the environment, society, and several economic sectors, with impacts on the transportation and energy sectors for example, the nature and cost of which is not fully understood and quantified. The Dust Doctoral Network will train a cohort of scientists to become leaders in this field of research. Dust-DN in a nutshell: The first doctoral network on a European scale (to our knowledge), bringing together expertise on mineral dust in the atmosphere, combining multidisciplinary aspects. A strategic international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral alliance of high-profile partners, able to leverage on unique state-of-the-art facilities A careful blend between individual research projects and integrated combined training and networking, and a critical mass on dust-focused studies using complementary methodologies. Exposure of the doctoral candidates to differing research and working environments, multiple technologies and methodologies. Training in the atmospheric sciences, dust science questions, transferable skills and on the partners’ unique research infrastructures, enabling to tackle the bigger picture of dust challenges. Dedicated applied research projects with direct contributions and impacts embedded with the societal and industrial sector. Are you interested in this exciting opportunity? Please visit our webpage ( https://dust-dn.cyi.ac.cy/ ) and consider the positions available (deadline for applications: 31 August 2024). The selected candidates will be appointed under a 36-months full-time employment contract and will be enrolled in a PhD programme at one or more project partner institutions, under the MSCA scheme ( https://lnkd.in/gYF_mV4F ). Best wishes, Claire Ryder and the Dust-DN Team