Research Eric Struyf

Abstract

Amplified arctic warming lessens the temperature difference between the Arctic and the tropics, resulting in more sluggish circulation patterns and a "wavier" jet stream. Consequently, the mid-latitude regions (30-60°N) are expected to experience more persistent weather patterns characterized by prolonged dry and wet spells. Longer droughts are likely to increase extreme water shortages that undermine food security, and extreme rainfall can cause soil erosion and reduce crop productivity by gradually leaching the fertile topsoil. Agricultural grasslands are particularly sensitive to changes in the seasonality, frequency, and intensity of stress events as predicted by climate models8, with potential impact on carbon sinks and fodder provisioning for livestock. In this project we will study different grass cultivars' performance under more persistent precipitation and the potential benefits of mixing these cultivars. In addition, we will elucidate the role of mycorrhiza in potentially strengthening ecosystem resilience by assessing their modulating effects on grass growth, water potential and regulation of grass secondary metabolism, antioxidant enzymatic system, hormones, and gene expression under regimes of alternating prolonged dry and wet spells.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Nijs Ivan
• Co-promoter: Beemster Gerrit
• Co-promoter: De Boeck Hans
• Co-promoter: Struyf Eric
• Co-promoter: Verbruggen Erik

Research team(s)

• Plant and Ecosystems (PLECO) - Ecology in a time of change

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Greenhouse gas emission is causing the Earth's climate to deteriorate at an alarming rate. Greenhouse gas traps the heat in the atmosphere, causing global warming, extreme weather conditions and environmental changes such as rising sea levels. Agriculture is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emission, with a contribution of around one-third of total emissions. Considering this, many recent sustainability regulations such as the Flemish Nitrogen Decree and EU Green Deal try to tackle the emission from agriculture. A major portion of agricultural emissions arise from the unscientific use of fertilizers which release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. As a result, farmers are urged to follow sustainable agriculture practices and reduce emission. However, implementing sustainable farming requires allowing farmers to determine the optimum measurement of both soil nutrient content and emission in real time. But there is a lack of cost-effective devices that can measure both soil nitrogen content and emission in real time and can assist farmers in deciding on optimum fertilizer application. Such a device should be of low cost and with limited maintenance requirements, putting no extra financial pressure on farmers. Moreover, they should be deploy-and-forget architecture so that no maintenance and management is required from the farmers. This POC proposal Sustainable and Energy Neutral Soil Sensing (SENSS) aims to fill this gap by innovating novel soil sensing devices that work seamlessly in agricultural environments. The device will incorporate novel energy harvesting and energy-aware techniques along with low-power wireless connectivity and onboard intelligence to achieve long-term operation and in-device data processing and inference. The project will further leverage the ecology and environmental knowledge of the Global Change Ecology Center of Excellence and the low-power electronic and communication knowledge of IDLab.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Singh Ritesh Kumar
• Co-promoter: Famaey Jeroen
• Co-promoter: Janssens Ivan
• Co-promoter: Struyf Eric
• Co-promoter: Weyn Maarten

Research team(s)

• Internet Data Lab (IDLab)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

CARBIZON provides a new technology for soil engineering. It is our ambition to achieve 'negative erosion with CO2 removal': rebuilding soils based on natural soil regeneration technology, combined with CO2 sequestration. To achieve this, CARBIZON combines three nature-based carbon dioxide removal methods (CDRs) to rapidly restore fertile topsoil. The technology provides a drastic solution to the longstanding issue of soil degradation in the Global South. With CARBIZON, we aim to reverse the effects of soil degradation and create healthy, fertile soils that can re-support sustainable agriculture, while also taking up massive amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. The issue of soil degradation is a major concern in the Global South, affecting millions of individuals who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Key value of CARBIZON technology lies in its potential beyond carbon sequestration. The CARBIZON approach improves soil water retention (rendering irrigation more efficient), it provides a natural source of essential micro- and macro-nutrients, fostering healthy crop growth, and creates a stable soil matrix that fosters soil health and prevents renewed erosion. Our approach ensures that the soil is not only climate-proof, but also resource-smart, making it suitable for sustainable agriculture in the long run. We envision that CARBIZON will deliver the crucial foundation to initiate the development of a carbon-as-a-service business model in soil restoration, providing landowners and governments with the innovation potential to restore degraded soils. Our approach puts a sustainable business model into future-proofing soils in the Global South, largely financed by the carbon market through the sales of the carbon credits obtained by CO2 sequestration.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Vicca Sara
• Co-promoter: Janssens Ivan
• Co-promoter: Struyf Eric

Research team(s)

• Plant and Ecosystems (PLECO) - Ecology in a time of change
• Biobased sustainability engineering (SUSTAIN)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Social awareness about climate change is everywhere. It is perhaps best embodied by young people taking to the streets or revolting because they realize their future is at stake. Climate change has never been as tangible as it is now. At the same time, there is ignorance about climate change. Amidst sometimes heated but futile discussions, scientific knowledge risks being lost. There is still a scientifically proven possibility to keep global warming below 2°C (compared to pre-industrial temperatures). However, a drastic transition is necessary, with strong societal support. Ignorance obstructs this social support. With KlimaatLINK, we aim to bring the latest insights on climate change directly to school-going youth - the citizens and workers of tomorrow. In this way, we want to contribute to a correct societal image of a world in (climate) change. With the growing importance of incorrect half-truths and outright falsehoods ("alternative facts"), it is crucial to communicate about climate change in an accessible, direct, and correct manner.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Struyf Eric

Research team(s)

• Plant and Ecosystems (PLECO) - Ecology in a time of change

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

CurieuzeNeuzen is back, but now with a focus on climate adaptation. Whereas the original CurieuzeNeuzen citizen science project has moved mountains with respect to public participation in air quality, "CurieuzeNeuzen goes underground " wants to work on climate awareness in a large-scale way. To this end, we are going to monitor the impact of weather extremes and increasing drought, where citizens notice it first: in their own garden. This garden is close to the heart of Flanders, so the tens of thousands of lawns in Flanders are the ideal canvas for an innovative citizen science project on climate adaptation. Via a large-scale network of thousands of "mini weather station networks" we will measure the soil temperature and soil moisture throughout Flanders, both at home in gardens, as well as in public gardens and parks. This measurement campaign has a specific scientific purpose: we will answer the important question of how resilient our gardens are against future climate change and extreme weather conditions, and what the effect of our garden and landscape management is on that resilience. We take into account the effect of urban heat islands, but also the impact of small, local interventions, such as planting trees and the frequency of mowing. The result is a detailed drought map for Flanders in which risk areas are mapped and, for science, an extensive and internationally unique database on the impact of increasing weather extremes on the soil climate. But above all, we aim for a large-scale awareness of the drought problem in Flanders, and what we can do about this, both as individual and as society.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Meysman Filip
• Co-promoter: Lembrechts Jonas
• Co-promoter: Nijs Ivan
• Co-promoter: Struyf Eric

Research team(s)

• Geobiology

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The IFLUX research project is based on an intense collaboration between the University of Antwerp and the Flemish Institute for Technological Research, and aims to develop and validate an integrated mass flux sampler for environmental research and management, IFLUX. At the same time, the valorization of IFLUX is prepared, as a spin-off with a service character, that aims to offer integrated flux measurements for different types of environmental research and management.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Meire Patrick
• Co-promoter: Seuntjens Piet Dfe
• Co-promoter: Struyf Eric

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

We hypothesize that Si-fertilization of croplands with easily weathered silicates increases uptake of atmospheric CO2, providing a new ecosystem service to croplands, while at the same time improving cropland yield. To study this hypothesis, we will couple experimental setups to modeling efforts, to shed new light on the by far understudied Si-C interactions in soils.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Meire Patrick
• Co-promoter: Janssens Ivan
• Co-promoter: Struyf Eric

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Recently, the biological loop in the terrestrial Si cycle, the "biological Si buffer", has been shown to regulate the terrestrial Si export towards coastal systems. Studies on the functioning of this Si buffer and influences of human activities are currently scarce, incomplete, while scale-effects are unknown. This project will be a pioneer study on the effect of grazing on the functioning of the biological Si buffer in three subarctic bio-Si hotspot ecosystem types. The study will integrate four different scales, ranging from the plant-herbivore scale to the scale of the province Finnmark. Through combination of the most recently developed analysis methods, Si stocks and fluxes will be analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Combined analysis on N, P and DOC will integrate the results with the biogeochemical cycles which are relevant in the light of marine primary production and the global climate. The end-result will be an integrated insight in the effect of grazing and land cover on biological Si pools and fluxes of Si in subarctic ecosystems. The results will be coupled in a modelling environment which will allow to predict Si fluxes with changing land cover, grazing intensity and climate. Today, these changes are highly relevant in subarctic regions.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Meire Patrick
• Co-promoter: Struyf Eric
• Fellow: Smis Adriaan

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

In this project we wish to address essential knowledge gaps in our understanding of the effect of vegetation and diatom abundance on integrated nutrient dynamics of (sub)arctic ecosystems. It is integrated nutrient (C-N-P-Si) dynamics that drive ecosystem productivity of both aquatic and terrestrial (sub)arctic ecosystems.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Struyf Eric

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Recently, the biological loop in the terrestrial Si cycle, the "biological Si buffer", has been shown to regulate the terrestrial Si export towards coastal systems. Studies on the functioning of this Si buffer and influences of human activities are currently scarce, incomplete, while scale-effects are unknown. This project will be a pioneer study on the effect of grazing on the functioning of the biological Si buffer in three subarctic bio-Si hotspot ecosystem types. The study will integrate four different scales, ranging from the plant-herbivore scale to the scale of the province Finnmark. Through combination of the most recently developed analysis methods, Si stocks and fluxes will be analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Combined analysis on N, P and DOC will integrate the results with the biogeochemical cycles which are relevant in the light of marine primary production and the global climate. The end-result will be an integrated insight in the effect of grazing and land cover on biological Si pools and fluxes of Si in subarctic ecosystems. The results will be coupled in a modelling environment which will allow to predict Si fluxes with changing land cover, grazing intensity and climate. Today, these changes are highly relevant in subarctic regions.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Meire Patrick
• Co-promoter: Struyf Eric
• Fellow: Smis Adriaan

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project aims to quantify the reactivity of the bio-Si buffer in diverse ecosystems and at different temporal and spatial scale levels. An innovative extraction procedure will be developed and detailed dissolution experiments will be carried out. This innovating concept will allow us to address a crucial missing link in our knowledge of aquatic-terrestrial coupling in the biogeochemical silica cycle and the coupled carbon sinks.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Struyf Eric

Research team(s)

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The overall objective of the proposed research is to increase our understanding of the biological Si processing in tropical river systems. We will investigate bio-Si cycling in large tropical wetlands. We will conduct studies in two tropical systems, which can be considered hot-spots for biological Si cycling: the Okavango Delta (Botswana) and the Fly River (Papua New Guinea). Research fits in the growing recognition that biota control the global silica cycle, which has tight connections to ocean and terrestrial carbon sinks.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Meire Patrick
• Fellow: Struyf Eric

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project will contribute essential knowledge to our scientific concept of the bio-Si buffer, and attain an integration of this buffer into biogeochemical models of the silica cycle. This requires a detailed quantification of the reactivity of the bio-Si buffer in different ecosystems and at different timescales, as well as an integration of processes at different temporal and spatial scales.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Meire Patrick
• Fellow: Struyf Eric

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

It is well known that anthropogenic land use changes have strongly influenced the occurrence of biota and soil formation over the last millennia. Land use changes can have a strong effect on the export of carbon, nitrogen and weathering products. The poor knowledge of the biological component in silica biogeochemistry challenges our ability to predict the effects of these land use changes on the silica cycle. Current models for silica export to the ocean still consider it constant. This assumption is now recognized to be invalid, yet our knowledge base is too small to correctly assess human induced variation in diatom productivity and burial rate. This project aims to contribute to filling this fundamental knowledge gap. We want to advance knowledge on how the silica cycle is affected by human activity in a temperate river basin through a detailed, integrated analysis of silica pools, pathways, fluxes and transformations, thereby using advanced analysis techniques. In this context, the Scheldt basin is extra interesting, as it has high DSi concentrations compared to other systems worldwide, and this is potentially related to high human influence.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Meire Patrick
• Co-promoter: Struyf Eric

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The project aims to gain understanding in the currently unstudied role of wetlands in retention and recycling of Si. This is an essential, yet overlooked link in our knowledge of the global Si cycle. The research hypothesis is that vegetation type, flooding regime and draining capacity all strongly influence the Si processing in wetlands. Higher flooding frequency results in a higher capacity to retain biogenic Si, while drainage capacity is positively related to recycling potential. Human activity can lead to a changed Si-N-P ratio, and as a result functioning of wetlands in the biogeochemical Si cycle could change. Reference research is therefore conducted in the "pristine" Bierbza valley (Poland) and compared to research in human influenced wetlands in Flanders.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Meire Patrick
• Fellow: Struyf Eric

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Silica plays a major role in eutrophication of coastal waters around the world. Mechanisms controlling the production and fate of silica in estuarine systems are far from understood. Major indications have been reported that intertidal areas may be an important reservoir of silica in estuarine systems. This project intends to clarify the role of a freshwater marsh in the silica cycle within the Schelde estuary. Different silica pools in the marsh (vegetation, sediment, pore-water, groundwater and surface water) will be quantified. During a whole year, on a two-monthly basis, silica content of these pools will be monitored in different vegetation types. Interactions between the different silica pools will be studied by decomposition and dissolution experiments, both in situ and ex situ. Mass-balances will be performed seasonally to attain insight in exchange of silica between intertidal and subtidal area. In the end, these major goals will allow to construct an integrated view of the role of freshwater tidal marshes in the silica cycle within an estuarine system, by focusing on retention and processing of silica within the marsh.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Meire Patrick
• Fellow: Struyf Eric

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Silica plays a major role in eutrophication of coastal waters around the world. Mechanisms controlling the production and fate of silica in estuarine systems are far from understood. Major indications have been reported that intertidal areas may be an important reservoir of silica in estuarine systems. This project intends to clarify the role of a freshwater marsh in the silica cycle within the Schelde estuary. Different silica pools in the marsh (vegetation, sediment, pore-water, groundwater and surface water) will be quantified. During a whole year, on a two-monthly basis, silica content of these pools will be monitored in different vegetation types. Interactions between the different silica pools will be studied by decomposition and dissolution experiments, both in situ and ex situ. Mass-balances will be performed seasonally to attain insight in exchange of silica between intertidal and subtidal area. In the end, these major goals will allow to construct an integrated view of the role of freshwater tidal marshes in the silica cycle within an estuarine system, by focusing on retention and processing of silica within the marsh.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Meire Patrick
• Fellow: Struyf Eric

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

• Research Project