Projects
Sabbatical Karen Vancampenhout: Effects of soil degradation on soil carbon storage and persistence in conservation areas KU Leuven
Europe’s ambition to become climate-neutral by 2050 demands persistant storage of C in soils. Several European and Flemish policy documents have highlighted the potential role of soils in nature conservation areas in carbon storage, expanding their role from protecting biodiversity to sequestering C. Nevertheless, ecosystems differ significantly in their capacity to act as C sinks and soil degradation in the form of eutrophication, ...
Coastal wetland response to sea level rise: an integrative marsh – mangrove study on soil elevation and soil carbon response. University of Antwerp
Coastal wetland response to sea level rise: an integrative marsh – mangrove study on soil elevation and soil carbon response KU Leuven
Coastal wetlands, such as mangroves and marshes, are unique ecosystems that are often feared to be lost by sea level rise. However they can adapt to a rising sea level to some extent by raising their elevation via sediment accumulation, and they can mitigate climate change by storing carbon into their soils. Present insights into the feedbacks between sea level rise, sediment and carbon accumulation mainly come from studies on marshes, while ...
Effects of soil degradation on soil carbon storage and persistence in forests and peatlands KU Leuven
European and Flemish climate-change policies aim to enhance carbon (C) storage in soils of conservation areas, mainly in forests and peatlands. Soil degradation however may impact C persistence in soils, and therefore the sustainability of this policy effort, by making soil C stocks more vulnerable to climatic anomalies, shocks and disturbances. Most relevant degradation processes are acidification in forests and drainage legacy in peatlands. ...
Enhanced weathering of steel slags: Soil organic carbon dynamics and storage. University of Antwerp
Boosting carbon stability in forest soils: the role of soil biota in climate-smart management KU Leuven
Rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations call for urgent action to develop strategies for negative emissions, including nature-based solutions. The role of forests in climate change mitigation is widely recognized as forests can store vast amounts of carbon both above- and belowground. However, many forest ecosystems are affected by environmental pressures, and are at risk of becoming sources of CO2. As a consequence, EU countries are setting up ...
Bridging concepts on humic substances to improve our understanding of soil carbon functionality - A molecular approach KU Leuven
The interactions of soil organic matter (OM) with minerals play a key role in environmental biogeochemical processes, including the bioavailability of nutrients, transport of contaminants, and OM stability in relation to the global carbon cycle. The heterogeneity and variability of soil OM make its analysis intricate. Therefore, it has traditionally been separated into several operationally defined fractions, including humic and fulvic acid. ...