ResearchGroup

Description: EUSOT (Erosion, Land Uses and Land Management) is a consolidated research group of the University of La Rioja, established in 2006 and consisting of 1 Full Professor and 4 Associated Professors with a Geography background. In EUSOT, we study the impacts of Global Change (land use changes and climate variability) on hydrology, geomorphological processes and soils under Mediterranean conditions. Our work combines field observations, remote sensing and computational and geostatistical approaches. Our research contributes to improve our understanding on how the Mediterranean hydrological and geomorphological systems will respond to future scenarios of Global Change and aims at optimizing land and water resources management in this region. We carry out our research in strong collaboration with the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (CSIC, Spain), the University of the Balearic Islands (Spain) and the Universities of Amsterdam and Utrecht (The Netherlands). The research published by the group is highly cited (>20000 cites in Google Academics), showing its relevance within the discipline.

ResearchLine

Description: Land cover management build on Nature Based Solutions for flood mitigation The Mediterranean region is one of the areas most affected by climate change, inducing alterations in rainfall patterns, with increasing rainfall intensity, and subsequent occurrence of flood events. Traditionally, grey infrastructures have been used to control flood risk. More recently, practices build on Nature Based Solutions have emerged as alternative strategies for flood mitigation. These practices have mostly been studied in urban/periurban areas, with little focus on other environments, such as headwaters, where runoff is generated. As land cover has important implications for runoff generation, we hypothesize that land management build on NBS in headwaters can efficiently reduce the occurrence of floods. The objectives of this research are i) understanding the relation between NBS in headwaters and flood occurrence and ii) evaluate the effect of different NBS on flood mitigation under different climate change scenarios. The project will i) use detailed hydroclimatic dataseries recorded in small research catchments owned by EUSOT group and collaborators, and regional hydroclimatic dataseries recorded by governmental organisms, and ii) perform streamflow simulations using PyCatch hydrological modelling suite.

Others

Description: The project will provide new knowledge within the topics of ecological transition (water, NBS, adaptation to climate change). The outcomes of the project will be strongly aligned to the EU agendas and research priorities: Horizon Europe mission area 4 -inland waters-; EIP Water; JPI Water; Horizon Europe mission: “Adaptation to Climate Change including Societal Transformation” that highlights the need to: (i) know more about the interaction between climate change and land surface and hydrology, (ii) define sustainable water management and climate change adaptation measures, and (iii) improve knowledge on floods and droughts; the objectives of the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EEC); the Green Deal and EU water-related policies, whose main objective is to foster the adaptation of water resources to climate change, in particular Destination 5 impacts “Advance the understanding and science, and support adaptation and resilience of natural and managed ecosystems, water and soil systems and economic sectors in the context of the changing climate”. Likewise, the project fits with (i) the “Sustainable Development Goals” established by the FAO, especially with the Goal number 15 “conservation of mountain ecosystems, (ii) the IPCC report “Climate Change and Land” that stated that “sustainable land management can contribute to reduce the negative impacts of multiple stressors, including climate change”, and (iii) the EU Strategy on adaptation to climate change (EUSACC). In general, the outcomes of the project will have direct socio-economic impacts on a wide range of sectors such as agriculture, insurance, water resources management and civil protection. Finally, the planning and development of the project will follow the guidelines of the MSCA Green Charter, by using low-emission transport, renewable forms of energy, teleconferencing, or sustainable acquisition of project-related material (reused, green purchasing).

CareerDevelopment

Objectives

• Future postdoc employment at the University
• Increased employability in the non-academic sector
• International mobility
• Building collaborative networks
• Trainings to enhance career opportunities
• Application of postdoctoral grants (MSCA, Juan de la Cierva, etc.)
• Application for projects and funding (Horizon Europe, national plans, etc.)
• Involvement in teaching, supervision, or mentoring

Expected Outputs

• PhD defense
• Application of grants (MSCA, Juan de la Cierva, etc.)
• Publication of articles
• Developing new products, solutions, or services
• Attendance to international conferences

Training Skills

• Project Management
• Time Management
• Grant Writing
• Communication to the civil society and public engagement
• Open Science
• Teaching
• Supervision
• Policy making, such as Green Deal and sustainable practices
• Leadership
• Training for job interviews, CV writing
• Spanish