A look back at the CarboNium Days in La Rochelle!

On the agenda :

Discussions with the ANR and presentation of progress on the project's Work Packages.
Field visit to the Baie de l'Aiguillon (flux tower) to observe the dynamics of coastal ecosystems.
Workshops on river carbon measurement protocols and choice of observation sites.

These meetings began with a general presentation of CarboNium, outlining the scientific challenges and objectives. The project is built around 8 Work Packages revolving around the 3 scientific objectives below:

Study carbon flows from terrestrial ecosystems to aquatic environments (sources, determinants, variability, balance).
Understand carbon transformation in the terrestrial-aquatic continuum.
Analyze carbon storage in aquatic ecosystems (rivers, wetlands, lakes, estuaries, coastal ecosystems).

The review of the 8 Work Packages provided an opportunity to measure progress and identify future challenges. Each team presented its work in progress, raising key questions about research methods and prospects.

One of the highlights of the event was a field trip to the Baie de l'Aiguillon. Despite the capricious weather, this outing illustrated the geomorphological dynamics of this site and the consequences for carbon fluxes and stocks.

Several workshops dedicated to instrumentation methodologies and strategies enabled participants to reflect in greater depth on measurements and protocols, while encouraging technical and scientific exchanges between participants.

These thought-provoking workshops facilitated, decision-making for the next stage of the project. Topics discussed included

co-location of sites and coordination of actions by the various WPs
Protocols and operational instrumentation for measuring organic C : definition of strategies for implementation in 2025.

CO₂ and CH₄ measurement protocols: refining protocols to improve the accuracy and representativeness of results, in line with available instrumentation and future needs. These discussions enabled concrete avenues to emerge and identify the next steps to be implemented from spring 2025.

Many thanks to the 36 participants and FairCarbon management for their commitment and the quality of the discussions. The warm welcome provided by the University of La Rochelle contributed to the success of these days !

Next steps : implementation of monitoring in early 2025 and continued discussions on analysis strategies.