Regional synthesis of the soil erosion dynamics in the Alps during the Holocene and its impact on carbon (C) exports and C burial

Affectation

Environments, Dynamics, and Territories of the Mountain (EDYTEM) is a joint research unit of the CNRS and the University of Savoie Mont Blanc. It specializes in the study of mountain environments, particularly their natural and anthropogenic dynamics. EDYTEM researchers use interdisciplinary approaches to understand the interactions between human societies and mountain environments. The research areas include geomorphology, paleosciences, archaeology and social sciences.

Description

This postdoctoral position is part of the DEEP-C project 2023-2028 (Carbon Sink or Methane Source – Evaluating the Role of Lentic Waters in the Climate System at Local and Global Scales), funded under the PEPR FairCarboN initiative that gather an international consortium of around 30 scientists, experts of lakes, soils, flux and stocks, carbon cycle and modeling.   

Over the past 15 years, inland waters have gained increasing attention in global carbon cycle research as key connectors between terrestrial and aquatic environments. However, the long-term dynamics of soil erosion and its effects on carbon exports to aquatic ecosystems remain poorly understood. This postdoctoral project aims to use lake sediment archives to refine the link between erosion dynamics, soil carbon exports and carbon burial in lakes. The findings will contribute to DEEP-C's modeling efforts, helping simulate carbon fluxes and stocks at both watershed-and-global scales throughout the Holocene.

Research Activities & Objectives:

The postdoctoral researcher will synthesize existing paleolimnological data from about 15 alpine and peri-alpine lakes in France (including pollen records, detrital fluxes, and carbon accumulation and sources). Additionally, new elemental and isotopic analyses (C/N, δ¹³C, ¹⁴C, radiocarbon dating…) will be conducted on a pilot site to better characterize carbon sources. The objective is to assess the lateral carbon exports over the past 5,000 years and assess the role of anthropogenic perturbation in the carbon cycle, a critical but often overlooked period in carbon cycle research.

Key Research Questions:

1. How have variations in soil erosion impacted long-term carbon exports from land?
2. How have different carbon sources (terrestrial vs. aquatic organic carbon, inorganic carbon) contributed to the sediment carbon burial over time?
3. What were the baseline conditions of carbon export and sediment burial before significant human impact, and how have they changed?
4. What role have land cover changes and climate played in these variations?

This position offers a unique opportunity to combine paleoenvironmental reconstructions and geochemical analyses to improve our understanding of past erosion and carbon cycle dynamics in lake-watershed systems, but also to create unique synergies with our modelling teams in DEEP-C on erosion and carbon cycle.

Missions:

• Synthetising existing data on erosion and lateral C exports as recorded in the lake sediments of the northern French Alps (the geographical scope may be expanded as the project progresses) over the Holocene period.
• Conduct new reconstructions of multi-millennial records of material fluxes and quality in a selection of sediment sequences.
• Archive and integrate the collected and newly acquired data.
• Communicate with the DEEP-C project modeling team to incorporate paleo data into the models and refine them accordingly.

Activities:

• Synthesis and data integration as recorded in the lake sediments of the northern French Alps (the geographical scope may be expanded as the project progresses).
• Perform sedimentological analysis and measure the quality and quantity of trapped organic matter in selected sediment sequences.
• Interpret the data, particularly in terms of driving processes (climate, human impact, etc.), within the context of previously acquired knowledge, especially soil history.
• Develop an interoperable database combining literature data and newly acquired data.
• Integrate data with models of erosion and organic matter transport.
• Supervise master's level internship students.
• If applicable, assist in supervising doctoral students.
• Participate in the management of the laboratory's analytical spaces.

Recruitment Conditions:

The position is open to:

• Candidates holding a PhD from a French university or an equivalent degree recognized by the university, including a PhD awarded by a foreign institution.

Applicants must submit the following documents:

• Cover letter
• Detailed curriculum vitae
• Copy of diploma(s)
• PhD defense report
• Completed annex on previous employment history

Contract Duration:

• Fixed-term full-time Level A contract for 2 years, starting as soon as possible or upon candidate selection (since Mai 2025)
• The first month will be considered a probationary period.

Salary: The gross monthly salary is based on the salary scale of assistant professors (maîtres de conférences) in France:

• Starting at €2,638.61 (Step 2 – IB 634 / IM 536)
• Up to €3,189.96 (Step 4 – IB 781 / IM 648)
  The final salary will be determined based on professional experience.

Position and Responsibilities:

Contact: Fabien Arnaud : fabien.arnaud@univ-smb.fr

Contact: Jérome Poulenard : jerome.poulenard@univ-smb.fr

Contact: Jean-Philippe Jenny : Jean-Philippe.Jenny@inrae.fr

Administrative Inquiries: Violette Dean / Ingrid Charoff : recrutement-postdoctorant.rh@univ-smb.fr / +33 (0)4 79 75 84 99 / +33 (0)4 79 75 83 15

Application Submission: Applications must be sent exclusively by email to: recrutement-postdoctorant.rh@univ-smb.fr

https://univ-smb.nous-recrutons.fr/poste/sw20eu4xaj-chercheur-post-doctorant-fh-deep-c-puits-de-carbone-ou-source-de-methane-evaluation-aux-echelles-locale-et-mondiale-du-role-des-eaux-lentiques-dans-le-systeme-climatique/

• The application file must be a single PDF document (max 10 MB) named using the format:
  JOB_REF_LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME.pdf
• A confirmation email will be sent upon receipt of the application.