Arqus Talent Fund 2024 programme - University of Granada (Spain) - University of Padova (Italy)

Arqus Talent Fund 2024 opens a call for a PhD on ‘Eco-morpho-hydrodynamic evolution of tidal marshes in estuaries and coastal lagoons’. The position is for 3+1 years to be carried out in both the University of Granada (Spain) and University of Padova (Italy).

Homepage: https://arqus-alliance.eu/news/ugr-call-for-contracts-training-doctors-arqus-talent-fund-2024/

- PhD Topic:
Eco-morpho-hydrodynamics evolution of tidal marshes in estuaries and coastal lagoons

- Descripction:
More and more scientific, technical and socioeconomic resources and efforts are being invested in tackling the risks due to global change in environmental systems. Notable current efforts to mitigate and adapt to global change impacts in the coastal and marine environment are focusing on estuaries and salt marshes. They are environmental systems of high ecological value that support a high biodiversity and are highly efficient potential carbon sinks in the long term. Moreover, their role in the natural defense against floods is invaluable and provides resources naturally without human intervention (Duarte et al., 2013; Howard et al. 2017).

Global change, which includes human actions, poses threats that jeopardize the high value of estuaries and salt marshes. The joint influence of ecological and morpho-hydrodynamic processes determines the long-term evolution of estuaries, intertidal areas, and salt marshes. These environmental systems ‘adapt’ vertically to changes in sediment supply, sea level changes and vegetation growth (Ganju et al., 2013). However, their detailed evolution and resilience at climatic scales (decades) to sea level rise, extreme hydrological events, and reduced sediment inputs is still unknown.

Estuaries, salt marshes, and intertidal areas are subject to natural erosion processes and increasingly to anthropogenic processes, too. According to D’Alpaos et al. (2011, 2016) erosion of tidal margins and tidal flats due to anthropogenic causes is the main mechanism leading to the retreat of salt marshes in estuaries worldwide. Hydrological basins control, wake waves by ships, and deepening by dredging of navigation channels are some examples of these actions. The loss of tidal flats and salt marshes, if ignored, could lead to increase the risk of flooding and soil loss in riparian towns and cities (Zhu et al., 2020). The accelerated decline in the extent of large river deltas has been attributed largely to hydrological control and sediment retention in reservoirs (Syvitski et al., 2009). These decreases also impact the exchange of water masses between estuaries and coastal seas and their water quality by reducing the tidal prism and exchange flow (D’Alpaos et al., 2010; Burchard et al., 2019). Interventions by humans, who have historically found in estuaries a large territory for their activities (e.g., fishing, agricultural, port), have reduced and/or fragmented the habitat and altered water, carbon and nutrient cycles. Water and sediment deficits have reduced sediment retention rates, carbon sequestration, and their ability to survive at the rate of sea level rise, i.e., their adaptability and resilience (Weston 2014).

Therefore, determining the eco-morpho-hydrodynamic evolution of estuarine systems and salt-marshes at climate scales requires state-of-the-art prediction models (IPCC 2021; Fagherazzi et al., 2020). Most prediction models are either based on empirical laws that do not consider the complexity of eco-morpho-hydrodynamic interactions and their spatio-temporal variability (e.g., Marani et al. 2011; D’Alpaos 2011), or are process-based models that work in the short- or, at most, medium-term scales (e.g., Zarzuelo et al., 2018). Reliable predictions require integration of several models, preferably process-based that include the mutual influence of morpho-hydrodynamic and ecological processes and, given the stochastic nature of climate, advanced techniques for the analysis and simulation of climate variables (e.g., Lira-Loarca et al. 2020a; Cobos et al., 2020b). Moreover, to understand the eco-morpho-hydrodynamic evolution of estuaries, salt-marshes and tidal flats, which would greatly contribute to a better management of these systems, requires considering the dynamic balances of the whole system (Ganju et al., 2019).

The eco-morpho-hydrodynamic evolution of estuarine systems and salt-marshes is precisely the objective that will be addressed in this PhD Thesis. The study will focus on the Guadalquivir estuary and the Doñana National Park and the Bay of Cadiz (Spain) and the Venice Lagoon (Italy) as prototypes of estuarine and salt-marsh systems. These three systems are of great socio-economic and ecological importance, have some dynamic similitudes, and share problems and menaces. Modeling the eco-morpho-hydrodynamic evolution is a necessary task in these systems since part of their resources and environmental services are on the brink of collapse. Moreover, the window of opportunity for the prospective evaluation of their evolution in the coming decades ongoing context of global change is open and will allow the proposal of creative management strategies, inspired by Nature, that will help to improve adaptation, reduce vulnerability and increase the resilience of these natural areas.

The Vice-Rectorate for Research and Transfer and the Vice-Rectorate for Internationalization of the University of Granada are calling for PhD training contracts within the framework of the Arqus Talent Fund programme.

The call is aimed at members of the teaching and research staff of the University of Granada with a current contract, whose duration covers the period of the pre-doctoral contract and persons who, at the time of their incorporation, meet the requirements and conditions for admission to an official doctoral programme of the University of Granada.

Applications will be accepted from 2 September 2024 until 23 September 2024.

Compulsory documents are:

• B2 certificate in English (or equiv. TOEFL)
• Degree certificate
• Master Degree certificate
• CV
• Complete ‘Application form for Phase 2’

More information:
https://arqus-alliance.eu/news/ugr-call-for-contracts-training-doctors-arqus-talent-fund-2024/

The full text of the call, as well as the Annexes to be completed, can be found at the following link:
https://internacional.ugr.es/personal-academico-administrativo/personal-ugr/movilidad-arqus-talent-fund
http://internacional.ugr.es/sites/vicerrectorados_files/vic_internacionalizacion2/public/ficheros/extendidas/2024-09/EN_Arqus%20-%20Formulario%20fase%202_def.docx

Any questions about the content of this call for applications should be addressed to the Director of Arqus at the University of Granada: dirarqus@ugr.es
Any questions about scientific/academic issues, please contact to Manuel Díez-Minguito mdiezm@ugr.es