Carbon is at the origin of the formation of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), which we know are the greenhouse gases mostly involved in climate change. We also know that soils and sediments are important and precious carbon tanks.
Photo Par Andreas de Pixabay
But we little know the Biogeochemical process responsible for the transformation of carbon thus imprisoned in emissible gas in the atmosphere. The researchers involved in the Mimoc project are aimed at analyzing these phenomena, and in particular to study, in the field, carbon interactions with ground minerals containing iron. Piloted by Laurel Thomasarrigo, who heads the environmental chemistry laboratory at the University of Neuchâtel, this project is the winner of a prestigious scholarship of the Swiss National Fund (FNS), for the period 2025-2030.
Chemical reactions concerning ferrous minerals, as well as their impact on carbon dynamics, were mainly studied in laboratory. The experiences planned as part of Mimoc will take researchers on three different terrains: volcanic floors, coastal floors and wetlands.
Laurel Thomasarrigo has been working on the first for several years, and specifies the particular interest they represent: “Volcanic soils are characterized by excellent organic carbon storage capacities. It is partly due to the abundance of reactive ferrous mineralstypical of these floors. These minerals have a large reactive area that stabilizes organic carbon, thus preventing its degradation. Our previous work in volcanic regions such as Iceland, where we have been studying the interactions between iron and carbon since 2019, will therefore bring precious knowledge to Mimoc. ”
In addition to understanding the phenomenon of greenhouse gases in soils, the project will give the possibility of analyzing the way in which climate change and environmental factors have a influence on the stability of minerals containing iron.
To carry out this research, the experimental techniques and models developed in the laboratory are as possible transposable to the realities on the ground. “” Studying a biogeochemical process in a natural environment can be difficult Because the system is much more complex and has variables more difficult to control than laboratory, ”specifies the researcher.
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