Maxime Daviray

CNAM-INTECHMER

Postdoctoral researcher / March 2025 to May 2026

Methodological development of benthic chambers for quantifying carbon fluxes at air–soil interfaces, with deployment in coastal environments

Given the urgency of monitoring CO₂ dynamics at high spatial resolution under global climate change, there is a need for affordable and scalable measurement systems. Current commercial instruments remain costly, and most research teams only have access to a limited number of sensors, preventing comprehensive spatial mapping of CO₂ fluxes. Leveraging recent advances in miniaturised electronics—such as programmable Pico and Arduino microcontrollers combined with gas‑sensor technologies—we are developing an open‑source, low‑cost (< €1,000), highly modular chamber system designed to capture fine‑scale spatial heterogeneity in air–soil CO₂ exchange. Field deployments show flux estimates consistent with published values. The integration of CH₄ and N₂O sensing capabilities is also under investigation.

Benjamin Amann

UMR LIENSs

Postdoctoral researcher / Nov 2024 to Nov 2026

Sedimentary evolution of coastal marshes and carbon sequestration

My research activities aim to improve our understanding of the functioning and morpho‑sedimentary evolution of coastal wetlands in response to marine flooding hazards, as well as their importance in the long‑term carbon cycle. The objective is to better understand how environmental factors and the diversity of land uses influence sediment accumulation and organic‑carbon storage in coastal wetlands.

To achieve this, my work is structured around two main components: (i) a sedimentary‑geomorphology component, involving the reconstruction of lateral and vertical environmental changes (progradation, erosion, sediment accretion), and (ii) a biogeochemical component, focusing on measuring deep‑sediment organic‑carbon stocks and sequestration capacities, combined with the identification of soil organic‑carbon sources.

The outcomes of this research will provide valuable tools for the management of coastal wetlands, taking into account their resilience and their capacity for carbon sequestration.

Paul Kanfer

UMR EPOC

PhD Student / Oct 2023 to Oct 2026

Carbon sequestration as alkalinity in eutrophic coastal environments

The overarching objective is to improve our understanding of the processes and forcing factors that control carbon fluxes and long‑term carbon sequestration in temperate coastal wetlands across the intertidal continuum. To address these challenges, my work focuses on two sites along the French Atlantic and English Channel coasts. This spatial scale makes it possible to investigate a range of temperate estuarine and intertidal environments that act as carbon sinks. It involves considering multiple variables such as emersion duration, salinity and vegetation gradients, and the influence of eutrophication.

More specifically, the research aims to characterise the sequence of organic‑matter transformation processes along different environmental gradients (salinity, eutrophication, cross‑shore), with particular attention to anaerobic pathways responsible for alkalinity production or methane generation.

My Mission in 180s