Abstract:
After a brief introduction recasting the role of global coastal environments in the global carbon cycle, I will zoom-in on this key component of the ‘land-to-ocean aquatic continuum’ (LOAC), which forms the so-called downstream short-range carbon loop (Regnier et al., 2022).  I will highlight how a combination of field observations – supported by emerging machine-learning approaches – and process-based modeling have allowed us to improve our understanding of the global coastal ocean functioning. The complex physical and biogeochemical process interplay will also be evidenced, highlighting how this interplay shapes carbon budgets, their variability and trends at regional and global scales. The linkages with nutrient cycles (especially nitrogen) will also be discussed. I will conclude by considering how increasing disruptions of the global coastal ocean environment through atmospheric, oceanic and terrestrial pathways impact this region of high biodiversity and socio-economic importance.
 
Biography:
Pierre Regnier (ULB) obtained his Master’s degree from Yale University (CT, USA) and a PhD from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB, 1997 Summa Cum Laude).  He was then awarded a Marie-Curie postdoctoral fellowship from the European Union, worked several years in the private sector and then moved back to academia (Utrecht University, The Netherlands) where he was appointed Assistant and later Associate Professor.  He is now Full Professor at ULB, Hess Distinguished Visiting Professor at Princeton University, and Visiting Professor at the Hong-Kong University of Science and Technology. At ULB, he holds the Chair in Biogeochemistry and Modeling of the Earth System. His research group (BGEOSYS) focuses on the biogeochemistry of carbon and nutrients, global CO2, N2O and CH4 cycling in inland waters, estuaries and the global coastal ocean, modelling of land-ocean interactions and their integration in Earth system models. Pierre Regnier produced two seminal papers on the role of the land-to-ocean aquatic continuum (LOAC) for the anthropogenic C budget (in Nature and Nature Geoscience; Regnier et al. 2013 ; 2022) and was the coordinator of the large-scale EU project C-CASCADES focusing on the LOAC. He has published over 140 papers and book chapters including 12 in Nature journals, of which 8 as first or last author. He is currently leading the integration of the LOAC for the Global Carbon Project (GCP) and has recently coordinated the syntheses of the LOAC component for regional carbon assessments, with the support of more than 100 researchers worldwide (https://loac-netwk.ulb.be/). During his career, Pierre Regnier has received several prizes, including the VIDI award for innovative research in the Netherlands the Brains back to Brussels in Belgium for a total of about 1.6 million euros. P. Regnier was also Department Chair in the past, serving two full terms and is currently Rector’s counselor for European Research at ULB.

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