Pedon 23 - Physical Land Resources - Universiteit Gent

STUDENTS, RESEARCH FELLOWS & TRAINEES
arid part of central Chile is investigated and linked to the
El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This variability is
used here in the assessment of WHT when modeled
under different climatic conditions, but it also supports
short term early prediction of drought events in the
region.
In the second part, the focus shifts to the heterogeneity of
soil physical properties that are characterized by high
stoniness in these regions. First, a reference technique
was sought to determine infiltration and water retention
parameters in these soils, which are essential to modeling
WHT. Secondly, a relation was found between the
spatial variation of these parameters and the stoniness,
which can explain the soil physical heterogeneity of
these soils.
Finally, in the third part of the dissertation, a new
method was developed to evaluate the efficiency of
WHT using a three-dimensional soil hydrological model,
in which surface and subsurface processes are simulated
simultaneously. The water balance is solved for different
field setups and an improved design is proposed based
on the transpiration efficiency, which is a clear
improvement over existing frameworks.
The techniques developed in this Ph.D. thus allow to
assess and predict the climatic risk in the region, to
measure the soil physical parameters in these stony soils
adequately and to dimension the water harvesting more
efficiently.
New Ph.D. students 2011-2012
Ms. Nguyen Minh Phuong (Vietnam)
Master in Physical Land Resources
Subject: HYDROPED: Bridging pedology
and hydrology through pedotransfer
functions for sustainable soil-water
management in the Mekong Delta,
Vietnam
Promoter: W. Cornelis
Period: March 1, 2010 till February 28,
2014
Scholarship: Ministry of Education and
Training, Vietnam
Mr. Tran Ba Linh (Vietnam)
Master in Physical Land Resources
Subject: Effect of land use and soil
management on soil quality in the Mekong
Delta, Vietnam
Promoter: W. Cornelis
Period: March 1, 2010 till February 28,
2014
Scholarship: Ministry of Education and
Training, Vietnam
Ms. Medrina Kamwendo (Malawi)
Master in Physical Land Resources
Subject: Assessment of soil quality under
conservation agriculture in dryland zones
of Malawi
Promoter: W. Cornelis
Period: October 1, 2010 till September 30,
2014
Scholarship: VLIR
Ms. Jasmien Wildemeersch (Belgium)
Master in Bioscience Engineering,
Environmental Technology
Subject: Integrated small-scale water
harvesting for food security in Niger
Promoter: W. Cornelis
Period: October 15, 2010 till October 14,
2014
Scholarship: VLIR
Ms. Kearsley Elizabeth (Belgium)
Master in Bioscience Engineering, Environmental
Technology
Subject: Carbon balance and processes in tropical
rainforest, Democratic Republic of Congo
Promoters: P. Boeckx, K. Steppe
Period: July 15, 2011 till July 15, 2015
Scholarship: Project Funding
Mr. Bashar Al-Barri (Syria)
Master in Bioscience Engineering, Environmental
Technology
Subject: Using nuclear techniques for modeling and
monitoring vadose zone processes
Promoter: W. Cornelis
Period: September 15, 2011 till September 14, 2015
Scholarship: VLIR
Mr. Mathijs Dumon (Belgium)
M.Sc. Geology
Subject: Quantification of mineral
components in soils and assessment of
their impact on soil processes and
properties
Promoter: E. Van Ranst
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