Working title: Sustainable urban transformation through climate change mitigation and sustainable management of soil and water
Research countries: Germany
Research themes: soil health, soil managment, agriulture, land-use, climate change, environmental geology

Biography:

Atefeh Movassagh completed her bachelor’s degree in Geology at Bu-Ali Sina University, Iran (2011) and graduated with a Master degree in Sedimentology and Sedimentary Petrology in the same University (2014). For her master thesis, she focused on the concentration of heavy metals and their spatial distribution and contamination in surficial sediments across Anzali Lagoon (South West of the Caspian Sea). The project was conducted in collaboration with the Department of Marine Geology of the Geological Survey of Iran. Throughout 2018, Atefeh worked as a lab assistant in a research project on Lake Bakhtegan in the Zagros Mountains, Iran.

Abstract:

Soil is one of the most significant components of terrestrial ecosystem serving a variety of functions and ecosystem services across a wide range of land uses. Soil is critical for minimizing the consequences of climate change as it is a key carbon sink and plays a significant part in the carbon sequestration process. Climate change and urbanization affect human and environmental health not just by increasing the greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere but also by modifying the key soil properties and processes, reducing its ability to absorb these gases. It is critical to preserve soil health in the face of climate change because a healthy soil can maintain its physical, chemical, and biological functions while also recovering from the effects of climate change.

The aim of this study is to assess how different types of urban land use and management methods affect the soil's diverse features and how these can assist in reducing the consequences of climate change as cities transform. The research will take place on a local scale in Germany, and will examine the interaction between different types of urban land use and soil properties in the context of mitigating climate change ecosystem services. In this manner, the amount of terrestrial carbon, as well as physiochemical and biological features of soil would be measured throughout time. The expected outcome of the study will be to highlight the significant contribution of land management and soil health in mitigating the effects of climate change in urban areas.

Supervisor(s):

Prof. Martin Hamer (HBRS)