DEEP-C

The Deep-C project aims to remove the barriers to our knowledge of the environmental, biological and socio-economic parameters and processes that control carbon fate in water bodies, a key component of the land-coastal zone continuum whose role in the C cycle is still poorly characterized. The main objective of Deep-C is therefore to assess the carbon balance (sequestration versus emission) of water bodies in their typological diversity and, by understanding the functional mechanisms governing the fate of organic C in these environments, to develop predictive models of their role in the C cycle at different spatial and temporal scales. Ultimately, the aim is to propose operational tools for reconciling the optimization of C sequestration in water bodies with the maintenance of biodiversity, which guarantees the provision of other associated ecosystem services.

Deep-C is structured around 3 axes:

– A first axis aims to identify, at a fine scale, the biological mechanisms involved in the sequestration, recycling and emission of organic C stored in sediments, and to characterise the influence of mesological factors.
– A second axis aims to provide a quantitative estimate of current carbon sequestration in water bodies, to determine its spatial and long-term variability in response to changes in climatic, environmental and anthropogenic changes, and to characterise the impact of human activities during the industrial era.
– The third axis aims to develop models that take into account the mechanisms highlighted in axes 1 and 2, in order to provide more accurate estimates of the current (upscaling) and future (prediction) role of water bodies in the global carbon cycle.