Quentin Marsal

UMR AMAP & ESPACE DEV

PhD student / March 2025 to March 2028

Characterisation and monitoring of mangrove habitats in French Guiana using very‑high‑resolution optical and LiDAR remote sensing: Towards annual assessments of forest biomass and carbon storage

The condition of mangrove forests serves as a sensitive indicator of coastal vulnerability and biodiversity responses to climatic, geomorphological and anthropogenic changes. Yet the rapid dynamics of these ecosystems and their shifting environmental context make high‑precision monitoring and mapping through satellite remote sensing particularly challenging.

This PhD aims to develop innovative methodological frameworks for fine‑scale mapping of mangrove species composition and stand structure. These detailed maps will be used to generate annual regional assessments of forest biomass and carbon stocks.

In parallel, radiative‑transfer modelling will be conducted to simulate light propagation within mangrove canopies, thereby improving our understanding of how canopy structure shapes the remotely sensed signal.

Léa Hanemann

UMR iEES

PhD student / Oct 2025 to Oct 2028

Mechanistic understanding of root‑derived carbon in mangroves

This PhD examines the rates and controls of fine‑root growth, turnover, exudation and decomposition, and how these processes differ among species, seasons and environmental settings, ultimately shaping soil‑carbon dynamics in mangrove ecosystems. The project integrates field observations with experimental methods such as mini‑rhizotron imaging, root‑litter decomposition assays and cuvette‑based exudate collection. Together, these approaches aim to advance the mechanistic understanding of blue‑carbon sequestration in mangroves and to improve estimates of the role of below‑ground processes in regulating carbon cycling in coastal wetlands.

Truong An Nguyen

UMR IGE

Postdoctoral researcher / May 2024 to July 2026

Past, present and future greenhouse‑gas (GHG) budgets in tropical estuaries

Quantifying CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O fluxes emitted by estuaries as a function of their typology and level of urban pressure. The first work package (WP1) relies on the analysis of field data, remote sensing and transport–reaction modelling. The targeted tropical estuaries are located in Vietnam and Brazil and include deltas, tidal estuaries, lagoons and bays subjected to varying degrees of anthropogenic pressure.

My Mission in 180s / Past, Present, and future greenhouse gases in tropical estuaries