Contact :
virginie.moreaux(at)bordeaux.inra.fr
Tel : 33 (0)5 57 12 24 73
Fax : 33 (0)5 57 12 24 20

Address:
INRA – Ephyse
71, avenue Edouard Bourlaux
B.P. 81
33883 Villenave d’Ornon Cedex France

Training

MSc : Interaction-Climat-Environnement, Versailles University, France - 2008

Research

Topic: Biophysical modeling of production and atmospheric exchanges of fast-growing forest crops in South West of France

Doctorate supervised by: Denis Loustau, and Eric Lamaud, INRA – EPHYSE - France

Partnership with the biological department of Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia /Tranzfor project):

• Belinda Medlyn
• Remko Duursma

In response to the growing of the demand in wood energy, new crop systems are being developed, particularly in South-West of France, which is propitious for such speculation. The environmental impacts of these forest systems, including the atmospheric hydrological and climate impacts are not well established, making their management highly uncertain and slowing their implementation in Europe. Moreover forest systems or agroforest dedicated to intensive production of wood-energy are characterized by the relative importance of the period preceding the phase of canopy closure, during which it has a highly heterogeneous spatial structure.

In that context, the aim of this research project is to develop a model of both plant production and transfer in the ground-vegetation-atmosphere system, describing the energy exchange (radiance, heat, turbulence) and mass (CO2, water vapour, ozone, other greenhouse gases) processes, adapted to the case of fast-growing forest biomass crop systems. Starting from a one dimensional biophysical and mechanistic model, the assumptions of a vertical and horizontal homogeneity of the cover will be released through a three-dimensional representation of the canopy. Our approach will be to integrate a radiative transfer model in 3D such as MAESTRA with GRAECO model. The project includes two parts:

• First, I’m looking at the effects of structural heterogeneity in the forest life cycle from its planting to its canopy closure (10 years). The case studied will be that of a fast-growing stand of pine trees in South West of France followed in detail since 2003 by comprehensive monitoring of vegetation-atmosphere fluxes and of growth of trees (Bilos site, near Bordeaux, France). The second case is a Eucalyptus plantation studied by the FCBA (Montbartier site, near Toulouse, France).
• A second part, I’m testing and parametrizing a 3D model “coupled” with a growth model for fast-growing crop of maritime pines and eucalyptus and possibly other cases as other types of forests of South West. Beyond the first applications, the aim is to initiate the development of a biophysical modeling approach on heterogeneous covers that will pave the way for many applications for modeling the exchanges between land uses and the atmosphere at both canopy and landscape scales.

Publications

Moreaux V., O'Grady A., Nguyen The N. and Loustau D. 2012: Water use of young maritime Pine and Eucalyptus stands in response to climatic drying in south-western France. Plant Ecology and Diversity. (sous presse)

Moreaux V., et al, 2011: Paired comparison of water, energy and carbon exchanges over two young maritime pine stands (Pinus pinaster Ait.): effects of thinning and weeding in the early stage of tree growth. Tree Physiology, 31: 903-921, doi:10.1093/treephys/tpr048.

Conference

Moreaux V., et al. 2012. Forest management intensification: present and future impacts on carbon cycle in South-West of France. GHG Europe Annual Meeting, Pitesti, Roumania, 17-20 April 2012, poster.

Gu J., Loustau D., Bosc A., Chipeaux C., Moreaux V., 2012. Simulation of nitrous oxide emission from maritime pine forest. GHG Europe Annual Meeting, Pitesti, Roumania, 17-20 April 2012, poster.

Moreaux V., et al. 2010. Water energy and carbon exchanges in young coniferous plantations: effect of the presence of gorses. IUFRO Canopy processes in a changing climate, South East Australia (Falls Creek, Victoria and Tarraleah, Tasmania). 07-15 October 2010.