Eurizon.eu

Organization: University of Amsterdam (UvA)

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Field: Biology

Requirements:

an MSc in Biology;
experience in (scientific) teamwork and has proven communication skills;
proven writing ability in English, as demonstrated in an MSc thesis, a presentation at a scientific meeting or a published paper;
experience in or affinity with research in environmental biology, combining field and laboratory work;
relevant technical skills, e.g. aquatic fieldwork, determination of macrofauna, application of molecular techniques and analytical chemistry;
driving license (B)

Abstract:

In the STW project PeatCap, three interrelated PhD projects, hosted by research groups from the University of Amsterdam (UvA-IBED), the University of Nijmegen (RUN) and the University of Utrecht (RUU) in cooperation with the Bouwcombinatie Volgermeer, will work together to study the growth of new peat on top of a former waste dumpsite. This project aims to provide insights in the detritivore consortia (invertebrates and bacteria) conducive to peat growth.

Description:

Peatlands have been used for many purposes in the past, ranging from peat mining for fuel to dumping of garbage and chemical waste. The total cleanup of the hazardous waste (including dioxins) in the largest toxic waste area of the Netherlands and most heavily contaminated area in Western Europe, the Volgermeer Polder near Amsterdam, appeared to be impracticable and risky. Therefore, a novel approach has been chosen which involves covering the waste with special foil and sand. The natural vegetation in the Volgermeer Polder consisted of peat wetlands, however, and there was a strong plead from society to redevelop a natural vegetation cover. Therefore, the present research programme has dual aims: to provide a sustainable, natural capping on top of the chemical waste, and to test and optimize the initiation and formation of new peat forming ecosystems to cap the polluted soil. The option tested in the Volgermeer Polder is the restoration of the original capacity to form peat in newly created large basins, which will also lead to a natural and growing capping on top of the foil and sand layer, persisting after degradation of the foil on the long term. The rehabilitation of peatlands, i.e. not only the realization of actual vegetation types but also of peat formation, poses several problems and has been shown in the past to be a great challenge. If nutrient availability is very low, plant production will be limited and hence peat production rates will be very low. Although a high availability of nutrients from surface water or eutrophic soils potentially leads to high biomass production, decomposition rates will also be high preventing peat accumulation. For this reason, many eutrophic wetlands show net carbon loss to the atmosphere. In the Volgermeer Polder the interacting roles of substrate (sand, peat sludge), water quality (acid neutralizing capacity and nutrient level), water table and key plant species (ecosystem engineers) will be tested at the field scale in controlled, replicated water basins in order to optimize wetland development and peat cap formation. Four ecosystem engineers with the highest potential have been selected: Phragmites australis, Typha spp., Stratiotes aloides and Sphagnum spp. We use a solid interdisciplinary approach to tackle all relevant issues related to biogeochemistry, soil science, and plant/vegetation science. The outcome of the programme is not only directly relevant for an eco-technological alternative for polluted areas like the Volgermeer Polder, but will also provide scientific insight into the key mechanisms involved in peatland restoration and peat formation. This is particularly important and urgent in the light of land subsidence versus land accretion in lowland peat areas.
 
Tasks:

• Participate in the setup of the large scale field experiment at the Volgermeer wetland site
• Design of a monitoring programme of the structure and functioning of consortia of invertebrates and bacteria in these wetlands using advanced techniques
• Perform experiments on the mechanisms underlying the degradation or conservation of organic matter
• Analyse the dynamics of degradation of organic matter as a function water and sediment quality, redox conditions and biological communities

 
More information can be obtained from Dr Harm G. van der Geest, +31 20 525 7721, H.G.vandergeest@uva.nl or Prof. Wim Admiraal, +31 20 525 7710, W.Admiraal@uva.nl, Department of Aquatic Ecology and Ecotoxicology.

Deadline: 16-03-2011

Contacts:

Link: http://www.academictransfer.com/employer/UVA/vacancy/8598/apply/

If you apply for this position please say you saw it on eurizons.eu