The summer School entitled “Quantitative Approach To Soil System Dynamics – QSSD” will be held at the Lake Como School of Advanced Studies, 20-24 September 2021.
At global scale, there is the need to increase soil carbon storage and biodiversity and to maximise production using fewer resources. In line with this aim, agronomists and geoscientists are required to offer the scientific base for driving these changes and setting up the new management strategies for the agro-ecosystem.
The school would be an opportunity for PhD students and early-career scientists to learn and practice with real case studies, dealing with research synthesis and meta-analysis, agronomical and environmental models and GIS.
The school directors and lecturers intend to share their expertise in a co-operative work with a high share of practical activities using open source and spatial data provided by the European Commission and other international foundations.
The school’s focus will be on the following subjects:
- Advanced Systematic literature analysis (meta-analysis and evidence based scientific approach).
- Introduction to the critical aspects related to the rational use of process-based model.
- Modelling of C dynamics in the agro-ecosystem (e.g. ARMOSA, RothC).
- Soil organisms, microbial decomposition, factors of influence, effects of climate change, greenhouse gas flux measurements, C and N cycling, and water balance.
- Statistical models for soil mapping and soil characteristics estimation (e.g. linear models, machine learning).
- Environmental Risk Assessment of pesticides with a focus on soil and groundwater modelling and an introduction to spatial modelling for the evaluation of territorial vulnerability to pesticides.
Attendees (after an examination) will receive a course certificate (4 credits). However, it is up to the participant’s institution to recognize the summer school as official course credit.
Further information:
School website
Contact
For information, please contact the Organizing Secretariat:
Ms. Alessandra Cazzaniga email: alessandra.cazzaniga@fondazionealessandrovolta.it
