Environmental Technology Working Group

Introduction

The Environmental Technology Working Group at the University of Tartu is an interdisciplinary research lab that combines knowledge from meteorology, plant ecophysiology, hydrology, biogeochemistry, and ecology for in-depth understanding of principles on which natural ecosystems are built on and how to transfer these principles into ecosystem management and restoration.

The team’s research uses experimental measurements, freely available big data (e.g. FLUXNET, Ameriflux), and theoretical models to understand the physical, biological, and chemical processes that control trace gas fluxes between the biosphere and atmosphere.

Team is led by Associate Professor Kuno Kasak.

Role

With the use of ecological and technological principles we try to find the most suitable set of parameters for creating constructed wetlands for maximized water treatment efficiency, increased biodiversity, and reduced greenhouse gas fluxes.

In the current project, Environmental Technology Working Group will be responsible for:

• Collecting CO2 and CH4 flux data from CoE study sites using state-of-the art instruments and preparing the data for models.
• Analyzing the main drivers for CO2 and CH4 fluxes across studied ecosystems.
• Analyzing the FLUXNET eddy covariance datasets across the globe for CO2 and CH4 emissions. Preparing the data for ML models for regional carbon flux upscaling.