ENAC Seminar Series by Dr S. Bonetti
Event details
| Date | 26.05.2021 |
| Hour | 14:00 › 14:45 |
| Speaker | Dr Sara Bonetti |
| Location | Online |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
14:00 – 14:45 – Dr S. Bonetti
Research fellow at University College London, UK
On the form and function of drainage basins under natural and disturbed conditions
The morphology and space-time evolution of drainage basins are key features of the Earth's surface, regulating ecosystem functions and services and creating visually striking patterns across various scales. However, a comprehensive understanding of the physical processes leading to the formation of such ridge and valley patterns, their role in regulating water, carbon, and energy budgets, and a rigorous theoretical examination of the underlying governing equations are still elusive, especially when anthropogenic disturbances affect the natural dynamics. Here, we start from the derivation of a differential equation for the definition of the specific drainage area, a key non-local property of catchments, controlling surface and subsurface hydrological fluxes. Such a drainage area equation, when coupled to landscape evolution dynamics, is shown to produce a branching cascade which exhibits remarkable similarities with other complex systems found in Nature and is indicative of a system’s tendency to evolve toward optimal configurations. The impact of anthropogenic disturbances and surface heterogeneities on hydrological, geomorphological, and biogeochemical dynamics are then briefly introduced to highlight the need for holistic descriptions of catchment scale processes that integrate the complex biotic and abiotic interactions acting over a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. Progress on this front is key not only to define the main factors and feedbacks shaping the Earth’s surface, but also to foresee the consequences of climate and land use change, implement optimal strategies of land management and recovery, and avoid critical transitions to unsustainable conditions.
Short bio:
Sara Bonetti received a BSc degree in 2009 and a MSc degree in 2011 in Civil Engineering, both from the University of Padova (Italy). From 2012 to 2014 she was a research assistant, first at Duke University (USA) and then at the University of Padova (Italy). In 2017, Sara spent one year at Princeton University (USA) as a visiting graduate student and in 2018 she obtained her PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Duke University. The focus of her doctoral dissertation was the analysis and modelling of landscape evolution and soil erosion. From August 2018 to July 2020, she was a postdoctoral associate at the Soil and Terrestrial Environmental Physics group at ETH Zurich (Switzerland) and, from March 2020, she has worked as a research fellow at the Institute for Sustainable Resources at University College London (UK). In March 2021 Sara was appointed Assistant Professor at the Soil Physics and Land Management Group at Wageningen University (the Netherlands).
Research fellow at University College London, UK
On the form and function of drainage basins under natural and disturbed conditions
The morphology and space-time evolution of drainage basins are key features of the Earth's surface, regulating ecosystem functions and services and creating visually striking patterns across various scales. However, a comprehensive understanding of the physical processes leading to the formation of such ridge and valley patterns, their role in regulating water, carbon, and energy budgets, and a rigorous theoretical examination of the underlying governing equations are still elusive, especially when anthropogenic disturbances affect the natural dynamics. Here, we start from the derivation of a differential equation for the definition of the specific drainage area, a key non-local property of catchments, controlling surface and subsurface hydrological fluxes. Such a drainage area equation, when coupled to landscape evolution dynamics, is shown to produce a branching cascade which exhibits remarkable similarities with other complex systems found in Nature and is indicative of a system’s tendency to evolve toward optimal configurations. The impact of anthropogenic disturbances and surface heterogeneities on hydrological, geomorphological, and biogeochemical dynamics are then briefly introduced to highlight the need for holistic descriptions of catchment scale processes that integrate the complex biotic and abiotic interactions acting over a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. Progress on this front is key not only to define the main factors and feedbacks shaping the Earth’s surface, but also to foresee the consequences of climate and land use change, implement optimal strategies of land management and recovery, and avoid critical transitions to unsustainable conditions.
Short bio:
Sara Bonetti received a BSc degree in 2009 and a MSc degree in 2011 in Civil Engineering, both from the University of Padova (Italy). From 2012 to 2014 she was a research assistant, first at Duke University (USA) and then at the University of Padova (Italy). In 2017, Sara spent one year at Princeton University (USA) as a visiting graduate student and in 2018 she obtained her PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Duke University. The focus of her doctoral dissertation was the analysis and modelling of landscape evolution and soil erosion. From August 2018 to July 2020, she was a postdoctoral associate at the Soil and Terrestrial Environmental Physics group at ETH Zurich (Switzerland) and, from March 2020, she has worked as a research fellow at the Institute for Sustainable Resources at University College London (UK). In March 2021 Sara was appointed Assistant Professor at the Soil Physics and Land Management Group at Wageningen University (the Netherlands).
Practical information
- General public
- Invitation required
- This event is internal
Organizer
- ENAC
Contact
- Cristina Perez