prof.dr. VAM (Veerle) Vanacker

My research aims to better understand how anthropogenic activities change soils and landscapes. During the past 15 years, my work contrasted geomorphic phenomena and processes between natural and anthropogenic landscapes, and quantified geomorphic process rates as a function of the degree of human disturbance to the physical environment. These concepts were applied to a range of ecosystems – from the neotropical grasslands in the High Andes to the Argentinean pampas, and from the Spanish Betic Cordillera to the Brazilian Araucaria forests. During recent years, my research has more evolved towards the study of soil-landscape dynamics in natural and anthropogenic systems, with recent projects in the Galapagos Islands, tropical Andes and the Belgian Hautes Fagnes.

In my research, I use geochemical techniques based on cosmogenic radionuclides to quantify earth surface process rates and get new insights in the rates of natural soil production, chemical weathering, surface denudation, and river incision. Geomorphic process rates are then combined with observational data from environmental sensors in the field, proximal and remote sensing data, and  integrated in process-based soil-landscape modelling. Many of my projects focus on fundamental scientific questions that are relevant for ecosystem service management, such as the role of natural-based solutions for erosion mitigation.