What is your position at the M2C laboratory and what themes are you working on?
I’m a university professor and member of the board of the Morphodynamique continentale et côtière (M2C) laboratory at the University of Rouen Normandie.
My general subject is geosciences (previously known as earth sciences) and the environment.
More specifically, I work on geological changes in water-related areas (coasts, estuaries, rivers, etc.) in relation to climate change. I use a variety of measurement tools (in situ sensors, video cameras, drones, airborne Lidar, satellites, etc.), enabling me to carry out research on all time and territorial scales.
Could you briefly describe your career as a researcher?
After obtaining a PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of Rouen in 1997, I was recruited as a Senior Lecturer in 1998, in the Geology Department (now Geosciences and Environment) and the M2C Laboratory. I continued my career there until today, when I became a Professor (since 2004). I was awarded the Habilitation to direct research in 2003.
I was also a Research Associate in a NASA laboratory in 2018-2019 and have been an Associate Professor at the Université Senghor de la Francophonie in Alexandria since 2010.
What research projects are you involved in (regional, national and international projects) or are you leading?
Since the start of my career, I’ve been involved in over 40 research projects, from regional to international scale.
At present, for example, I’m coordinating or taking part in international projects for NASA or the Centre d’études spatiales, on the applications of the new-generation SWOT (Surface, Water, Ocean, Topography) satellite in the study of coastal and estuarine environments.
I also work for the SCO (Space climate observatory), an informal group of space agencies and international bodies, such as the United Nations, which aims to organize worldwide monitoring of the consequences of climate change. Within this framework, I’m coordinating a project on the coastline of Saint-Louis in Senegal, one of the cities most affected by coastal erosion in the world.
As part of a Franco-Indian project (the TRISHNA mission), I am coordinating research into the observation of water exchange in coastal areas using a satellite-based infra-red temperature measurement tool.
The French National Research Agency (ANR) has developed an interdisciplinary research program on the management of coastal territories at risk in a context of global change (RICOCHET), for which I coordinate one of the axes.
At the same time, I’m working with more local players, such as the Normandy Region (and the Fondation de France), which is coordinating the “Statistics and modeling” component of the RAIV Cot project (Risk and flood hazard in coastal towns), and the Seine Water Agency, which is funding a program to evaluate public policies to reduce the impact of runoff.
You are a member of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). What is your role in this organization?
I’m chairman of the local IPCC for the Rouen Normandy Metropolis COP21 and co-chairman of the Normandy IPCC.
My contribution is to take part in the review of IPCC reports and give my opinion on their content based on my scientific knowledge.
How can the conclusions of the international IPCC be applied at local level (Rouen Metropole IPCC, Normandy IPCC)?
Climate change is a reality in Normandy. Ongoing research clearly shows that in recent decades, our region has seen an increase in temperature, a decrease in the number of days with frost and fog, and a rise in sea level. Projections to the year 2100 indicate that temperatures will continue to rise and average annual precipitation will decrease, while extreme precipitation, heatwaves and droughts, as well as sea levels, will increase. These changes will not be without consequences for the Normandy region. They will have an impact on its continental, marine and coastal ecosystems, its economy and the health of its inhabitants if we don’t quickly take the appropriate measures to adapt.
How can a university like Rouen Normandie take up the challenge of sustainable development?
The University of Rouen Normandie’s multi-disciplinary approach makes it one of the best placed to address these issues.
The company has been committed to sustainable development and quality of working life (QWL) for over 10 years, with a number of concrete actions: QWL approach, travel plan, energy management, selective waste sorting, differentiated management of green spaces, creation of a dedicated website…
The University of Rouen Normandie’s clear positioning in favor of the fight against climate change, with a motion signed by the Board of Directors in March 2019 and its application for the DD&RS (sustainable development and social responsibility) label in October 2019, has formalized and enhanced the commitment of the entire university community to sustainability issues. A fundamental reflection has also emerged on the relevance of an evaluation system for the approach.
Today, the university is working with all its partners (local authorities, businesses, academic institutions, etc.) on a shared, more global strategy for all its missions. Its practices must be resolutely in line with the commitment of a public service in phase with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In terms of training, the aim is to help future citizens and staff understand the challenges of social responsibility and sustainable development (RSDD) in their individual and collective actions. Secondly, integrating RSDD issues into research means systematically adopting a global, interdisciplinary approach, and this must be organized within the establishment. Finally, to promote a shared vision of RSDD, the university must include these issues in its management and organization, to enable the development of new ways of involving all stakeholders.
Could you give us a few examples of projects or achievements planned at the University of Rouen Normandie?
The laboratories of the University of Rouen Normandie are already responding in part to the challenges of the United Nations’ SDGs. The survey carried out as part of our application for the DD&RS label enabled us to better assess our laboratories’ involvement in sustainable development issues: we were able to identify 150 projects linked to the SDGs, and all 18 SDGs are represented. The 5 SDGs that stand out the most are health, water, renewable energies, climate change and biodiversity.
However, these projects remain too compartmentalized and insufficiently multidisciplinary. This calls for better coordination and the introduction of incentives to federate research around the RSDD and encourage the emergence of more structuring projects on these themes.
The Normandy IPCC and that of the Rouen Normandy Metropolis are good examples of structuring projects in which the University of Rouen Normandy is a driving force.
Other unifying projects, which can serve as models, have emerged during this very special academic year:
- A multidisciplinary project on the Lubrizol fire: Potential consequences for man and the environment, perception and resilience (COP HERL) ;
- A multi-hazard observatory (natural/environmental, industrial/technological, health risks, etc.) is being set up in partnership with local authorities.