Denis LOUSTAU

Inra, France - Vegetation-atmosphere interactions with number of applications regarding the Forest

D. Loustau was director of the EPHYSE (Functional Ecology and Environmental Physics) unit from 2006 to 2013 that includes 45 staff. EPHYSE is coordinating the experimental platform XyloSylve/Ecosylve (part of the EQUIPEX XyloForest). EPHYSE is member of the LABEX (Laboratory of Excellence) “COTE” (“Continental to coastal ecosystems”) and member of its directorate. EPHYSE team is associated with Bordeaux University and CNRS-INSU through its memberships to the OASU and the Directorate of the Doctoral School 306. EPHYSE coordinates also the Ecosystem French branch of the national TGIR ICOS.

D. Loustau research project investigates the vegetation-atmosphere interactions with number of applications regarding the Forest – Climate and carbon cycle interplay, radiative transfer and energy balance in complex canopies, water transfer in the soil-tree-atmosphere continuum, tree growth and wood production. This project contributes to the sustainable management of forest ecosystems and its adaptation to environmental changes.

D. Loustau has been managing network of flux tower sites and long term manipulative experiments on maritime pine forests since 1987 within the SOERE F-ORE-T. He developed also a number of modeling tools and approaches in collaboration with, among others, Alterra-Wageningen, Edinburgh and MacQuarie universities. In recent years, he has been involved in several projects funded by the EU (EFORWOOD, Carbo-Extreme, GHG-Europe, EXPEER, ICOS - PP), ANR (CATS, MIST, CLIMATOR, ORACLE) and GICC (Carbofor, FAST).