UM6P CEDOC- CRSA : Leveraging high resolution remote sensing to assess the water use efficiency in a - Benguerir

The trade-off between increasing agricultural production and groundwater conservation, which is often the only irrigation source in arid regions, is a major challenge for water managers, decision-makers, and the scientific community. Monitoring of the water use efficiency (WUE) provides a measure of the water lost from a canopy to the atmosphere relative to the biomass produced by the plants and can be used to inform efforts that seek to reduce irrigation without impacting upon the yield. Using high-resolution satellite data, we can determine the spatiotemporal patterns of water and CO2 fluxes exchanges between the canopy and the atmosphere, which is the key for different applications.

This PhD thesis aims to using RS to further improve our understanding and operational guidance for efficient crop water use by providing more detailed information related to crop stress, plants phenology and water content in soil and vegetation separately.

Key duties

The proposed research includes the following tasks:

-           Conducting experimental fieldwork involves performing in situ measurements and sampling;

-           Processing water and CO2 fluxes measured by the EC system;

-           Developing original methods to optimally exploit the synergy of coincident observations from different sensors;

-           Evaluating the water and CO2 fluxes in the agro-ecosystem area;

-           Assessing the effect of environmental conditions on the coupling of water and CO2 processes;

-           Improving the accuracy of the WUE estimates.

-           Writing scientific papers and communicating research results in international workshops and conferences.

Furthermore, the doctoral student will be required to engage in collaborative efforts with the IWRI and CRSA teams, as well as other departments within UM6P.

 Applications

Applications must be sent in a single electronic zipped folder. The folder must contain: 1) A cover letter 2) a detailed Curriculum vitae, 3) Reported notes from DEUG, License and Master or equivalent degrees, 4) a copy of the master’s degree or equivalent certificate/diploma, 5) Electronic copies of the Master thesis or equivalent.

Criteria of the candidate

Master's or engineer degree in Physics, Earth, Environmental, or Remote Sensing Sciences with a Focus on Water Resources Management.

Skills

Candidate should be/have:

-           Familiar with remote sensing techniques and long-term data analysis;

-           Experience in developing, implementing data exploration, sampling, training data generation, model building, and performance evaluation;

-           Good skills in computer programming tools (e.g., Matlab, python, R), GIS techniques and modelling;

-           Ability to learn autonomously and work in a multi-disciplinary team environment;

-           Knowledge in hydrogeology discipline is an asset.