Researching the water bodies' emissions of greenhouse gases

Understanding how processes are interconnected between systems is necesssary to find solutions to alleviate climate change.

Gerard Rocher-Ros’ position is shared between the Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences and the Integrated Science Lab, known as IceLab, which is a unique place where researchers from different fields develop models and work together to find common patterns in nature.

“It's a diverse institution that really encourages collaboration across disciplines – borderless and interdisciplinary,” he says.

Gerard Rocher-Ros researches how carbon and nutrients move from land into our rivers and on to the oceans. Along the way, these substances are affected by organisms that produce greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, substances that are then released into the atmosphere. It is precisely this dynamic journey that fascinates him, and the research becomes an important tool in understanding climate change.

From land to sea

“My research is focuses on matter and energy fluxes across boundaries, between land, water and the atmosphere. Understanding how processes are interconnected between systems is necesssary to find solutions to alleviate climate change. I work with the entire journey from land to sea – it's both complex and exciting,” says Gerard Rocher-Ros.

He also combines empirical and analytical approaches, that is, performing observations in the field and developing models that can represent key ecosystem processes.

Within IceLab, Gerard Rocher-Ros will be a key figure within the Swedish Research Council-funded excellence center, Stress Response Modeling at IceLab, which seeks to uncover universal mechanisms in how living systems respond to stress. Within the center, he will contribute research on how ecosystems respond to stress, for example, from climate change.

Feels like home  

Gerard Rocher-Ros came to Umeå through an ERASMUS exchange, then came back for a PhD and has been here ever since.

“The cold and snowy climate is also similar to the Spanish Pyrenees, where I grew up. So this suits me well!”

He believes that Umeå University not only offers an ideal place for research on northern ecosystems, but also a unique, interdisciplinary culture that fosters innovation.

“Umeå University offers both advanced resources and a fluid, interdisciplinary exchange between the departments, which is quite unique. It is crucial for my research to be at a leading university in northern Europe,” says Gerard Rocher-Ros.

Thanks to the collaboration with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and the Climate Impacts Research Centre in Abisko, there is a strong connection to climate research in the Arctic. He has received the ERC Starting Grant – a research grant that aims to support promising young researchers at the beginning of their careers. That grant will mean a lot of work in many places in the Arctic, especially in Abisko, but also in Krycklan near Vindeln.

“We will monitor several river basins and measure how gases – especially methane – are produced and converted in river networks. The ultimate goal of the ERC grant is to develop a mechanistic model to predict methane emissions from rivers. Methane is an important greenhouse gas that is increasing very fast, and aquatic systems such as rivers could be an even more important source in the future, but we don’t know how yet,” says Gerard Rocher-Ros.

Brings his family to Abisko

Despite the fact that research trips are part of the job, Gerard Rocher-Ros keeps them to a minimum due to family life. With two small children at home, he tries not to be away so much, but one or two research visits or conferences a year are often necessary.

“My upcoming project will involve a lot of work in Abisko during the summer, but hopefully I can bring my family with me,” he says.

Umeå University, with the Climate Impacts Research Centre, has a lot of research and infrastructure in the Abisko Research Station, which will be of great help to develop an ambitious research program there.

“Abisko is a great place to work, with a direct train from Umeå you are in the Arctic. Being able to do year-round measurements in such harsh environments is only possible in a few places in the Arctic,” says Gerard Rocher-Ros.

Umeå is a '5-minute city' – everything you need is just around the corner.

Gerard Rocher-Ros is happy in Umeå and believes that the city has taken the modern concept of a "15-minute city" – i.e. that you can reach everything you need within 15 minutes of home – to a new level.

“Umeå is a '5-minute city' – everything you need is just around the corner. Life here is easy and stress-free – and then you have the wilderness and adventure right on your doorstep,” he says.