My current main research interests focus on the role of freshwater in the carbon cycle, the impact of climate change on freshwater ecosystems, and assisting decision-making through numerical prediction of biogeochemical processes. In each of these fields, my team has conducted innovative and influential research over the past 5 years.
I have been working with carbon dynamics and the impacts of climate change on freshwater since my doctorate, but these topics became strategic for my scientific career when I joined the Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA) in 2009. I was hired as a Researcher to establish and lead the research line on Lacustrine Ecosystems and Reservoirs. This offered me the exceptional opportunity to drive this line with my research vision and build an independent group around it. This included the full spectrum: ICRA was a very young institute, and the building (occupied only after my arrival) was empty of scientific equipment or staff. Therefore, I was involved in all stages of building a research team, from acquiring basic laboratory and field equipment, through strategic infrastructures (High-Performance Computing Cluster, GC/MS laboratories), to selecting technical and research personnel, and internationalizing the team. This constituted a unique opportunity rarely offered to a young researcher, which propelled my career as an independent researcher and allowed me to acquire the skills to become a team leader.
At ICRA, I established a strong research line on the carbon cycle and the impact of climate change on freshwater, but I also opened up new research interests, such as the dynamics of emerging contaminants in freshwater. The international projection of the team has always been a priority, and we have devoted a lot of effort to establishing various bilateral collaborations, research networks, and leading international proposals. Recently, my role as founder and coordinator of the new Impact Sector focused on lakes and reservoirs in an international research community (ISIMIP) focused on the impacts of climate change on a variety of sectors has stood out. The Lake Sector is becoming an essential collaboration focus for the global lake modeling community.
Recently, in October 2023, I joined the Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB) of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) as a Scientific Researcher, where I maintain my four main research focuses:
Carbon cycle in river networks: My team's research focuses on the carbon cycle in river networks using an integrative approach: rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, dams, dry riverbeds, etc. are considered discontinuities of a continuum. In recent years, I have led a new aspect of the carbon cycle of continental waters: emissions and mobilization of carbon in continental waters that dry up, with a significant impact on the scientific community.
Detection of global change effects in freshwater and prediction of its impacts: It is based on the application of state-of-the-art numerical modeling techniques and time series analysis to detect the effects of global changes on the functioning of river basins, lakes, reservoirs, and their ecosystem services. Special attention is paid to the vulnerability of water-scarce regions to global change (Mediterranean), and we are involved in the generation of large-scale models suitable for accurately predicting the biogeochemical responses of ecosystems.
Water quality in reservoirs: The relevance of water resources stored in reservoirs on a global scale does not correspond to a solid understanding of their ecological dynamics and the impacts of global change on reservoir water quality. With our research, we expand the available tools to manage water quality in reservoirs. This includes the first seasonal flow and temperature predictions at reservoir scale, and we are working to develop a climate service based on these predictions.
Fate of emerging contaminants at the watershed scale: Our research focuses on the fate of emerging contaminants using watershed-scale models and the development of global models. We have produced some of the first global-scale models to understand the distribution of emerging contaminants in continental waters, and we conduct pioneering research on the presence of antibiotic resistance genes in reservoirs.