Jesper Riis Christiansen

Short presentation

My research focus is the interrelations between soil hydrology, biogeochemistry and microbial communities andhow environmental changes affect soils ability to produce clean water and store greenhouse gases.

As a researcher and post-doctoral fellow, following my PhD degree, I have increasingly focused on cross-disciplinary projects which are reflected in my most recent publications. I spent two years at University of British Columbia in Canada as post-doc where I worked with quantifying functional genes involved in CH₄ cycling and with novel cavity ring-down spectroscopy to measure CH₄ and other greenhouse gas fluxes.

Besides doing research, I am teaching in bachelor and master courses in the subjects of field methods, ecosystem hydrology and soil biogeochemistry. I am also supervising bachelor and master students projects within hydrology and biogeochemistry.

Teaching

I teach at BSc, MSc and PhD level at Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management.

I am course responsible for the 1st year course Naturgrundlaget for lnadscape architect students.

I contribute to the MSc course "Ecology and Environmental Science in Relation to Environmental Economics (EESREE)" with lectures and exercises.

Together with Associate Professor Klaus Steenberg Larsen i am responsible for the SCIENCE PhD course "Advanced Measurements and Analyses of Greenhouse Gas Fluxes from Soils".

In addition to the above teaching activities I am a guest teacher in courses on ecology and hydrology.

Since 2014 I have supervised 7 BSc and 5 MSc students. 

Current research

At the moment, I am working on several research projects

INTERCEPTION - In cooperation with hydrogeologists from the Geology section at IGN and GEUS, we investigate the role of vegetation as the critical moderator of the water balance in the unsaturated zone of the soil

COUP - Constraining Uncertainties in the Permafrost-Climate Feedback. The project investigates how we can improve global circulation models with a greater understanding of the soil carbon pool and the exchange of greenhouse gases in areas with permafrost. I contribute with field measurements of greenhouse gases in Greenland and Canada.

Wet forest soils - I also do research into how the greenhouse gas balance of the landscape changes when drained soils in forests are rewetted. The project will link measurements of the ecosystem water balance with greenhouse gas processes with the purpose of developing a tool that can calculate the climate effect when natural hydrology is restored.