Department of Environment

MSc. Pedro Hervé

My research interests focus on quantifying how catchment hydrology and biogeochemical cycling (ecosystem services) are affected by different land covers, mainly driven by Pedroanthropic effects (i.e: tree farming). Among specific interests are the use of tracers like stable isotopes of water (2/1H and 18/16O) for the quantification of (1) catchment water balance (i.e evaporation of water from soils, groundwater recharge, and vegetation root water uptake); (2) hydrograph separation analysis; (3) source contribution of water vapour; (4) Mean residence time of water in a catchment. I also have some experience using other stable (i.e: 13/12C and 15/14N) and radioactive (i.e: 7Be, 134Cs, 137Cs and 210Pb) isotope tracers for a better quantification of ecosystem scale processes (i.e: carbon sequestration and nitrogen use efficiency) and erosive processes at catchment or ecosystem scale.

 

Research interests: Hydrological cycle and Nutrient biogeochemistry.

TRAJECTORY

  • 2012 – 2017: PhD student, Laboratory of Hydrology and Water Management, Ghent University
  • 2008 – 2010: M.Sc. in hydrological resources
  • 2006 - 2007: Environmental biologist
  • 2001 – 2007: Biological sciences

ONGOING PROJECTS

  • Ecohydrological differences between native and fast growing exotic plantations This research is mainly focused on tracing water pathways and sources during storms and understanding its movement through catchments with different vegetation land cover such as in pristine native evergreen forest and fast growing exotic plantations (Eucalyptus nitens) in Chile, using stable isotopes of water (D and 18O) and water chemistry.

Project ends: April 2016.

PUBLICATIONS (complete list here)

  1. Hervé-Fernández, P., Houlbrèque, F., Boisson, F., Mulsow, S., Teyssié, J., Oberhaënsli, F., Azemard, S., Jeffree, R. Cadmium bioaccumulation and retention kinetics in the Chilean blue mussel Mytilus chilensis: seawater and food exposure pathways, Aquatic Toxicology, 99(4), 448–456, 2010.
  2. Houlbrèque, F., Hervé-Fernández, P., Teyssié, J., Oberhaënsli, F., Mulsow, S., Boisson, F., Jeffree, R. Cadmium bioaccessibility from Chilean mussels to humans using simulated digestion method. Food Chemistry, 126(3), 917–921, 2011.
  3. Oyarzún, C., Frêne, C., Lacrampe, G., Huber, A., Hervé-Fernández, P. Land use, sediments transport and soil hydrological properties in two headwater catchments at the Coastal Mountain Range in southern Chile. Bosque. 32(1), 10–19, 2011.
  4. Oyarzún, C., Hervé-Fernández, P., Huyghens, D., Boeckx, P., Verhoest, N.E.C. Hydrological controls on nutrient exportation from Old-growth evergreen rainforests and Eucalyptus nitens plantation in headwater catchments at Southern Chile (40°S), Open Journal of Modern Hydrology, 5(2), 19–31, 2015.

BOOK CHAPTERS

 

  1. Oyarzún, C.; P. Hervé-Fernández and C. Frêne. (2012). Effects of Land Use Changes and Management Practices on Water Yield in Native Forests and Exotic Plantations in Southern Chile. In Forest Management: Technology, Practices and Impact. Nova publishers. Editors: Armando C. Bonilla Cruz and Ramona E. Guzmán Correa.
  2. Oyarzún, C. & P. Hervé-Fernández (2014). Ecohydrology and nutrient fluxes in forest ecosystems of southern Chile. In "Biodiversity in Ecosystems - Linking Structure and Function". InTechOpen publishers. Editors: Juan A. Blanco and Yueh-Hsin Lo.