Senior Researcher Environmental Hydrology
Florentina Moatar quantifies the consequences of climatic and anthropogenic activities in modifying river water quality. She addresses how spatiotemporal variability is generated, transformed and propagated through complex networks of catchments, by developing eco-hydrological tools.
Research topics
- Stream thermal regime in relation with climate change and human influences: patterns, statistical and process-based models
- Top down and bottom-up approaches to water quality and quantity on catchment scale
- Concentration-Discharge relationships : nutrients, carbon, sediment, metabolism, contaminant
- Catchment exports, load quantification and uncertainties from discrete water quality surveys: application to lakes analysis
- Optimization of water quality monitoring (sampling frequency, location)
Loire river
Most of our research focuses on the Loire catchment, which is the longest river in France with a rich history.
The headwaters of the Loire, flowing over medium mountainous area in the Massif Cental, have retained more ‘natural’ features. This has important implications on hydrology, but also on the diversity of habitats, generally associated with increased biodiversity along the longitudinal gradient. However, even though the Loire River, for instance, may seem ‘wild’ at first sight, its middle and lower course have been physically affected by anthropogenic impacts, related to river navigation and flood control, and to urban and agricultural activities.
Florentina Moatar 