Dr Sylvia Vetter

Biography

Since 2012 Environmental Modelling Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK

2016 Dissertation (equal to PhD), Chair of Meteorology, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany

Thesis title: “Carbon dioxide and water fluxes over semi-arid grassland in Inner Mongolia (China)”, Acquired title: Dr. rer. nat.

2011 Scholarship holder ESF (European Science Foundation), University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK

2008 – 2012 Chair of Meteorology, TU Dresden, Germany

2004 - 2005 Graduate studies, Uppsala University, Sweden (ERASMUS)

2000 – 2007 Study of Hydrology, TU Dresden, Germany

Thesis: “Research of carbon and water budgets of pastured grassland in Bavaria based on EC data“, Degree: Dipl.-Hydrol. (equal to master’s degree)

External Memberships

Editor in Chief - International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 

Editorial Board - Sustainability 

Panel Member for the British Council - Natural Environment

Expert reviewer for NSERC-SSHRC (Sustainable agriculture research initiative)

Expert reviewer for NERC (Pushing the Frontiers)

Expert reviewer for JPI climate (call: SOLSTICE)

Expert reviewer for The Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia

Expert reviewer for XPRICE Carbon Removal

Research Overview

My research interests evolve around climate change and understanding the impacts of human activities on the environment, specifically emitted greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture, grasslands and land use change, impacts on soil (soil organic carbon, soil health) and possible mitigation options (including biochar).

My work includes modelling GHG emissions from agriculture and explore mitigation options by using and developing easy to use tools like the Cool Farm Tool (developed for the use of farmers, https://coolfarmtool.org/) and the CCAFS-MOT (developed for policy advisors, https://ccafs.cgiar.org/research/projects/mitigation-options-tool-agriculture-ccafs-mot) and processed based modelling with ECOSSE and DailyDayCent.

I am also interested in eddy covariance (EC) measurements of different environments. I looking after a measurement campaign, analysing and preparing the data (including meteorological parameters) and analysing and modelling water fluxes (ET and soil water).

Current Research

Greenhouse Gases Removal Demonstrator (GGR-D) projects (BBSRC funded) - Greenhouse gas removal with UK agriculture via enhanced rock weathering (GGR-D ERW)

Past Research

2021 - 2022 AFRICAP (GCRF funded) - Agriculture and Food-Systems resilience: increasing capacity and advising policy - https://africap.info/

2019 -2021 Soils-R-GGREAT (NERC) - Soils Research to deliver Greenhouse Gas REmovals and Abatement Technologies; The project explores soils and biochar to provide a comprehensive global assessment of soil based greenhouse gas removals (GGRs) - https://www.ggrprogramme.org.uk/

2021 Pathways to net zero (WWF funded) - Developing WWF’s preferred pathway to aligning UK agriculture and land use with net zero - https://www.wwf.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-02/WWF_Pathways_net_zero_Report_final.pdf 

2021 New Crops and Model Comparison for Cool Farm Tool (CoolFarmAliance) - https://coolfarmtool.org/

2016-2019 BALI (NERC) - A Multidisciplinary Consortium Exploring the Biogeochemical Impacts of Tropical Forest Degradation, Agricultural Conversion and Biodiversity Loss (http://bali.nerc-hmtf.info/)

2015-2016 Mitigation potential in Indian agriculture (CIMMYT) – based on Indian agriculture the GHG emissions and SOC changes were calculated spatially and possible mitigation potential estimates

2015-2016 GHG emissions of Indian diets (WELCOME Trust) – based on Indian agriculture the GHG emissions were calculated for typical Indian diets, environmental impacts were analysed and the consequences of a changing diet explored

2014-2015 CCAFS-MOT (CCAFS) - Development of a greenhouse gas mitigation option tool for agricultural management (https://ccafs.cgiar.org/research/projects/mitigation-options-tool-agriculture-ccafs-mot)

2013-2014 Climate change mitigation in African countries (FAO) – the mitigation potential of agricultural activities were calculated spatially for Malawi, Viet Nam and Zambia

2013 GHGs for agriculture in UK (SEER - Social, Economic and Environmental Research project) - Simulations of GHG with the Cool Farm Tool for agriculture in UK

2012 Cotton in India (WWF) – estimating GHG emissions and climate change mitigation opportunities in cotton cultivation in India with the Cool Farm Tool

2008 – 2012 Eddy covariance (EC) measurements of differently grazed grasslands in Inner Mongolia (China) in the projects MAGIM and IWAS

MAGIM - funded by the German Science Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) as part of the Research Unit 536 Matter fluxes in grasslands of Inner Mongolia as influenced by stocking rate (MAGIM)

IWAS – funded by Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF) as part of the project International Water Research Alliance Saxony (IWAS)

Teaching Responsibilities

Course co-ordinator:

EK5510 Ecology, Conservation and Society

Contributions to the following courses:

BI35F2: Conservation Issues in Scotland - Field Trip

BI4301/BI5301 Environmental Pollution

Supervision:

Supervisor of PhD student 

Supervisor of Master projects

Supervisor of Honours projects

Supervisor of Honours Essay Course

Non-course Teaching Responsibilities

Guest lecture at Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Germany:

Contribution to the master course Bioenergy coordinated by Prof John Clifton-Brown; 2 lectures and a computer practice about greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, the carbon calculator Cool Farm Tool and mitigation potential through bioenergy