Hello there! My name is Vasilis and I am a research scientist at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. I have more than 12 years of experience in the development of data-driven computer models that describe biogeochemical processes in terrestrial ecosystems at scales that range from local to national. I also have a keen interest in ecosystem sensing technologies. You can find my CV here and see examples of past and ongoing work below.
My main research interests are :
- Agro-ecosystems
- Soil science and ecosystem biogeochemistry
- Computational data science
- Ecosystem modelling
- Earth observation and remote sensing
Grassland Modelling
DALEC-Grass is a simple process-based model that simulates carbon (C) dynamics in temperate grassland ecosystems using 5 C pools: leaf, stem, roots, litter and soil organic C. C is assimilated into biomass via photosynthesis and allocated to the 5 C pools directly (biomass) or indirectly (soil). Vegetation removals can occur due to grazing or cutting. When grazing occurs the model quantifies how much of the grazed biomass-C returns to the soil as manure, is emitted a CO2 and CH4 and how much is stored in animal body. DALEC-Grass is written in fortran and can be compiled into a shared object for use in python. DALEC-Grass belongs to the DALEC (Data Assimilation Linked Ecosystem Carbon) family of models that are developed in the Global Change Ecology Lab of the University of Edinburgh (UK).
Model Data Fusion
Data fusion is the process of integrating multiple data sources to produce more consistent, accurate, and useful information than that provided by any individual data source. In Model-Data Fusion (MDF) one data stream includes model-simulated variables while other data streams contain observations of system drivers (climate, soil conditions) and of system behaviour (plant growth). In ecosystem science, MDF refers to the use of earth observation and ground measured data on ecosystem functioning e.g. plant physiology, soil moisture/temperature, greenhouse gas fluxes etc.
Soil Carbon Modelling
Soil plays key role for the health and functioning of terrestrial ecosystem. It is also a critical carbon pool whose size exceeds the carbon stored in the atmosphere and vegetation combined. Soil carbon models are tools used to simulate and predict the dynamics of carbon in soil. Some soil carbon models are standalone models and others are modules of ecosystem scale models. This repository includes python code and notebooks for implementing some widely-used soil carbon models available.