The 3rd edition of the OZCAR summer school took place from 1 to 7 July in Aubure, a small Alsatian village home where the OHGE observatory (Observatoire Hydro-Géochimique de l’Environnement) is located, in the lush green setting of the Vosges forest at the foot of the Strengbach watershed.
The school gathered around thirty participants (PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and researchers) as well as speakers from diverse background from geosciences (hydrology, hydrogeology, meteorology, geophysics, geochemistry, forest ecology) to the human and social sciences (anthropology, philosophy, sociology).
During the week, participants were delighted to exchange ideas and explore new approaches.
This year, the school combined discipline-based courses (geochemistry, hydrology-hydrogeology, geophysics, forest ecology) with presentations of various observatory sites, taking us on a journey from the Vosges (Strengbach basin, OHGE), to Brittany (Ploemeur – Guidel site, H+ network), to the Alps (Col de Porte site in the Chartreuse, Glacioclim) and to India (Mule Hole site, M-TROPICS).
Two keynotes have also been given by Olivier Ragueneau (director of the Réseau des Zones Ateliers, RZA RI) and Véronica Calvo (anthropologist), offering us an interdisciplinary perspective and demonstrating the dynamism of the OZCAR research infrastructure.
The practical work enabled the above-mentioned courses to be put into practice. In addition, a session was devoted to measuring evapotranspiration and CO2 flows (flow tower) and an original “transformative” experiment was provided by speakers from the human and social sciences. The latter enabled participants to tackle an issue relevant to the Strengbach basin, such as the sharing of water resources, by playing the roles of human and non-human actors and expressing their feelings in this role.
The workshops and short film screenings were an opportunity to share a sensitive approach to the Strengbach area, which is not just an observatory but also a living place, residents, walkers and scientists are tied to.
Finally, two evening poster sessions enabled all the students to present their work to the other students and speakers in a convivial atmosphere, and to benefit from a resolutely multidisciplinary view of their work.
This week in the Vosges was a real opportunity to make discoveries, to learn and deepen knowledge on the Critical Zone and to have nice exchanges, creating links that will undoubtedly last for years to come.
You can read the complete report of the 3rd OZCAR summer school : open
The OZCAR summer school website: https://ecolozcar.sciencesconf.org/
The 10 courses in streaming on the Youtube chanel OZCAR : open