Youssef Saadaoui

My research explores how plant traits and microbial processes interact to shape carbon dynamics in estuarine and coastal ecosystems. I am particularly interested in the role of root oxygen loss (ROL) and root exudation in regulating greenhouse gas fluxes under varying environmental conditions. During my PhD, I developed a trait-based, process-oriented model that integrates these biotic interactions with abiotic drivers such as soil moisture and temperature.

At Hereon, within the AGRIO project, I focus on coupling biogeochemical and hydrodynamic models to better understand the carbon and greenhouse gas dynamics along the river-ocean continuum of the Elbe North Sea system. My work aim to bridge terrestrial level physiological processes with system-scale modeling, contributing to scenario analyses of estuarine responses to anthropogenic and climatic pressure.


My research focuses on:

• Trait-Based modeling of plant-soil-microbe interactions in marsh ecosystems
• The role of root oxygen loss and exudation in shaping carbon fluxes
• Coupled hydrodynamic-biogeochemical modeling using tools like SCHISM and FABM
• The response of estuarine systems to climate variability and direct anthropogenic stressors