SOERE Urban Environment
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URBIS SOERE Urban Environment

A long term observation system for research and experimentation on urban environment

This system of observation and experimentation constituted in 2010 , will :

1

extend transverse theme.

2
coordinate the efforts of observations to make them comparable or complementary.
3
develop collaborative research projects.


This system is based on three French cities, experimental sites named “observatories in urban hydrology :

OPUR

(Observatoire des Polluants URbains, i.e. the observatory of urban pollutants)
has been created in the Paris area, in 1994,
by researchers from the LEESU which is a laboratory
belonging to Paris Est University.e

OTHU

was created in Lyon in 1999 by researchers from 12 laboratories belonging to 9 scientific institutions in association with the metropolis of Lyon and the water Agency Rhône Méditerranée Corsica

ONEVU

(Observatoire Nantais des EnVironnements Urbains, i.e. the Nantes observatory of urban environments) was created in Nantes in 2006 by researchers of LCPC which is a public laboratory specialised in civil engineering and public infrastructures.

Concrete objectives planed are:

(1) to optimize and maintain the monitoring network;
(2) to ensure the quality of the scientific research program;
(3) to coordinate the scientific issues and their distribution between different observatories and
(4) to implement information system allowing a common porting of data and promote achievements .

Observatories common or specific research theme

Processes studied within URBIS

Like Hurrbis, URBIS concern all processes linked to the flow of water in the urbanized environment subject to natural stress (climate mainly) and anthropogenic associated with urban practices (activities in the city), their operational management (technical, socio-economic and political of the town strategies) and its effects on the city and on environments (physical effects : thermal energy, morphological; biological, chemical and socio-economic).

Compartments and stream followed by the SOERE URBIS

The scientific objectives of this system

The scientific objectives of this new structure are:


- identifying the tracers or physicochemical species representative of the multitude of pollutants and contaminants present and their compound effect; developing methods that prioritize the contaminants of critical importance within a given territory;

- identifying and quantifying the transfer sources, pathways and vectors as well as the pools of contaminants, by integrating the entire water cycle (in particular the compartments of soil, the aquatic environment (surface water and groundwater) and atmosphere, which are relatively absent from many urban hydrology research programs) and taking into account new storm water management modes;

- assessing the impacts of various types of discharges on the biocenosis and biotopes (aquatic ecosystems and urban soil); this includes the investigation of interactions between sources, pathways and impacts (e.g. the share of contamination carried by the particulate phases compared to the dissolved phases);

- applying this knowledge to build predictive or decision-making models at various spatial and temporal scales in order to promote analyses of performance and action strategies (e.g. in terms of control at the source, real-time management, soil cover) involved in storm water management;

- identifying the procedures for transferring and assimilating these tools by actors in the urban development process.

Disciplines Laboratories or teams
dynamics of pollutants in the atmospheric compartment and transfers to urban surfaces IRSN - Cherbourg-Octeville • Radioecology Laboratory Centre of teaching and research in environmental air• Air country of Loire
urban climatology laboratory of mechanics of fluids, UMR CNRS 6598 • IFSTTAR / group hydrology and sanitation
hydraulic quantitative hydrology, hydrodynamics, hydro-climatology Laboratory of mechanics of fluids and acoustic - UMR 5509 • IFSTTAR / hydrology and sanitation
dynamics of pollutant flow Laboratory of Civil and Environmental Engineering INSA de Lyon / Université Lyon I • IFSTTAR/group Pollution of water environment and soil •Laboratoire water, environment, urban systems
hydrobiology ecotoxicology and microbiology Lab of Hydrosystems natural ecology and man-made - UMR CNRS 5023
remote sensing, the data processing spatialisées, G IS laboratory of Planetology and Geodynamics UMR CNRS 6112 • IGN - laboratory methods of analysis for the processing of Images and Stéréorestitution • IRSTV/NEC
analytical methods laboratory of analytical Sciences - UMR CNRS 5180 • laboratory water, Environment, urban systems
urban sociology, sociology of organizations, sociology of the sciences and techniques, urban planning and development laboratory environment, city and society – UMR CNRS 5600

Table 1: skills Federated in the SOERE

Contacts

Claude Joannis - Head of "hydrology and drainage team" - IFSTTAR - claude.joannis@ifsttar.fr Coordinator
Véronique Ruban - Research director - veronique.ruban@ifsttar.fr