Soil sealing – i.e. covering of soils with impervious materials – is one of the major reasons for soil degradation in Europe. Negative effects of sealing on biological, physical, chemical properties of soils and on their functioning are known, but few studies are available about restoring soil functions options, particularly using desealing, or about desealed soil’s ability to store carbon. 

This thesis focuses on both following scientific questions :

1) Are sealing materials sinks or sources of greenhouse gases ?

2) Is it possible to facilitate carbon storage thanks to optimized management of those materials ?

My thesis is attached to two research units : LSE (Laboratoire Sols et Environnement) and LIEC (Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Environnementaux Continentaux), under the shared supervision of Christophe Schwartz (LSE) and Pierre Faure (LIEC). This thesis is also linked to the GISFI (Groupement d’intérêt scientifique sur les Friches Industrielles) and to the DESSERT project (Désimperméabilisation des sols, services écosystémiques et résilience des territoires) which is funded by ADEME.