ELIE
Croix du Sud 2/L7.05.10
1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
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- Sophie Opfergelt
Sophie Opfergelt
Chercheuse qualifiée FNRS
Professeure
June 2018 - Interview in ScienceToday about the fieldwork in Alaska in May 2018
May 2018 - The project WeThaw in the satellite of Louvain[s]
November 2017 - Participation au film "Uni-Diversité: Passions de chercheurs" créé pour le Musée L
October 2017 – Interview UCL Presse about the ERC project on permafrost (WeThaw)
June 2017 – Interview sur Radiocontact (émission Contact News 19h30, 01/06/17) concernant les implications pour notre planète à l’annonce du retrait des Etats-Unis des accords de Paris sur le climat
November 2015 – Interview UCL Presse concernant les recherches en lien avec le changement climatique dans le contexte de la conférence de Paris (COP21)
March 2015 – Pr. Oliver Chadwick (UC Santa Barbara, US) hosted in our lab to receive the title of Doctorat Honoris Causa at UCL during the International Year of Soils
February 2015 – Interview dans la Revue Athena (pg 32-35)
October 2014 – Interview dans la revue FNRS news (pg 36)
September 2006 – AGU Journal Highlights in EOS regarding the publication in GRL about the contribution of smectite clays to slope instability on volcanic flanks
I have developed my interest in weathering since my MSc thesis on hydrothermally altered materials involved in debris avalanche at Casita volcano, Nicaragua. I completed my PhD in 2008 at the Faculty of Bioscience engineering of the Université catholique de Louvain (Belgium) on “Silicon cycle in the soil-plant system: Biogeochemical tracing using Si isotopes”.
In 2009-2010, I moved to the University of Oxford (UK) where I worked as a Post-doctoral Researcher in the Department of Earth Sciences.
Since 2011, I have been at the Earth and Life Institute of the Université catholique de Louvain (Belgium), where I was promoted permanent FNRS Research Associate in 2014. In 2014, I was presented with the Ebelmen Award of the International Association of Geochemistry in recognition for my contribution to the use of silicon isotopes to distinguish biological and inorganic processes.
- Diplômes
Année Label Institution 2000 Candidate en sciences géologiques Université catholique de Louvain 2002 Licenciée en sciences géologiques Université catholique de Louvain 2006 Diplômée d'études approfondies en sciences agronomiques et ingénierie biologique Université catholique de Louvain 2008 Docteur en sciences agronomiques et ingénierie biologique Université catholique de Louvain
Since 2016, I am teaching “Introduction to Earth Sciences” (LBIR1130) with P. Delmelle to first year students from the “Faculté des bioingénieurs” and “Faculté des sciences” (~500 students). The course is based on the book “Terre, portrait d'une planète” by S. Marshak. My contribution to this course is about mineralogy, the rock cycle, shaping the Earth surface, deformation and metamorphic rocks, fossils and evolution, geological times, Earth’s biography, Earth resources, processes and problems at the Earth’s surface (glaciers, deserts, global change). The practicals of this course represent the first opportunity for the students to manipulate minerals, rocks and fossils, get a direct sense of their properties, and discover their beauty under the microscope.
Teaching team
Professors: Pierre Delmelle (coordinator) and Sophie Opfergelt
Teaching assistant: Aubry Vandeuren
Collaborator: Gérard Philippe
- Les cours
Nom ID Introduction aux sciences de la terre LBIR1130
The motivation of my research is the understanding of the Earth’s surface processes controlling chemical weathering and element export from continent to the hydrosphere (rock-soil-plant-water systems). Chemical weathering of minerals in the Earth’s Critical Zone is the engine that replenishes the soil mineral nutrient reserve and ultimately nourishes terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Changing weathering dynamics in the Critical Zone in response to climate and land use changes is expected to impact on mineral nutrient cycling and mineral nutrient export to rivers. With my research group, I tackle the complexity of interacting processes (abiotic, biotic) involved in mineral weathering by an analytical approach combining soil science, geology, geochemistry and isotope geochemistry (e.g., Ge/Si ratio, stable isotopes of Si, Mg, etc.).
Ongoing projects
Mineral Weathering in Thawing Permafrost: Causes and Consequences (WeThaw), ERC Starting Grant, 2017-2022
Controls on weathering fluxes from hydrothermally-active volcanic regions (FluxHyd), FNRS, PDR, 2016-2020
Soils under global change (SOGLO), BELSPO, IAP, 2012-2017 (completed)
Programme de Révision de la Carte géologique de la Wallonie, SPW, 1990 – 2019, représentant UCL depuis 2016 (outil indispensable à la connaissance du sous-sol)
PhD students in co-supervision
Revisiting the origin of cangahua in Ecuador : a chemical and mineralogical study (2014 - ; supervisor: P. Delmelle, co-supervisor: S. Opfergelt)
Impacts of major tropical cultures on the silicon cycle (2016 - ; supervisor: B. Delvaux, co-supervisor: S. Opfergelt)
2018
Ameijeiras Mariño, Yolanda ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Derry Louis A. ; Robinet Jérémy ; Govers Gerard ; Minella Jean P.G. ; Delmelle, Pierre. Ge/Si ratios point to increased contribution from deeper mineral weathering to streams after forest conversion to cropland. In: Applied Geochemistry, Vol. 96, p. 24-34 (2018).
2018
Robinet, Jérémy ; Minella, Jean P. G. ; de Barros, Cláudia A. P. ; Schlesner, Alexandre ; Lücke, Andreas ; Ameijeiras Mariño, Yolanda ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Vanderborght, Jan ; Govers, Gerard. Impacts of forest conversion and agriculture practices on water pathways in Southern Brazil. In: Hydrological Processes, Vol. 32, no.15, p. 2304-2317 (2018). doi:10.1002/hyp.13155.
2017
Detienne, Marie ; Delmelle, Pierre ; Guevara, Alicia ; Samaniego, P ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Mothes, P.A. Contrasting origin of two clay-rich debris flows at Cayambe Volcanic Complex, Ecuador. In: Bulletin of Volcanology, , no.79:27 (2017). doi:10.1007/s00445-017-1111-2.
2017
Ameijeiras Mariño, Yolanda ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Schoonejans, Jérôme ; Vanacker, Veerle ; Sonnet, Philippe ; de Jong, Jeroen ; Delmelle, Pierre. Impact of low denudation rates on soil chemical weathering intensity: A multiproxy approach. In: Chemical Geology, no. 456, p. 72-84 (2017). doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2017.03.007. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2017.03.007.
2017
Opfergelt, Sophie ; Williams, H.M ; Cornélis, Jean-Thomas ; Guicharnaud, R.A ; Georg, R.B. ; Siebert, C. ; Gislason, S.R. ; Halliday, A.N. ; Burton, K.W.. Iron and silicon isotope behaviour accompanying weathering in Icelandic soils, and the implications for iron export from peatlands. In: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, , no.217, p. 273-291 (2017). doi:10.1016/j.gca.2017.08.033.
2017
Unzué-Belmonte, Dacil ; Ameijeiras Mariño, Yolanda ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Cornélis, Jean-Thomas ; Barao, Lucia ; Minella, Jean ; Meire, Patrick ; Struyf, Eric. Land use change affects biogenic silica pool distribution in a subtropical soil toposequence. In: Soil Earth, no. 8, p. 737-750 (2017). doi:10.5194/se-8-737-2017.
2017
Schoonejans, Jérôme ; Vanacker, Veerle ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Christl, M. Long-term soil erosion derived from in-situ 10Be and inventories of meteoric 10Be in deeply weathered soils in southern Brazil. In: Chemical Geology, , no.466, p. 380-388 (2017). doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2017.06.025.
2017
Opfergelt, Sophie ; Cornélis, Jean-Thomas ; Houben, David ; Givron, Claudine ; Burton, K.W ; Mattielli, Nadine. The influence of weathering and soil organic matter on Zn isotopes in soils. In: Chemical Geology, , no.466, p. 140-148 (2017). doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2017.06.002.
2016
Schoonejans, Jérôme ; Vanacker, Veerle ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Granet, Mathieu ; Chabaux, François. Coupling uranium series and 10Be cosmogenic radionuclides to evaluate steady-state soil thickness in the Betic Cordillera. In: Chemical Geology, Vol. 446, no.0, p. 99-109 (2016). doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2016.03.030.
2016
Delvigne, Camille ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Cardinal, Damien ; Hofmann, Axel ; André, Luc. Desilication in Archean weathering processes traced by silicon isotopes and Ge/Si ratios. In: Chemical Geology, , no.420, p. 139-147 (2016). doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2015.11.007.
2016
Schoonejans, Jérôme ; Vanacker, Veerle ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Ameijeiras Mariño, Yolanda. Kinetically limited weathering at low denudation rates in semiarid climatic conditions.. In: Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 121, no. 121 (2016), p. 336–350 (2016). doi:10.1002/2015jf003626.
2016
Oye Anda, Corinne Coretta ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Declerck, Stephan. Silicon acquisition by bananas (c.V.Grande Naine) is increased in presence of the arbuscularmycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus irregularis MUCL 41833. In: Plant and Soil : international journal on plant-soil relationships, Vol. 409, no.1, p. 77-85 (2016). doi:10.1007/s11104-016-2954-6.
2016
Pogge von Strandmann, Philip A.E. ; Burton, Kevin W. ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Eiríksdóttir, Eydís S. ; Murphy, Melissa J. ; Einarsson, Arni ; Gislason, Sigurdur R.. The effect of hydrothermal spring weathering processes and primary productivity on lithium isotopes: Lake Myvatn, Iceland. In: Chemical Geology, Vol. 445, no.0, p. 4-13 (2016). doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2016.02.026.
2015
Tallberg, Petra ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Cornélis, Jean-Thomas ; Liljendahl, Anne ; Weckström, Jan. High concentrations of amorphous, biogenic Si (BSi)in the sediment of a small high-latitude lake: implications for biogeochemical Si cycling and for the use of BSi as a paleoproxy. In: Aquatic sciences, no. 77, p. 293-305 (2015). doi:10.1007/s00027-014-0387-y.
2015
Siebert, C. ; Pett-Ridge, J.C. ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Guicharnaud, R.A. ; Halliday , A.N. ; Burton, K.W.. Molybdenum isotope fractionation in soils: influence of redox conditions, organic matter, and atmospheric inputs. In: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, , no.162, p. 1-24 (2015). doi:10.1016/j.gca.2015.04.007.
2015
Doetterl, Sébastien ; Cornélis, Jean-Thomas ; Six, J. ; Bodé, Samuel ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Boeckx, Pascal ; Van Oost, Kristof. Soil redistribution and weathering controlling the fate of geochemical and physical carbon stabilization mechanisms in soils of an eroding landscape. In: Biogeosciences, , no.12, p. 1357-1371 (2015). doi:10.5194/bg-12-1357-2015.
2015
Xiong, Z ; Li, Tiegang ; Algeo, Thomas ; Doering, Kristin ; Frank, Martin ; Brzezinski, Mark A. ; Chang, Fengming ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Crosta, Xavier ; Jiang, Fuqing ; Wan, Shiming ; Zhai, Bin. The silicon isotope composition of Ethmodiscus rex laminated diatom mats from the tropical West Pacific: Implications for silicate cycling during the Last Glacial Maximum. In: Paleooceanography, no. 30, p. 803-823 (2015). doi:10.1002/2015PA002793.
2015
Couder, Eléonore ; Mattielli, Nadine ; Drouet, Thomas ; Smolders, Erik ; Delvaux, Bruno ; Iserentant, Anne ; Meeus, Coralie ; Maerschalk, Claude ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Houben, David. Transpiration flow controls Zn transport in Brassica napus and Lolium multiflorum under toxic levels as evidenced from isotopic fractionation. In: Comptes rendus. Geoscience, no. 347, p. 386-396 (2015). doi:10.1016/j.crte.2015.05.004.
2014
Houben, David ; Sonnet, Philippe ; Tricot, Guillaume ; Mattielli, Nadine ; Couder, Eléonore ; Opfergelt, Sophie. Impact of Root-Induced Mobilization of Zinc on Stable Zn Isotope Variation in the Soil-Plant System.. In: Environmental Science & Technology (Washington), Vol. 48, no. 14, p. 7866-7873 (2014). doi:10.1021/es5002874.
2014
Opfergelt, Sophie ; Burton, K.W. ; Georg, R.B. ; West, A.J. ; Guicharnaud, R.A. ; Sigfusson, B. ; Siebert, C. ; Gislason, S.R. ; Halliday, A.N.. Magnesium retention on the soil exchange complex controlling Mg isotope variations in soils, soil solutions and vegetation in volcanic soils. In: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 125, p. 110-130 (2014). doi:10.1016/j.gca.2013.09.036.
2013
Opfergelt, Sophie ; Burton, K.W. ; Pogge von Strandmann , P.A.E. ; Gislason, S.R. ; Halliday, A.N.. Corrigendum to: Riverine silicon isotope variations in glaciated basaltic terrains: implications for the Si delivery to the ocean over glacial-interglacial intervals [Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 369-370 (2013) 211-219]. In: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 375, p. 451-452 (2013). doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2013.07.010.
2013
Opfergelt, Sophie ; Burton, K.W. ; Pogge von Strandmann, P.A.E. ; Gislason, S.R. ; Halliday, A.N.. Riverine silicon isotope variations in glaciated basaltic terrains: implications for the Si delivery to the ocean over glacial-interglacial intervals. In: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 369-370, p. 211-219 (2013). doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2013.03.025.
2012
Pogge von Strandmann, P.A.E. ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Lai, Y.J. ; Sigfusson, B. ; Gislason, S.R. ; Burton, K.W.. Lithium, magnesium and silicon isotope behaviour accompanying weathering in a basaltic soil and pore water profile in Iceland. In: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 339-340, p. 11-23 (2012). doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2012.05.035.
2012
Opfergelt, Sophie ; Georg, R.B. ; Delvaux, Bruno ; Cabidoche, Y.M. ; Burton , K.W. ; Halliday , A.N.. Mechanisms of magnesium isotope fractionation in volcanic soil weathering sequences, Guadeloupe. In: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 341-344, p. 176-185 (2012). doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2012.06.010.
2012
Opfergelt, Sophie ; Delmelle, Pierre. Silicon isotopes and continental weathering processes: assessing controls on Si transfer to the ocean. In: Comptes rendus. Geoscience, Vol. 344, no. 11-12, p. 723-738 (2012). doi:10.1016/j.crte.2012.09.006.
2012
Opfergelt, Sophie ; Georg, R.B. ; Delvaux, Bruno ; Cabidoche, Y.-M. ; Burton, K.W. ; Halliday, A.N.. Silicon isotopes and the tracing of desilication in volcanic soil weathering sequences, Guadeloupe. In: Chemical Geology, Vol. 326-327, p. 113-122 (2012). doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2012.07.032.
2011
Opfergelt, Sophie ; Eiriksdottir, E.S. ; Burton, K.W. ; Einarsson, A. ; Siebert, C ; Gislason, S.R. ; Halliday, A.N. Quantifying the impact of freshwater diatom productivity on silicon isotopes and silicon fluxes : Lake Myvatn, Iceland. In: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, , no. 305, p. 73-82 (2011). doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2011.02.043.
2011
Opfergelt, Sophie ; Burton, K.W. ; Guicharnaud, R. ; Siebert, C. ; Gislason, S.R. ; Halliday, A.N.. Silicon isotopes in allophane as a proxy for mineral formation in volcanic soils. In: Applied Geochemistry, Vol. 26, no. S1, p. S115-S118 (2011). doi:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2011.03.044.
2011
Cornélis, Jean-Thomas ; Delvaux, Bruno ; Georg, Bastian ; Lucas, Yves ; Ranger, Jacques ; Opfergelt, Sophie. Tracing the origin of dissolved silicon transferred from various soil-plant systems towards rivers: a review. In: Biogeosciences, Vol. 8, p. 89-112 (2011). doi:10.5194/bg-8-89-2011.
2010
Cardinal, D. ; Gaillardet, J. ; Hughes, H. J. ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; André, Luc. Contrasting silicon isotope signatures in rivers from the Congo Basin and the specific behaviour of organic-rich waters. In: Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 37 (2010). doi:10.1029/2010GL043413.
2010
Cardinal, D. ; Gaillardet, J. ; Hughes, H.J. ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; André, L.. Contrasting silicon isotope signatures in rivers from the congo basin and the specific behaviour of organic-rich waters. In: Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 37, no. 12 (2010). doi:10.1029/2010GL043413.
2010
Cornélis, Jean-Thomas ; Delvaux, Bruno ; Cardinal, D. ; André, Luc ; Ranger, J. ; Opfergelt, Sophie. Tracing mechanisms controlling the release of dissolved silicon in forest soil solutions using Si isotopes and Ge/Si ratios. In: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 74, no. 14, p. 3913-3924 (2010). doi:10.1016/j.gca.2010.04.056.
2010
Opfergelt, Sophie ; Cardinal, D. ; André, L. ; Delvigne, C. ; Bremond, L. ; Delvaux, Bruno. Variations of delta Si-30 and Ge/Si with weathering and biogenic input in tropical basaltic ash soils under monoculture. In: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 74, no. 1, p. 225-240 (2010). doi:10.1016/j.gca.2009.09.025.
2009
Delvigne, C. ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Cardinal, D. ; Delvaux, Bruno ; André, L.. Distinct silicon and germanium pathways in the soil-plant system: Evidence from banana and horsetail. In: Journal of Geophysical Research - Biogeosciences, Vol. 114, p. G02013 (2009). doi:10.1029/2008JG000899.
2009
Opfergelt, Sophie ; de Bournonville, Guillaume ; Cardinal, Damien ; André, Luc ; Delstanche, Séverine ; Delvaux, Bruno. Impact of soil weathering degree on silicon isotopic fractionation during adsorption onto iron oxides in basaltic ash soils, Cameroon. In: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 73, no. 24, p. 7226-7240 (2009). doi:10.1016/j.gca.2009.09.003.
2009
Delstanche, Séverine ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Cardinal, Damien ; Elsass, Françoise ; André, Luc ; Delvaux, Bruno. Silicon isotopic fractionation during adsorption of aqueous monosilicic acid onto iron oxide. In: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 73, no. 4, p. 923-934 (2009). doi:10.1016/j.gca.2008.11.014.
2008
Opfergelt, Sophie ; Delvaux, Bruno ; André, Luc ; Cardinal, Damien. Plant silicon isotopic signature might reflect soil weathering degree. In: Biogeochemistry : an international journal, Vol. 91, no. 2-3, p. 163-175 (2008). doi:10.1007/s10533-008-9278-4.
2008
Henriet, Céline ; De Jaeger, Nathalie ; Dorel, M. ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Delvaux, Bruno. The reserve of weatherable primary silicates impacts the accumulation of biogenic silicon in volcanic ash soils. In: Biogeochemistry : an international journal, Vol. 90, no. 2, p. 209-223 (2008). doi:10.1007/s10533-008-9245-0.
2008
Abraham, Kathrin ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Fripiat, Francois ; Cavagna, Anne-Julie ; de Jong, Jeroen T. M. ; Foley, Stephen F. ; André, Luc ; Cardinal, Damien. delta Si-30 and delta Si-29 determinations on USGS BHVO-1 and BHVO-2 reference materials with a new configuration on a Nu Plasma multi-collector ICP-MS. In: Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research, Vol. 32, no. 2, p. 193-202 (2008). doi:10.1111/j.1751-908X.2008.00879.x.
2007
Reynolds, Ben C. ; Aggarwal, Jugdeep ; André, Luc ; Baxter, Douglas ; Beucher, Charlotte ; Brzezinski, Mark A. ; Engstrom, Emma ; Georg, R. Bastian ; Land, Magnus ; Leng, Melanie J. ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Rodushkin, Ilia ; Sloane, Hilary J. ; van den Boorn, Sander H. J. M. ; Vroon, Pieter Z. ; Cardinal, Damien. An inter-laboratory comparison of Si isotope reference materials. In: Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, Vol. 22, no. 5, p. 561-568 (2007). doi:10.1039/b616755a.
2006
Opfergelt, Sophie ; Cardinal, Damien ; Henriet, Céline ; André, Luc ; Delvaux, Bruno. Silicon isotope fractionation between plant parts in banana: In situ vs. in vitro. In: Journal of Geochemical Exploration, Vol. 88, no. 1-3, p. 224-227 (2006). doi:10.1016/j.gexplo.2005.08.044.
2006
Opfergelt, Sophie ; Cardinal, D. ; Henriet, Céline ; Draye, Xavier ; André, L. ; Delvaux, Bruno. Silicon isotopic fractionation by banana (Musa spp.) grown in a continuous nutrient flow device. In: Plant and Soil : international journal on plant-soil relationships, Vol. 285, no. 1-2, p. 333-345 (2006). doi:10.1007/s11104-006-9019-1.
2006
Opfergelt, Sophie ; Delmelle, Pierre ; Boivin, P. ; Delvaux, Bruno. The 1998 debris avalanche at Casita volcano, Nicaragua: Investigation of the role of hydrothermal smectite in promoting slope instability. In: Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 33, no. 15, p. L15305 (2006). doi:10.1029/2006GL026661.
2015
Delmelle, Pierre ; Henley, R.W. ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Detienne, Marie. Summit acid crater lakes and flank instability in composite volcanoes. In: Rouwet, D., Christenson, B., Tassi, F., Vandemeulebrouck, J. (Eds.), Volcanic Lakes (Advances in Volcanology), Springer: Heidelberg, 2015, 289-305. 978-3-642-36832-5. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-36833-2_12.
2015
Delmelle, Pierre ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Cornelis, Jean-Thomas ; Ping, Chien-Lu. Volcanic soils. In: Sigurdsson H., Houghton B., Rymer H., Stix J., McNutt S., The Encyclopedia of Volcanoes, 2nd Edition, Academic Press: San Diego, 2015, 1253-1264.
2012
Cornélis, Jean-Thomas ; Kruyts, Nathalie ; Dufey, Joseph ; Delvaux, Bruno ; Opfergelt, Sophie. Understanding root uptake of nutrients, toxic and polluting elements in hydroponic culture. In: T. Asao, Hydroponics, In Tech, 2012, 153-180. 978-9-5351-0386-8.