Pierre Regnier

Full Professor

Biogeochemistry and Modelling of the Earth System
Department of Geosciences, Environment and Society
Faculty of Sciences (ULB)

Area of research:
Biogeochemistry, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Greenhouse Gases and Climate, Limnology and Oceanography, Earth System Modeling

Solbosch Campus (map)

Building D, wing B, 4th floor
Office DB4-135

Pierre.Regnier@ulb.be
+32 (2) 650 36 71

Research summary

Pierre Regnier's research focuses on global carbon and nutrient cycles and their anthropogenic perturbation with a strong emphasis on inland waters, estuaries, coastal environments and the seafloor and their interaction with terrestrial ecosystems and the open ocean. His expertise encompasses the biogeochemistry of carbon and nutrients, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide cycling, model-data fusion approaches and advanced statistical methods, reactive-transport modelling and Earth system science.

Key publications

  1. Bauer, J.E., Cai, W-J, Raymond, P., Bianchi, T., Hopkinson, C. and Regnier P.  The changing coastal carbon cycle. Nature, 504, 61–70, 2013.
  2. Laruelle, G. G., Cai, W.-J., Hu, X., Gruber, N., MacKenzie F.T. and Regnier P. Continental shelves as a variable but 
increasing global sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide. Nature Communications 9, 454 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-02738-z, 2018.
  3. Le Quéré, C., Moriarty, R., ….Regnier, P., et al. Global carbon budget 2014, Earth System Science Data7, 47-85, doi:10.5194/essd-7-47-2015, 2015.
  4. Maavara, T. Lauerwald, R., Regnier P. and Van Cappellen, P. Global perturbation of organic carbon cycling by river damming. Nature Communications 8, 15347 doi: 10.1038/ncomms15347, 2017.
  5. Regnier, P., Friedlingstein, P., Ciais, P., Mackenzie, F.T., Gruber, N. et al. Anthropogenic perturbation of the carbon fluxes from land to ocean. Nature Geoscience, 6 (8), 597-607, 2013.
  6. Regnier, P., Resplandy, L., Najjar, R., and Ciais, P. The land-to-ocean loops of the global carbon cycle. Nature 603, doi:10.1038/s41586-021-04339-9, 2022.
  7. Saunois M., Stavert A.R., … Regnier P., et al. The Global Methane Budget 2000–2017. Earth System Science Data, 12, 1561–1623, doi: 10.5194/essd-12-1561-2020, 2020.
  8. Terhaar J., Lauerwald R., Regnier P., Gruber N. and Bopp L. Around one third of current Arctic Ocean primary production sustained by rivers and coastal erosion. Nature Communications 12, 169, doi:10.1038/s41467-020-20470-z, 2021.
  9. Tian, H., Xu, R., …. Regnier P., et al. (2020) A comprehensive quantification of global nitrous oxide sources and sinks. Nature 586, 248–256, doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2780-0.
  10. Zhang H., Chuine I., Regnier P., Ciais P. & Yuan W. Deciphering the multiple effects of climate warming on the temporal shift of leaf unfolding. Nature Climate Change, 12(2), 193-199, doi: 10.1038/s41558-021-01261-w, 2022.

Short CV

  • Professor, Full Professor: Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, 2009-now
  • Associate Professor: Utrecht University, The Netherlands, 2007-2011
  • Invited Professor: Université P. Sabatier – Toulouse, France 2007
  • Assistant Professor: Utrecht University, The Netherlands, 2000-2007
  • Research Scientist: Danish Hydraulic Institute, Denmark, 1998-2000
  • Postoctoral-fellow: EU Marie-Curie, University College Cork, Ireland 1996-1998
  • PhD: Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium. 1997
  • MSc: Yale University, USA. 1993
  • Bsc: Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. 1988