Marc Descloitres

Géophysicien / geophysicist
Ingénieur de recherche à l’Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD, French Research Institute for Sustainable Development )
Co-director of the International Joint Laboratory LECZ-CARE
Scientific director of CARE-Rescif Laboratory
Block B7, 268 Ly Thuong Kiet St, Dist. 10,
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Tel mob : +84 (0) 363996010 / What’sApp : +33 6 73 01 99 67

Membre de l’équipe HydrimZ de l’IGE

Marc.descloitres ird.fr

RESEARCH
As hydro-geophysicist, the aim of my research is to study issues related to groundwater in tropical countries using geophysical methods. The objective is to locate groundwater, estimate its quality and quantity and recharge area, giving relevant parameters for groundwater modelling. I carry out research on experimental sites located in contrasted climatic zones (from arid to sub-tropical climates), in hard rock context or in sedimentary and coastal zones. My current research project focuses on the characterization of shallow aquifers in the Mekong delta and Saigon river basin, Vietnam. I use the following geophysical approaches :
• Study of temporal variations of geophysical parameters for vadose zone processes
• Adaptation of geophysical interpretation procedures to overcome the non-uniqueness of solutions,
• Joint use of geophysical techniques : Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), electromagnetic mapping and soundings (FEM, TDEM), Magnetic Resonance Soundings (MRS) and logging.

CAREER MILESTONES
• 2021 onwards : co-director of IRD-HCMUT International Joint Laboratory (LMI) LECZ CARE at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
• 2016-2020 : Deputy director of IGE at Grenoble University
• 2012-2020 : Coordinator of the CRITEX program for resistivity techniques (https://www.critex.fr/)
• 2010-2015 : Scientific coordinator of the team JEAI « AQUI-BENIN ». Lecturer at Cotonou University, Benin. Researcher for the GRIBA project
• 2008-2019 : Lecturer at Grenoble university for hydro-geophysical courses within Master “Hydro resources”
• 2006-2010. Researcher at the Laboratory of Hydrology at Grenoble University. Geophysical team.
• 2003-2006 : Visiting scientist at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. Geophysical team.
• 2000-2003. Research engineer at IRD center, Burkina Faso, West Africa. Geophysical team.
• 1996-2000 : Research engineer at University of Paris, PhD thesis.
• 1992-1995 : Geophysicist Engineer at IRD research center, Dakar, Senegal, West Africa.
• 1990-1992 : Civil Engineer at SIMECSOL private company, Paris, France.
• 1988-1990 : Seismologist at the OSC seismological observatory, La Paz, Bolivia

ACADEMIC DIPLOMA
2010 • “Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches » (PhD supervisor diploma), Université Grenoble-Alpes
1998 • PhD in Geophysics, Applied geophysics Laboratory, Université Paris 6 « Time Domain Electromagnetic soundings for aquifers in volcanic islands ».
1988 • Master thesis diploma specialty in “tectonophysics”, University Grenoble-Alpes, France.

Recent Publications (2012-2020)
(all : see https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/19531743-Marc-Descloitres )
2020---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flores Aviles, G., Descloitres, M., Duwig, C., Legchenko, A., Soruco, A., Argollo, J., Perez, M., Medinacelli, W., 2019. First insight of Lake Titicaca Aquifer Systems inferred from geophysical (TDEM) and hydrogeochemical data, Bolivia. Journal of South American Earth Sciences Volume 99, April 2020, 102479, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsames.2019.102479
Legchenko, A., Baltassat, J.M., Duwig, C., Boucher, M., Girard, J.F., Soruco, A., Beauce, A., Mathieu, F., Legout, C., Descloitres, M., Flores Avilés, G.P. Time-lapse Magnetic Resonance Sounding measurements for numerical modeling of water flow in variably saturated media. Journal of Applied Geophysics, 177, p. art. 104039 [8 p.]. ISSN 0926-9851.
2018 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alle, C.I., Descloitres, M., Vouillamoz, J.M., Yalo, N., Lawson, F.M.A., Adihou, C.A., 2018. Why 1D electrical resistivity techniques can result in inaccurate siting of boreholes in hard rock aquifers and why electrical resistivity tomography must be preferred : the example of Benin, West Africa, Journal of African Earth Science, Vol. 139, pp 341-353 ; doi.org/10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2017.12.007
2017 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wubda, M., Descloitres, M., Yalo, N., Ribolzi, O., Vouillamoz, J.M., Boukari, M., Hector, B., Séguis, L., 2017. Time lapse electrical surveys to locate infiltration zones in weathered hardrocks tropical areas. Journal of Applied Geophysics . Vol. 142, pp 23–37.
2016---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Legchenko, A., Vouillamoz, J. M., Lawson, Amene, F.M., Alle, C., Descloitres, M., Boucher, M., 2016 Interpretation of magnetic resonance measurements in varying Earth’s magnetic field. Geophysics, Vol. 81, P. 1-9. 10 ;1190GEO2015-0474.1
2015---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Genthon, P., Hector, B., Luxereau A., Descloitres, M., Abdou H., Hinderer J., Bakalowicz M. Groundwater recharge by Sahelian rivers-consequences for agricultural development : example from the lower Komadugu Yobe River (Eastern Niger, Lake Chad Basin). Environmental Earth Sciences, 2015, 74 (2), p. 1291-1302. ISSN 1866-6280.
Hector, B., Séguis, L., Hinderer, J., Cohard, J.-M., Wubda, M., Descloitres, M., Benarrosh, N. and Boy, J.-P., 2015. Water storage changes as a marker for base flow generation processes in a tropical humid basement catchment (Benin) : Insights from hybrid gravimetry, Water Resour. Res., 2015, 51 (10), p. 8331-8361. ISSN 0043-1397n/a–n/a, doi:10.1002/2014WR015773.
Vouillamoz, J.M., Lawson, F.M.A., Yalo, N., Descloitres, M., 2015. Groundwater in hard rocks of Benin : Regional storage and buffer capacity in the face of change. Journal of Hydrology 520, 379–386. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.11.024
2014-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vouillamoz, J. M., F. M. A. Lawson, N. Yalo, et M. Descloitres, 2014. The use of magnetic resonance sounding for quantifying specific yield and transmissivity in hard rock aquifers : The example of Benin. Journal of Applied Geophysics 107 : 16 24. doi:10.1016/j.jappgeo.2014.05.012.
2013---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chaudury, A., Sekhar, M., Descloitres, M., Godderis, Y., Ruiz, L., Braun, J. J., 2013. Constraining complex aquifer geometry with geophysics (2-D ERT and MRS measurements) for stochastic modelling of groundwater flow. Journal of Applied Geophysics, Volume 98, Pages 288-297.
Descloitres M., Chalikakis K., Legchenko A., Moussa A. M., Genthon P., Favreau G., Le-Coz M., Boucher, M., and Oï M., 2013. Investigation of groundwater resources in the Komadugu Yobe Valley (Lake Chad Basin, Niger) using MRS and TDEM methods. Journal of African Earth Sciences (2013), pp. 71-85, doi : 10.1016 /j.jafrearsci.2013.07.006
Hector, B., Seguis, S., Hinderer, J., Descloitres, M., Vouillamoz, M., Wubda, M., Boy, J. P., Luck, B., Le Moigne, M., 2013. Gravity effect of water storage changes in a weathered hard-rock aquifer in West Africa : results from joint absolute gravity, hydrological monitoring and geophysical prospection. Geophysical Journal International, p. 1-13 ; doi : 10.1093/gji/ggt146.
Richard, A., Galle, S., Descloitres, M., Cohard, J. M., Vandervaere, J. P., Séguis, L., and Peugeot, C., 2013. Riparian forest and permanent groundwater : a key couple for balancing the hillslope water budget in Sudanian West Africa, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 5079-5096, doi:10.5194/hess-17-5079-2013, 2013
Yalo N., Descloitres, M., Vouillamoz, J.M., Alle, C., 2013. Delimitation of the salt water wedge in the shallow coastal aquifer by TDEM method at Togbin (South Benin). International Journal of Science and Advanced Technology Volume 3 No 3 March 2013 (ISSN 2221-8386)
2012--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yalo, N., Descloitres, M., Alassane, A., Mama, D., Boukari, M., 2012. Environmental geophysical study of the groundwater mineralization in a plot of the Cotonou littoral zone (South Benin). International Journal of Geophysics, august 2012
Hinderer J., Pfeffer Julia, Boucher Marie, Nahmani S., De Linage C., Boy J. P., Genthon Pierre, Séguis Luc, Favreau Guillaume, Bock O., Descloitres M, GHYRAF Team. Land water storage changes from ground and space geodesy : first results from the GHYRAF (Gravity and Hydrology in Africa) experiment. Pure and Applied Geophysics, 2012, 169 (8), p. 1391-1410. ISSN 0033-4553
Yalo, N., Descloitres, M., Alassane, A., Mama, D., Boukari, M., 2012. Environmental geophysical study of the groundwater mineralization in a plot of the Cotonou littoral zone (South Benin). International Journal of Geophysics, , Vol. 2012, article ID 329827, 10 pages.

RESEARCH GRANTS AND PROJECTS
Name of the project and thematic / year(s) / Origin of funding / amount (euros) / Brief description /ouputs

• PSF HGP Mekong / 2019-2022 / IRD project / 21000 / Main leader / Teaching program on hydrogeophysics in Vietnam and Cambodia. In progress
• International Joint laboratory « LECZ-CARE » / 2019-2024 / IRD project / 60000 / Main leader Global program on research structuration on water issues at CARE Laboratory, Vietnam. In progress
• Aquifer characterization of Bolivian Altiplano, Bolivia  : 2016-2018 : IRD project Work package leader / Geophysical characterization of shallow aquifers / Publication(s) : 1 ; conférence(s) : 1
• JEAI AQUI BENIN / 2013-2015/ IRD project / 50000 / Main leader Global program on research structuration on hydrogeophysics in Benin.
• GRIBA EU project / 2011-2015 / European project / 25000 / Work package leader / Geophysical Characterization of shallow aquifers : Publication(s) : 3 ; conférence(s) : 3
• Interreg “glaciar risk” / 2010-2011 / European project / 15000 / Work package leader / Measurement of the amount of liquid water in a glacier by RMP /Publication(s) : 3 ; conférence(s) : 3
• Is there liquid water in the glaciar of tete rousse ? / 2009 / « TUNES » UJF/ 12000 / Main leader / Liquid water in the Tête Rousse glacier ? / Publication(s) : 3 ; conférence(s) : 1
• Impact of land use changes on the genesis of floods / 2008-2010 / EC2CO France / 5000 / Work package leader/ Publication(s) : 2 ; conférence(s) : 2
• Paraphyme : management of old waste /2009-2010 / ADEME / France / 13000 / Work package leader / Temporal monitoring of waste resistivity by TDEM probing
• Bioreactor Optimization of waste management / 2007-2009 /ANR / France / 10 000 / Work package leader /Temporal monitoring of waste resistivity by TDEM probing / Publication(s) : 2 ; conférence(s) : 3
• Ghyraf  : Gravimetry and Hydrology in Africa. 2008-2010 ANR / Niger-Bénin / 5 000 / Work package leader / Geophysical characterization of gravity meter sites : Lake Chad, Niger / Publication(s) : 3 ; conférence(s) : 1.
• Lake Chad  : Water resources and environmental impacts / 2008-2010 / IRD Programme Structurant Pilote (PSP) / Niger / 14 000 / work package leader / Hydrogeophysical component : characterization of the Komadougou aquifer / Publication(s) : 1 ; conférence(s) : 1
• Biogeochemical functioning of the Kabini river basins, South India. / 2003-2006 / ECCO et EC2CO / Inde / 15 000 / Work package leader / Contribution of hydrogeophysics to the hydrology of the experimental watersheds of the ORE program / Publication(s) : 3 ; conférence(s) : 3
• Granitic aquifers of the Hyderabad region, India / 2003-2005 / CEFIPRA / Inde Work package leader / Contribution of TDEM to the recognition of granite alterites / Publication(s) :/conférence(s) : 1
• Relationship between soils and hydrology in sub-Saharan Africa / 2000-2003 / PNSE / Burkina Faso / 30 000 / Work package leader / geophysical temporal monitoring in Burkina Faso / Publication(s) : 3 ; conférence(s) : 4
• Snow and Tropical Glaciers / 1998 / Programme NGT IRD / Bolivie / 5000 / Work package leader / Contribution of the geological radar to the determination of the thickness of glaciers. / Publication(s) : 2 ; conférence(s) : 2
• Hydrological functioning of the aquifer of the Bolivian altiplano / 1998 PNRH / Bolivie / 15 000 / Work package leader / Parametrization of the Bolivian Altiplano aquifers by TDEM soundings / Publication(s) : 2 ; conférence(s) : 2
• Study of the Super Sauze landslide / 1998-1999 / PNRN / France / 3000 / Work package leader / TDEM surveys on landslides / Publication(s) : 2 ; conférence(s) : 1
• « HydroFournaise » / Aquifers of the Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion) / 1994-1997 / Conseil Général de l’île de la Réunion / Work package leader / Contribution of TDEM soundings and VLF mapping to the detection of fresh water in insular volcanic environment. /Publication(s) 4 ; conférence(s) : 3
• The aquifers of the Fogo volcano (Archipelago of Cape-Vert) / 1995 / Mission de coopération Française / Archipel du Cap-Vert / 7000 / Main leader / Contribution of the TDEM soundings and influence of the complex conductivity / Publication(s) : 2 ; conférence(s) : 2

POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH SUPERVISION, TEACHING

• 6 PhD thesis supervisions, 6 co-supervised.
• 26 Masters or engineering thesis internships supervision
• 9 PhD jurys (5 as main reviewer)
• 2008-2019 : supervisor for hydro-geophysics modules of the Master 2 "Hydroressources",
• 2007-2016 : Geophysics courses of the 5th year engineer program "Polytech" in Grenoble
• 2010-2015 : supervisor for hydro-geophysics modules at Univ. Abomey Calavi, Benin.
• 2021 : Hydro-geophysics course at HCMUT, Vietnam.

CONFERENCES AND SUMMER SCHOOL ORGANIZATION

• Main organizer in France of 2 national geophysical conferences : GEOFCAN 2021-Grenoble and CRITEX Autrans-2017, 80 scientists.
• Two CRITEX technical schools (2014, 2019) on resistivity techniques
• Main organizer of 6 scientific days
• Main organizer of 10 summer schools on hydro-geophysics (France, Guinea, India, Sri Lanka, Benin, Burkina Faso, Bolivia, Vietnam)