Short Term Scientific Mission (STSMs) are a COST networking tool that enable Early Stage Researchers to go to an institution or laboratory in another country in order to foster collaboration, to learn a new technique, or to take measurements using instruments and/or methods not available in their own institution/laboratory. Calls for STSMs were advertised four times a year, and 44 awards were made from the 80 applications received over the course of the four year Action. A detailed summary of the applications by year, country of origin and destination, gender, applicant status and titles of accepted applicants can be found here:
A number of STSMs were organised in collaboration between different Working Groups.
Soils and hydrology:
- Vincent Felde (DE to IT): Contribution of extracellular polymeric substances to biological soil crust structure
- Vincent Felde (DE to IT): Development of hydro-physical parameters and soil structure of induced biological soil crusts
- Vincent Felde (DE to PT): The effect of the 3D-structure and hydrophobicity of different bryophyte communities of biological crusts
- Federico Rossi (IT to DE) The analysis of the structure of BSC to assess the role of EPS in hydrological cycles: TBC
- Alessandra Adessi (IT to PT) Understanding the ecophysiology of BSCs in drylands: TBC
- Alessandra Adessi (IT to PT) Understanding the role of EPS in the physiology of Biological Soil Crusts in drylands: TBC
- Ibrahim Molla (BG to PT) The role of bioscrusts on soil-water dynamics in a semi-arid ecosystem along biotic and abiotic stress gradients: TBC
- Sonia Chamizo (ES to IT) Relationship between exopolysaccharides produced by biocrusts and their hydraulic properties: TBC
- Isaac Kedem (IL to DE) Investigating the energetic strategy of Chlorella ohadii, a largely unknown component of desert sand crusts: TBC
- Melanie Batista (PT to DE): Measurement of soil water balance with fast track isotope field method in a desertification gradient
- Nadia Bianconi (IT to PT) Measurement of soil water balance with fast track isotope field methods and soil aridity index: TBC
- Alice Nunes (PT to DE): Measurement of soil water balance with fast track Isotope field method in a desertification gradient
- Ariel Cohen (IL to BE): Interaction between soil eosion, hydrology and nutrient cycling in a dryland environment
- Ilan Stavi (IL to IT): Assessing soil organic carbon pool and related soil quality indices following erosion/deposition
- Lucrezia Caon (NL to ES) Dryland degradation: interaction between land use, hydrology and nutrient cycling: TBC
- Lourdes Luna Ramos (ES to IT): Effects of organic amendments and native plants on soil macroporosity and bacterial diversity
- Alban de Lavenne (FR to IS) Database development for land degradation and restoration projects: TBC
Plants and ecology:
- David Fuentes (ES to PT) Restoration assessment at landscape and plant level: TBC
- Nadia Bianconi (IT to PT) Measurement of soil water balance with fast track isotope field methods and soil aridity index: TBC
- Alessandra Adessi (IT to PT) Understanding the ecophysiology of BSCs in drylands: TBC
- Alessandra Adessi (IT to PT) Understanding the role of EPS in the physiology of Biological Soil Crusts in drylands: TBC
- Vincent Felde (DE to PT): The effect of the 3D-structure and hydrophobicity of different bryophyte communities of biological crusts
- Ibrahim Molla (BG to PT) The role of bioscrusts on soil-water dynamics in a semi-arid ecosystem along biotic and abiotic stress gradients: TBC
- Luca Paoli (IT) Physiological response of lichens to climatic and nitrogen stress in dry environments: TBC
- Alice Nunes (PT to DE): Measurement of soil water balance with fast track Isotope field method in a desertification gradient
- Melanie Batista (PT to DE): Measurement of soil water balance with fast track isotope field method in a desertification gradient
- Adriana Príncipe (PT to FI) Measuring patterns of vegetation structure along a successional and desertification gradient: TBC
Land management:
- Marta Ruiz-Colmenero (ES to AU) Grazing effects on dryland function: TBC
- Vera Ferreira (PT to CH): Sustainable land management and decision support
- Angelique Costa (PT to GR) Runoff erosion and combat of desertification: TBC
- Matteo Jucker (CH to IT) How to assess SLM impact on dryland dynamics: TBC
- Bouajila Essifi (TN to ES) Land condition status: assessment and monitoring of land degradation in southern Tunisia: TBC
- Amal Hachani (TN to IT): Use of microwave remote sensing for drought monitoring in dry areas
- Troy Sternberg (UK to FR): Mapping potential groundwater for sustainable Gobi Desert communities
In addition to the award of individual STSMs, three joint STSMs were organised, involving a total of 15 Early Stage Researchers:
- WOCAT (World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies) at the University of Bern (CH), April 2013: Maarten de Boever (BE): Maarten De Boever, Celia Barbero Sierra (ES), Blanca Sastre (ES):Blanca Sastre, Dimitrios Chouvardas (GR):Dimitrios Chouvardas, Ioannis Daliakopoulos (GR), Torsten Starkloff (NO), Sergio Prats Alegre (PT).
- WOCAT (World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies) at the University of Bern (CH), April 2014: Maya Real Straccia (ES), Miguel Angel Fernandez Carillo (ES), Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir (RO), Raul Cordova (FI), Edmund Asare (FI).
- The influence of land management strategies on soil properties, at the Autonomous University of Madrid (ES), May 2014: Steve Crittenden (NL): Steve Crittenden, Vera Ferreira (PT): Vera Ferreira_Spain, Augustine Otekhile (IT).
Desert Restoration Hub 