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DrIbrahim Khalil

Senior Research Fellow

School of Agriculture and Food Science

Orcid identifier0000-0002-0968-2672 (opens in a new tab)⁠
  • Senior Research Fellow
    School of Agriculture and Food Science
  • 0857859546
  • University College Dublin, School of Agriculture and Food Science, Agriculture and Food Science Belfield Dublin 4

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Main research interests are:
- Biogeochemistry of carbon and nitrogen cycles in terrestrial and aquatic systems using conventional and isotope techniques. - Soils and Climate Change: measurement, monitoring and mitigation of GHGs and air pollutants emitting from agricultural systems. 
- Development of methodologies for accounting and reporting emission of GHGs and SOC density/stocks in agriculture and the associated land use change using together with high resolution databases and GIS approaches.
- Development of Whole Farm Systems/Landscape Models/digital platforms for land use planning, decision-making and informing policy, as well as improvement of process-based models for estimation/simulation of GHGs, SOC density/stock and their changes, as well as air pollutants.

On-going research activities:

- A Comprehensive Digital Platform for Land Use Planning, Carbon Footprinting and Decision-Making in European Agriculture (HOLOSEU)" funded by ERA-NET Co-Fund ICT-AGRI-FOOD. Coordinator with 7 partners from Europe, 

 

- Towards a Systems-based Digital Platform for Agricultural Land Use Planning, Management Decisions, and Inventory Reporting (HOLOS-IE); Funded by European Commission Recovery and Resilience Facility and Government of Ireland under the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI: Research Ireland) Future Digital Challenge Grant Number 22/NCF/FD/10947. Project Lead with 2 co-leads and about 15 national collaborators.

- True SOC sequestration: understanding trade-offs and dynamic interactions between SOC stocks and GHG emissions for climate-smart agrisoil management (TRUESOIL); European Joint Programme (EJP) Soil-funded, Non-RPO partner (PCD). Coordinator: Germany with 12 EU/International Partners (Duration: April 2022-March 2025) (UCD Partner/PCD Non-RPO partner).

- Back to the Future: Reintegrating Land and Livestock for Greenhouse Gas Mitigation and Circularity (ReLive, ERA-NET Cofunds SusAn, FACCE ERA-GAS, ICT-AGRI-FOOD and SusCrop; Lead: UCD, Ireland with 10 EU/International partners include PCD as a non-RPO partner, Project-Co-coordinator)- Duration (March 2022-February 2025) – Funded. For more info: https://relive-era.net/

Completed projects:
- Managing and Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Carbon Sequestration in Different Landscape Mosaics (GHG-Manage) (nternational; ERA-GAS FACCE-funded), Project Co-coordinator): "
- Ensemble Modelling: Inter-comparison of of process-based models for prediction of C and N emissions from Irish agriculture and their uncertainties (Inter-institutional; DAFM-funded).
- Sourcing and Assessing Agricultural Activity data for Modelling and National Estimates of Greenhouse Gases and Air Pollutants (EPA-funded; Project Coordinator).
- Development of Methodologies and Modelling for Accounting Greenhouse Gases and Organic Carbon Stocks in Agricultural Soils of Ireland (EPA-funded; Project Coordinator).
- Subsoil and groundwater denitrification (DAFM-funded; Lead: Teagasc; Project Manager).
- Maximising the efficiency of slurry-N and urea-N utilisation by grassland using nitrification and urease inhibitors as a strategy for environmental protection (DAFM-funded, Lead: Teagasc: Collaborator).
- New biodegradable hydrogel materials for the delivery of nitrification and urease inhibitors (DAFF-funded; Lead: NUI Maynooth; Co-author).
- Reducing nitrogen excretion, ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions from dairy, beef and pig farms: Evaluation a whole farm approach (Part-Project: Teagasc Walsh Fellowship, Lead: Teagasc; Collaborator).

GRANTS

  • GRANT
    Towards net zero emissions without compromising agricultural sustainability: what is achievable?,
    OECD Co-operative Research Programme: Biological Resource Management for Sustainable Agricultural Systems (CRP)28 Aug 2022 - 31 Aug 2022
    The panel discussion, which is independent of, but within the overall scope of ISCRAES-2022, will provide an international platform to discuss research findings/outputs, exchange scientific ideas and expertise and contribute to the climate change and environmental pollution debate, including the soil and water dilemma associated with agricultural systems. Advanced technological alternatives that enrich agricultural biodiversity and trade-off opportunities will also receive attention with the aim of reducing the climate and environmental pressures from agriculture and relevant sectors, leading to recommendations for changing the current policies and the adoption of environmentally and economically viable best practices. This includes re-defining best practice approaches and the introduction of measures that are beneficial to both the farming and wider community.
  • GRANT
    True SOC sequestration: understanding trade-offs and dynamic interactions between SOC stocks and GHG emissions for climate-smart agrisoil management
    2021 TransNational EJP Soil Era-Net/DAFM, Ireland1 Apr 2022 - 31 Mar 2022
    The main goal of TRUESOIL is to assess how GHG emissions from agricultural production systems are influenced by varying OC inputs for contrasting soil types and climates (i.e. boreal, temperate, Mediterranean and semi-oceanic). We will elucidate the roles of different abiotic and biotic factors in OC storage and the extent to which these factors impact on GHG emissions, in particular N2O, given its high warming potential and large uncertainty in flux estimates. Many C-augmenting management interventions are known, or have the potential, to modify soil N cycling leading to enhanced N2O emissions. To understand potential trade-offs between OC storage and GHG emissions, we combine intensive measurements of GHG fluxes with carbon-nitrogen cycling studies and microbiological analyses. Comparison of soils that are SOC saturated with those that continue to accumulate SOC will aid in the identification of the major drivers. Using rainfall exclusion experiments, we will also examine the future impact of reductions in precipitation on interactions between SOC accumulation and GHG emissions. TRUESOIL will establish a data repository of past and ongoing research on management-climate interrelationships between GHG emissions and soil SOC sequestration; it will also provide information on the factors likely to influence trade-offs between SOC sequestration and GHG fluxes, including pedoclimatic conditions, management interventions, soil microbial community composition and C/N budgets (WP1). The repository will serve as basis for overall project activities; examine the impacts of rainfall exclusion on SOC sequestration and GHG emissions (WP2); investigate the role of microbial communities in SOC sequestration and N2O emissions (WP3); and use modelling studies to examine C-N interactions and tradeoffs to identify management options that can maximize SOC sequestration whilst minimizing impacts on soil GHG emissions (WP4). TRUESOIL will then synthesize the scientific outcomes and translate them to climate-smart management practices (WP5) which will be disseminated and communicated among the scientific community, stakeholders and the general public (WP6). This project will lead to an increased understanding of how environmental factors and management control OC sequestration, SOC persistence and stabilization and how this is linked to GHG emissions, opening up new possibilities for soil-specific and climate mitigation strategies.
  • GRANT
    Back to the Future: Reintegrating Land and Livestock for Greenhouse Gas Mitigation and Circularity (opens in a new tab)⁠
    Trans National ERA-NET/DAFM, Ireland1 Feb 2022 - 31 Jan 2025
    Development of the circular agro-economy through the use of mixed farming systems that involve the re- introduction of livestock could make a significant contribution to the effective recycling of resources, reductions in the use of synthetic fertilizers, increased carbon sequestration and the enhancement of biodiversity and soil health. However, this is associated with significant challenges, such as potentially significant increases in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, water pollution and land degradation with uncertain economic implications. To address these issues, the ReLive project will take a systems-based approach to an assessment of the impacts and consequences of livestock reintroduction focusing on livestock type and management, the appropriate use and storage of manures, crop choice, including direct grazing of crops and/or their residues, and the use of afforestation/agroforestry. In addition to new experimental information a range of harmonized farm-level data sets (crop, soil, livestock, climate and earth observations) will be collected and archived. One of the main objectives is to implement whole farm modelling, using the HOLOS model for GHG abatement by identifying an optimal combination of land uses and management scenarios. This will include the analysis of benefits, limitations, and trade-offs associated with reintegrating livestock with cropping systems either alone or in combination with forestry/afforestation. The HOLOS model will be upgraded through the replacement of algorithms to fit Irish/EU conditions based on literature information and the use of response functions. We will examine the economic consequences of livestock reintegration and provide an incentivized framework for farmers, as well as examine how alternative livestock dietary feed sources and methane uptake by soils could contribute to the improvement of whole farm methane budgets. Finally, UCD will also have responsibility for managing the project, lead the dissemination, communication and stakeholder activities and explore how the results can be exploited for practical benefits and policy formulation.
  • GRANT
    International Symposium on Climate-Resilient Agri-Environmental Systems (ISCRAES)
    Environmental Protection Agency (Epa)19 Jul 2020 - 18 Jul 2021
    People funded by this grant:
  • GRANT
    Climate-Resilient Agri-Environmental Systems (CRAES) (opens in a new tab)⁠
    UCD Earth Institute1 Jul 2018
    A multi-disciplinary group for research, education and outreach to help mitigate climate change, reduce environmental pollution, and ensure food security
  • GRANT
    Managing and Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Carbon Sequestration In Different Landscape Mosaics (GHG-Manage) (opens in a new tab)⁠
    FACCE ERA-GAS, EU and DAFM, Ireland1 Sep 2017 - 31 Aug 2020
    Different landscape mosaics contribute an as yet poorly quantified contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon sequestration, as well as having an uncertain direct warming effect through variations in their surface properties thereby limiting our ability to implement mitigation measures at the farm scale. In this project we aim to assess the GHG characteristics and surface-related warming effects of the most relevant European landscape types and examine the optimum configuration of different land uses and management interventions, including afforestation-related GHG offsetting, to minimise or reduce GHG emissions. We will provide information that can be utilised for on-farm reporting tools, including an economic tool and the Cool Farm Tool (CFT), whilst also using this information to both refine and increase the utility of these approaches, particularly in relation to CH4 and N2O exchange and for organic soils. Important compensation mechanisms will be quantified and their impact on regional to national scale GHG emissions and soil carbon stocks assessed. Finally, appropriate methodologies to report and verify the effects of landscape scale GHG emission compensation mechanisms, both top-down and bottom-up, will be developed and assessed.
  • GRANT
    Irish Land Use Emission and Sequestration Support Tool
    Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine1 Jul 2017 - 31 Dec 2019
    Task 3: Ensemble Modelling: Inter-comparison of process-based models for prediction of C and N emissions from Irish agriculture and their uncertainties
  • GRANT
    Agricultural Activity Data for Modelling and National Estimates of Greenhouse Gases and Air Pollutants (opens in a new tab)⁠
    Environmental Protection Agency1 May 2015 - 30 Jun 2017
  • GRANT
    Landuse and Agriculture Emissions of Greenhouse Gases
    Environmental Protection Agency (Epa)1 Dec 2009 - 31 Dec 2012
    People funded by this grant: