Safiye Tul
Research Area:
🌿Soil Biogeochemistry 🌿Carbon & Nitrogen Cycling 🌿Climate-Resilient Agriculture
"I’m passionate about understanding how Mediterranean soils respond to climate stress like drought and rewetting. These processes trigger unpredictable CO₂ and N2O fluxes and C degradation that threaten soil health and climate goals. I focus on soil processes that can be routed through organic farming strategies to build resilience and reduce GHG emissions," Safiye Tul.
About the mobility grant visit
Hosting Institution: Norwegian University of Life Sciences (MNBU), Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource
From April 2025 – July 2026
Project Title: Soil C and N Cycling in Cretan Orchard Karst Soils
Research methodology: Conduct controlled incubation experiments with Cretan orchard soils from ongoing field experiments testing organic management strategies.
Objectives of research visit:
- Analyze C transformation dynamics by applying ¹³C isotopic tracers partitioning CO₂ emissions into biotic (microbial) and abiotic (carbonate) sources
- Quantify microbial N transformation potentials as affected by soil management (till-no till, cover crop, pruning residues, biochar)
- Clarify the mechanisms behind elevated COâ‚‚ emissions during drying-rewetting cycles in Mediterranean karst soils
- Evaluate how organic management practices influence soil C and N cycling, and GHG emissions
Expected results and relevance for the organic sector:
- Robust data on how different organic farming practices affect soil C and N dynamics under climate fluctuations
- Actionable insights to enhance soil health, carbon sequestration, and GHG mitigation in Mediterranean organic oliviculture systems
- Contribute to EU soil restoration goals by identifying practices that build resilience in degraded karst soils
- Supporting the organic sector’s role in climate adaptation
Safiye Tul
PhD Candidate
School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Greece
Academic Background (BA and MA degrees):
BA degree Agricultural engineering, Ege University, Turkey, 2015-2019, Governmental scholarship
MsC degree, Sustainable agriculture, Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania, 2019-2021, MAICH Scholarship
Traineeship, Sustainable agriculture, Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania and Institute of Olive Tree, Subtropical Crops and Viticulture, 2021-2022, MAICH Scholarship