Dynamics and transfers of contaminants (including microplastics) in fluvial systems. From fluvial sediments to waters - Chronics, sources and bioavailability.

Geochemistry, Sedimentology, Anthropocene.

Research Theme: Investigating dynamics and fate of contaminants throughout the sedimentary cascade, with a focus on several interconnected aspects:

• Analyzing the spatio-temporal variability of contaminant concentrations (trace elements, organic compounds and microplastics) at a watershed scale by characterizing sediment archives, emphasizing the roles of the settling environment and sediment matrix, and distinguishing between natural and anthropogenic sources.
• Exploring the evolution of in-situ contaminant concentrations at the particle scale by identifying typical mineralogical signatures of detrital or anthropogenic inputs, and tracking the temporal changes of contaminant-bearing phases.
• Assessing contaminant transfers by studying chemical processes and the stability of contaminant-bearing phases under changing environmental conditions, using controlled microcosm experiments.

Achievements since 2014 at the University of Tours – Full Professor

h-index = 30, 4147 citations

• 51 peer-reviewed papers and data papers in international journals, 3 book chapters and 1 academic book in Geosciences for bachelor students. 55 presentations in international and national conferences.
• I. and participation in 12 research projects funded by several national and regional agencies.
• International collaborations with academic institutes in Czek Republic, Slovenia, Germany, China and Tamil Nadu, India
• 6 doctoral fellowships, 1 joint fellowship with Anna University, 3 postdoctoral fellowships
• Head of the research unit n°6293 Continental GeoHydrosystems – GeHCO, from 2017 to 2023
• Associate dean for research programs at the Faculty of Sciences – University of Tours
• Member of the national board for the French universities (CNU 36 section)
• Director of the PhD school n° 552 – Energy, Materials, Earth sciences and environment
• Adjunct Professor at the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT, India) 2025-2028

At the University of Tours

Since 2024 : Director of the doctoral school “Energy, materials and earth sciences” n° 552

Since 2019 : Associate dean for research programs at the faculty of Sciences

2017-2023 : Head of the research unit « Continental Geohydrosystems » Faculty of Sciences

            2014-2023 : Full member of the Faculty council

            Since 2014 : President of the selection committee for the CNU 36 section

At the national scale

Since 2020 : External expert for the doctoral schools of several French Universities

Since 2019 : Full member of the editorial board for the journal Minerals (IF = 2.5)

Since 2018 : Full member of the national board for the French universities (CNU 36 section)

Since 2018 : Expert for the French-Brazilian program COFECUB

2022-2024 : Full member of the editorial board for PUFR

2017-2019 : Participation at the national work package « Sediments and contaminants »

2023-2025 : Participation at the Patamil project (200 K€) with the French Institute of Pondichery, Anna University and the Dhan foundation (Inde) for agrosystem comparison and soil quality in the Jawadhu hills (India) and the Centre Val de Loire area (France).

2018-2021 : P.I. for the WaterPondy project (200 K€) with the French Institute of Pondichery, Anna University and the French Geological survey at Hylderabad (Inde) for tank silting and urban contaminants.

2015-2019 : P.I. for the ATIM-Hunan project (200 K€) with Hunan Agriculture and Central South Universities (Hunan, China) and the French geological survey to characterize the mining and urban impacts in sediments of the Ce River (Grosbois et al, 2021).

2015-2020 : Participation in the ARCUS program (200 K€)  with Anna University, Centre for water resources (Chennaï, India), the French Institue of Pondichery and the ARCUS French foreign office program to study urban river heavy metal assessment (joined PhD; Saravan et al, 2019)

since 2014 : Several Erasmus mobilities and MSc internships with Palacký University, Geology department (Olomouc, Czek Republic), Institut J.Stefan (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Goethe University (Germany ; Wagner et al, 2014), Anna University (Chennai, India ; ) and Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT Vellore, India).

 2025 in progress

Guejjoud, H., Curie, F., Grosbois, C. 2025. Century-long analysis of nitrogen and phosphorus surplus in French agriculture : trends and drivers. Under review

2024

Chastenet, M., Debret, M., Gardes, T., Schäfer, J., Abdou, M., Lestel, L., Morereau, A., Mourier, B., Grosbois, C., Eyrolle, F., Coynel, A. 2024. Contrasting platinum trajectories in 3 major French rivers using dated sediment cores (1910-2021) : from geochemical baseline to emerging source signals. Sc. Tot. Env., 931, 172937.

Croiset, C., Dhivert, E., Phuong, N-N., Grosbois, C., Zalouk-Vergnoux, A., Baltzer, A., Gaspéri, J., 2024. Exploring possible controlling factors of spatial distribution of microplastics in sediments of a river segment (Loire river, France). Sci. Tot. Env., 956,177328.

Eyrolle, F., Chaboche, P.A., Lepage, H., Gouin, N.V., Boyer, P., De Vismes, A., Seignemartin, G., Badariotti, F., Chabaux, F., Chastanet, M., Claval, D., Copard, Y., Coynel, A., Debret, M., Delus, C., Euzen, C., Gardes, T., Giner, D., Gurriaran, R.,  Grenz, C., Grosbois, C., Lestel, L., Losson, B., Mansuy-Huault, L., Montarges-Pelletier, E., Morereau, A., Mourier, B., Ollive, B., Papillon,R., Schafer, J.,  Schmitt, L., Sempere, R., Winiarski, T., Zebracki, M., Evrard,O. 2024. Temporal trajectories of artificial radiocaesium 137Cs in French rivers over the nuclear era reconstructued from sediment cores. Sci. Reports, 14213

Eyrolle, F., Morereau, A., Zebracki, M., Gouin, V.N., Lepage, H., De Vismes, A., Meyer, A., Montarges-Pelletier, E., Chabaux, F., Coynel, A., Debret, M., Giner, F., Grosbois, C., Gurriaran, R., Mourier, B., Lestel, L. 2024. Anthropogenic legacy of potassium 40 in French large rivers reconstructued from sediment cores. Sci. Tot. Env., 954, 176479.

2023

Guejjoud, H., Curie, F., Grosbois, C. 2023. Analyzing a century of agricultural phosphorus surplus and its long term key drivers in France. Nutrient cycling in agrosystems, doi.org/10.1007/s10705-023-10300-1

2022

Copard, Y., Eyrolle, F., Grosbois, C., Lepage, H., Ducros, L., Morereau, A., Bodereau, N., Cossonnet, C., Desmet, M. 2022. The unravelling of radiocarbon composition of organic carbon in river sediments to document past anthropogenic impacts on river systems. Sci. Tot. Env., 806,4, 150890

Dendievel A.-M., Grosbois C., Ayrault S., Evrard O., Coynel A., Debret M., Gardes T., Euzen C., Schmitt L.,ChabauxF., Winiarski T., Van Der Perk M., Mourier B. 2022. Metal contamination in sediments along Western European Rivers (1945-2020). PANGAEA, DOI: 10.1594/PANGAEA.935416.

Dendeviel, A.M., Grosbois, C., Ayrault, S., Evrard, O., Coynel, A., Debret, M., Gardes, T., Euzen, C., Schmitt, L., Chabaux, F., Winiarsky, T., Van Der Perk, M., Mourier, B. 2022. Key factors influencing metal concentrations in sediments along Western European rivers : a long-term monitoring study (1945-2020). Sci.Tot. Env., 805, 149778.

DesRosiers, A., Gassama, N., Grosbois, C., Lazar, C.S. 2022. Laboratory-controlled experiments reveal microbial community shifts during sediment resuspension events. Genes, 13, 1416.

Dhivert, E., Phuong, N.N., Mourier, B., Grosbois, C., Gaspéri, J. 2022. Microplastic trapping in dam reservoirs driven by complex hydrosedimentary processes (Villerest Reservoir, Loire River, France). Water Research, 225, 119187.

Dhivert, E., Dendeviel, A.M., Desmet, M., Devillers, B., Grosbois, C. 2022. Hydro-sedimentary dysfunctions as a key factor for the storage of contaminants in mountain rivers (Bienne 2 River, Jura Mountains, France). Catena, 213, 106122.

Morereau, A., Jaegler, H., Hain, K., Steier, P., Golser, R., Beaumais, A., Lepage, H., Eyrolle, F., Grosbois, C., Cazala, C., Gourgiotis, A. 2022. Deciphering sources of U contamination using isotope ratio signatures in the Loire River sediments: Exploring the relevance of 233U/236U and stable Pb isotope ratios. Chemosphere, 307, 135658.

Morereau, A., Jaegler, H., Hain, K., Steier, P., Golser, R., Beaumais, A., Lepage, H., Eyrolle, F., Grosbois, C., Cazala, C., Gourgiotis, A. 2022. Deciphering sources of U contamination using isotope ratio signatures in the Loire River sediments: Exploring the relevance of 233U/236U and stable Pb isotope ratios. Chemosphere, 307, 135658.

2021

Grosbois, C., Desmet, M., Zhang, M., Gassama, N., Peng, Q., Zhang, J., Luo, L., Zhang, F., Battaglia, F. 2021. Trace element contamination in one of the Yangtze tributaries (Hunan, China) - Source review and potential release from sediments. Water, 13, 3, 271.

2020

Grosbois, C., Courtin-Nomade, A. 2020. Microscale distribution of trace elements : a methodology for accessing major bearing phases in stream sediments as applied to the Loire basin (France). J. Soils Sed., 20, 498-512

Dendeviel, A.M., Mourier, B., Coynel , A., Evrard, O., Labadie, P., Ayrault, S., Debret, M, Koltalo, F., Copard, Y., Faivre, Q., Gardes, T., Vauclin, S., Budzinski, H., Grosbois, C., Winiarski, T., Desmet, M. 2020. Spatio-temporal assessment of the PCB sediment contamination in four major French river (1945-2018). Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 1153-1170.

Ledieu, L., Simmoneau, A., Cerdan, O., Négrel, P., Laperche, V., Grosbois, C., Laggoun-Défarge, F. 2020. Geochemical insights into spatial and temporal evolution of sediment at catchment scale (Egoutier stream, France). Appl. Geochem., 122,104743

2019

Dendievel A.M.; Mourier B.; Desmet M.; Coynel A.; Labadie P.; Ayrault S.; Budzinski H.; Debret M.; Evrard O.; Gardes T.; Vauclin S.; Grosbois C.; Winiarski T. 2019. Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) indicators in sediments from the main French Rivers from 1945 to 2018 (Garonne, Loire, Rhône, Seine). PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.904277,

Eyrolle, F., Copard, Y., Lepage, H., Ducros, L., Morereau, A., Grosbois, C., Cossonnet, C., Gurriaran, R., Booth, S., Desmet, M. 2019. Evidence for tritium persistence as organically bound forms in river sediments since the past nuclear weapon tests. Sc. reports, 9,11497

Mourier, B., Labadie, P., Desmet, M., Grosbois, C., Raux, J., Debret, M., Copard, Y., Pardon, P., Budzinsky, H., Babut, M. 2019. Combined spatial and retrospective analysis of fluoroalkyl chemicals in fluvial sediments reveal changes in levels and patterns over the last 40 years. Env. Poll., 253, 1117-1125.

Saravanan, S.P., Desmet, M., Kanniperumal, NK., Ramasamy, S., Shumskikh, N., Grosbois, C. 2019. Geochemical Footprint of megacities on river sediments : a case study of the fourth most populous area in India, Chennai. Minerals, 9, 688.

2016

Courtin-Nomade, A., Waltzing, T., Evrard, C., Soubrand, M., Lenain, J.F., Ducloux, E., Ghorbel, S., Grosbois, C., Bril, H. 2016. Arsenic and lead mobility: From tailing materials to the aqueous compartment. Appl. Geochem., 64, 10-21.

Coynel, A. Gorse, L., Curti, C., Schafer, J., Grosbois, C., Morelli, G., Ducassou, E., Blanc, G., Maillet, G., Mojtahid, M. 2016. Spatiale distribution of trace elements and evaluation in the surface sediments of a major European estuary (Loire estuary, France) : source identification and evaluation of anthropogenic contribution. J. of Sea research, 118, 77-91.

Dhivert, E., Grosbois, C., Courtin-Nomade, A., Bourrain, X.., Desmet, M 2016. Dynamics of metallic contaminants at a basin scale — Spatial and temporal reconstruction from four sediment cores (Loire fluvial system, France). ). Science of The Total Environment, 541, 1504-1515.

2015

Bertrand, O., Montamert, L. Grosbois, C., Dhivert, E., Bourrain, X., Labanowski, J., Desmet, C. 2015. Storage and source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments downstream of a major coal district in France. Env. Poll, 207, 329-340.

Dhivert, E., Grosbois, C., Rodrigues, S., Desmet, M. 2015. Influence of fluvial environment on sediment archiving processes and temporal pollutant dynamics (Upper Loire basin, France). Science of The Total Environment, 505, 121-136

Dhivert, E., Grosbois, C., Coynel, A., Lefèvre, I., Desmet, M. 2015. Influences of major flood sediment inputs on sedimentary and geochemical signals archived in a reservoir core (Upper Loire basin, France) Catena, 126, 75-85

2014

Wagner, M., Scherer, C., Alvarez-Muñoz, D., Brennholt, N., Bourrain, X., Buchinger, S., Fries, E., Grosbois, C., Klasmeier, J., Marti, T., Rodriguez-Mozaz, S., Urbatzka, R., Vethaak, D., Margrethe Winther-Nielsen, M., Reifferscheid G. 2014. Microplastics in freshwater ecosystems: what we know and what we need to know. Environmental Sources Europe, 26:12