Department: Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry

Faculty: Higher Polytechnic Engineering School

Singular centre: Cross-disciplinary Research in Environmental Technologies Center (CRETUS)

Area: Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry

Research group: Cartography of soils and landscape, phisical-chemistry, degradation and recovery of grounds and waters.

Email: xl.otero@usc.es

Doctor by the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela with the thesis Biogeoquímica de metales pesados en ambientes sedimentarios marinos i. Fluvisoles de la marisma de Ortigueira(no Península Ibérica), ii. Fosa hidrotermal de Guaymas(golfo de California-México) 2000. Supervised by Dr. Felipe Macías Vázquez.

I belong to CRETUS Institute (Cross-Research in Environmental Technologies) at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC). I began my career with my doctoral thesis "Biogeochemistry of heavy metals in marine sedimentary environments, which obtained one extraordinary doctorate awards (Soil Science Spanish Society). During my PhD had a marked practical character and it was developed within the framework of a long scientific collaboration between CRETUS group and researchers from others national and international universities (Portugal, Brazil, Mexico, Ecuador, USA, Wales…). Since then, one of my main research lines are wetland soils like marshes, mangroves (Brazil, Venezuela) and rice land (Ecuador) but in general I am interesting about biogeochemistry of surface environments such as extreme environments (arid, hyperacid, cold and saline environments), effect of seabirds on soils and vegetation, and interaction soil-plant. In addition, I am working in projects related to the recovery of degraded environments such as mining area or soils and contaminated water.