World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Gerard Govers

Gerard Govers

Award Badge
Earth Science
Belgium
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Earth Science

D-Index
110
Citations
42543
World Ranking
75
National Ranking
2

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Earth Science in Belgium Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Earth Science in Belgium Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Earth Science in Belgium Leader Award
  • 2022 - Research.com Earth Science in Belgium Leader Award

Overview

Gerard Govers is affiliated with KU Leuven in Belgium and specializes in environmental science and earth and planetary sciences. Their body of work spans multiple subfields, notably ecology, soil science, oceanography, atmospheric science, and management, monitoring, policy, and law.

The scientist's research encompasses a range of topics with significant contributions to soil erosion and sediment transport, geophysics and gravity measurements, coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics, geology and paleoclimatology research, landslides and related hazards, hydrology and sediment transport processes, and soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics.

Recent notable publications by Gerard Govers include:

  • How soil erosion and runoff are related to land use, topography and annual precipitation: Insights from a meta-analysis of erosion plots in China (2021, The Science of The Total Environment)
  • Historical dynamics of landslide risk from population and forest-cover changes in the Kivu Rift (2021, Nature Sustainability)
  • Soil lifespans and how they can be extended by land use and management change (2020, Environmental Research Letters)
  • Parameterization of river incision models requires accounting for environmental heterogeneity: insights from the tropical Andes (2020, Earth Surface Dynamics)
  • Under pressure: Rapid lavaka erosion and floodplain sedimentation in central Madagascar (2021, The Science of The Total Environment)

Frequent co-authors working alongside Gerard Govers include Liesbet Jacobs, Jean-Philippe Belliard, Stijn Temmerman, Olivier Gourgue, and Benjamin Campforts.

The scientist frequently publishes in several venues, among which:

  • Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
  • Biogeosciences
  • Nature Sustainability
  • Earth Surface Dynamics
  • The Science of The Total Environment

Best Publications

  • The European Soil Erosion Model (EUROSEM): A dynamic approach for predicting sediment transport from fields and small catchments.

    Rpc Morgan;JN Quinton;RE Smith;Gerard Govers

  • A GIS procedure for automatically calculating the USLE LS factor on topographically complex landscape units

    Pjj Desmet;Gerard Govers

  • The impact of agricultural soil erosion on the global carbon cycle

    K. Van Oost;T. A. Quine;G. Govers;S. De Gryze

  • The impact of agricultural soil erosion on biogeochemical cycling

    John N. Quinton;Gerard Govers;Kristof Van Oost;Richard D. Bardgett

  • Rates and spatial variations of soil erosion in Europe: A study based on erosion plot data

    O. Cerdan;G. Govers;Y. Le Bissonnais;K. Van Oost

  • Evaluating the effects of changes in landscape structure on soil erosion by water and tillage

    Kristof Van Oost;Gerard Govers;Phillipe Desmet

  • Modeling Soil Processes: Review, Key Challenges, and New Perspectives

    H. Vereecken;A. Schnepf;J. W. Hopmans;M. Javaux

  • Resistance of soils to concentrated flow erosion: A review

    Anke Knapen;Jean Poesen;Gerard Govers;Gwendolyn Gyssels

  • Grain-size analysis by laser diffractometry: comparison with the sieve-pipette method

    Laurent Beuselinck;Gerard Govers;Jean Poesen;G. Degraer

  • Modelling mean annual sediment yield using a distributed approach

    Anton J. J. Van Rompaey;Gert Verstraeten;Kristof Van Oost;Gerard Govers

  • The role of tillage in soil redistribution on hillslopes

    Gerard Govers;Karel Vandaele;P Desmet;Jean Poesen

  • Adoption of soil conservation practices in Belgium: An examination of the theory of planned behaviour in the agri-environmental domain

    Erwin Wauters;Charles Bielders;Jean Poesen;Gerard Govers

  • Predicting soil erosion and sediment yield at regional scales: Where do we stand?

    Joris de Vente;Jean Poesen;Gert Verstraeten;Gerard Govers

  • Erosion models: quality of spatial predictions

    Victor Jetten;Gerard Govers;Rudi Hessel

  • Prediction of landslide susceptibility using rare events logistic regression: A case-study in the Flemish Ardennes (Belgium)

    M. Van Den Eeckhaut;T. Vanwalleghem;J. Poesen;G. Govers

  • Empirical relationships for the transport capacity of overland flow

    G. Govers

  • Impact of vegetation on flow routing and sedimentation patterns: Three-dimensional modeling for a tidal marsh

    S Temmerman;TJ Bouma;Gerard Govers;ZB Wang

  • The response of soil erosion and sediment export to land-use change in four areas of Europe: The importance of landscape pattern

    Martha M. Bakker;Gerard Govers;Anne van Doorn;Fabien Quetier

  • Assessing the effect of soil tillage on crop growth: A meta-regression analysis on European crop yields under conservation agriculture

    An Van den Putte;Gerard Govers;Jan Diels;Katleen Gillijns

  • Relationship between discharge, velocity and flow area for rills eroding loose, non‐layered materials

    Gerard Govers

  • Soil erosion as a driver of land-use change

    Martha M. Bakker;Gerard Govers;Costas Kosmas;Veerle Vanacker

Frequent Co-Authors

Jean Poesen
Jean Poesen KU Leuven
Kristof Van Oost
Kristof Van Oost Université Catholique de Louvain
Veerle Vanacker
Veerle Vanacker Université Catholique de Louvain
Jan Nyssen
Jan Nyssen Ghent University
Jozef Deckers
Jozef Deckers KU Leuven
Nigussie Haregeweyn
Nigussie Haregeweyn Tottori University
Jan Moeyersons
Jan Moeyersons Royal Museum for Central Africa
Timothy A. Quine
Timothy A. Quine University of Exeter

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Report an issue

We appreciate your kind effort to assist us to improve this page, it would be helpful providing us with as much detail as possible in the text box below:

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

For those interested in expanding their skills beyond Earth Science, there are numerous related online degrees available that cater to diverse interests and career goals. Veterans looking to enrich their education might consider spanish programs online for veterans, which provide flexible options tailored to their unique needs.

Creative professionals drawn to the visual interpretation of natural phenomena could explore an online mfa visual arts program. This pathway allows students to develop their artistic skills while studying remotely, opening opportunities in design, media, and education.

For those aiming to enhance their leadership capabilities within scientific organizations or related fields, an online masters degree in human resource management can be a valuable choice. This degree supports career growth in managing teams and organizational development.

Seniors or individuals seeking accelerated learning options might benefit from exploring one year degrees for seniors. These programs provide a quick yet comprehensive educational experience, allowing for career transitions or personal enrichment without lengthy time commitments.

Best Scientists Citing Gerard Govers

Trending Scientists

Recently Published Articles