SGER: Quantifying the Relationships Between Dust Source Variability, Dust Emissions, and Air-to-Sea Deposition

Rutgers University Newark, Newark NJ

Investigators

Abstract

This research project is a case study of the variability of dust sources in China. The goal is to quantify the impact of land-use changes, in particular those due to desertification, on the magnitude of dust emissions, loading in the atmosphere and deposition to the Pacific Ocean. Empirical analyses will be carried out using data collected over the dust source regions in China to investigate the relationships among the sources. The Model of Atmospheric Transport and Chemistry (MATCH, v. 4.2) will be used to simulate dust emissions, transport, and deposition with the improved source emission functions. The results from this work will contribute to a better understanding and prediction of the impacts of changes in dust sources on atmospheric composition and climate. Dust is also an important source of iron, a critical nutrient for phytoplankton growth, in the surface waters of several large regions of the global ocean, so a better quantification of the aeolian iron source has significant impacts on research in global biogeochemical cycles. In addition, this project will foster international collaboration and the sharing of data.