CNIC: US-Switzerland-Australia Site Visits to Advance Black Carbon Research through New International Collaborations

Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO

Investigators

Abstract

With NSF support, prinicpal investigator Francesca Cotrufo will initiate new collaboration with partners at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and the James Cook University, in Cairns, Australia, to expand and enhance Colorado State University's Black Carbon (BC) research program. The goal is to identify the most suitable method for large-scale, accurate quantification of BC in the environment. Black Carbon is produced by combustion of organic matter during fire, and is a ubiquitous component of soils. While our mechanistic understanding of BC dynamics in soil and its movement via dissolution into rivers and the ocean is advancing rapidly, our ability to produce large-scale accurate estimates for the parameters used in models is still limited by the available methods. In concert with CSU colleagues,the PI has developed the Benzene Polycarboxylic Acid (BPCA) method for accurate quantification of BC in soils, sediments and water and analyzed over 200 samples from these different matrices. While abroad, the US team will add to the overall effort by working with their counterparts to analyze these samples by two other methods: the Mid-IR method at the University of Zurich, and the Hydrogen-Pyrolysis (Hy-Py) method at James Cook University. Both methods have the potential to significantly contribute to large-scale BC studies, as they are relatively inexpensive and have high throughput. Finally, at a data-synthesis meeting in Colorado, the U.S., Swiss and Australian partners will collectively analyze and integrate their data for the purpose of considering next steps toward a longer-term cooperative BC research effort. If successful, their preliminary results should help identify an improved method for large-scale BC analyses in a range of environmental matrices and therefore further enhance our understanding and modelling of BC dynamics. This catalytic partnership will promote the education and professional development of one U.S. student and an early career scientist from CSU, through international research visits and engagement in multi-national collaboration. For broader impact, a teaching module on Black Carbon in Soils and in the Global Carbon Cycle will be developed and included in a senior level on-line class, available for registration world-wide through the CSU On-line Plus system. Furthermore, when completed, this module will become part of the online video lectures in the framwork of master studies in soil science and biogeochemistry at the University of Zurich.