While many people focus on the effects of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, other aspects of climate change are less well-known. Foroutan, an associate professor in civil and environmental engineering and affiliated faculty at the Global Change Center in the Fralin Life Sciences Institute, aims to highlight these impacts.
With two innovative projects totaling nearly $1.4 million, Foroutan is concentrating on airborne mineral dust and soil-derived nitrous oxide. These projects will address climate change factors such as the Earth's radiation balance and agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.
Decoding Dust
Mineral dust plays a key role in shaping Earth's climate and ecosystems.
"Every year, 1 [billion] to 2 billion metric tons of mineral dust are emitted into the atmosphere," said Foroutan.
Originating from dry regions, dust emissions significantly contribute to atmospheric aerosols. They can alter cloud formation, affect air quality, and influence plant growth. Despite advancements in surface soil mineralogy atlases based on field observations, these atlases are sparse and fail to account for regional variations in dust's radiative and biogeochemical properties.
The NASA Earth Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) mission represents a major advance in understanding dust mineralogy. Using hyperspectral imaging, EMIT collects data on the color and composition of Earth's dry regions from the International Space Station. This data promises to improve comprehension of Earth's mineral dust cycle and its impact on global temperatures by either reflecting sunlight or trapping heat. However, there remains a lack of resolution to fully capture the dynamics of atmospheric dust plumes. Bridging this gap is essential for refining our understanding of dust's role in the Earth system and leveraging EMIT's potential for scientific advancement.
"We do not yet fully understand if dust particles warm or cool the atmosphere," said Foroutan. While data from EMIT provides a higher level of understanding about the mineralogy of soil and dust on Earth's surface, the question of how the mineralogy of airborne dust differs from that of parent soil still remains. "Our project aims to address this critical question."
Foroutan has been awarded $680,000 by the NASA Science Mission Directorate to research the evolution of mineralogy and geochemistry of dust plumes to bridge this gap.
Why It Matters: Mineral dust plays a crucial role in Earth's environmental processes, affecting climate and ecosystems. Dust from arid regions is a major source of atmospheric particles, influencing solar radiation, cloud formation, precipitation patterns, air chemistry, human health, and nutrient distribution.
The Oversimplification Problem: Many climate models treat dust as a uniform substance, overlooking composition variations that significantly impact its effects. This simplification can lead to inaccuracies, as different compositions, such as varying iron oxide levels, can change dust's influence from cooling to warming.
The EMIT Mission: In 2022, NASA's EMIT mission began mapping the mineral composition of arid regions with advanced imaging to improve our understanding of Earth's dust cycle. However, we still lack detailed knowledge of how dust mineralogy evolves during atmospheric travel, especially on regional scales.
This Study: This project will focus on the relationship between dust mineralogy and atmospheric processes, particularly between African source regions and Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. By analyzing dust samples from these areas, Foroutan and his team aim to understand how dust composition changes during its journey and its impact on climate, ultimately reducing uncertainties in climate models.
Approach: The team will integrate data from satellite observations, ground-based measurements, and atmospheric modeling to uncover how dust affects Earth's climate. They will use a multiplatform framework to establish connections between dust mineralogy changes and atmospheric processes.
Related Links
Virginia Tech College of Engineering
Climate Science News - Modeling, Mitigation Adaptation
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