Research
Research on Aerosol-Climate Interactions
Our group's research interests broadly focus on studying the impacts of aerosols (which are tiny particles in the atmosphere) on the Earth system. Because of the many ways these aerosols can interact with several aspects of the Earth system, such as the interactions with radiation, clouds, meteorology, and biogeochemistry, the uncertainties associated with these aerosols are the largest contributor to our inability to understand and accurately interpret the Earth’s changing climate. To reduce these aerosol uncertainties, our group's research focuses on two main aerosol species - the mineral dust aerosols and smoke aerosols. We do so because mineral dust and smoke aerosols are the main absorbing aerosols in the atmosphere, and their absorption of solar radiation could offset, in part, the cooling effect associated with anthropogenic aerosols and potentially add to the warming effect already associated with greenhouse gases. As such, our group's research strives to ask fundamental questions that can give deeper insights into how these aerosols work, and help us better understand and constrain their impact on Earth's system. Broadly, our group's research can broadly be categorized as follows:
Aerosol-Radiation Interactions
Atmospheric aerosol can directly scatter and absorb the radiation from the sun and the Earth's surface. Whether the scattering and absorption of radiation by a particular aerosol type warm or cool the climate depends on the environmental conditions and the aerosol properties. These aerosol properties include, in part, its abundance in the atmosphere, the distribution of its size and shape, and chemical composition.
Our group's research focuses on obtaining better constraints for these aerosol properties, and as such, obtaining a more accurate estimate of their impacts on the Earth's system. In addition, our group's research also seeks to understand other ways aerosols can semi-directly adjust the radiative budget in the atmosphere, such as whether the aerosol layer is above, within, or below the clouds. See our publication page (click here) for selected papers in this area.
Aerosol-Cloud Interactions
Atmospheric aerosols can also interact with clouds, serving as cloud condensation and ice nucleation sites upon which liquid droplets or ice particles can form. Our group is interested in how these cloud interactions with dust and smoke aerosols change cloud cover and precipitation distributions both in warm and cold environments. See our publication page (click here) for selected papers in this area.
Aerosol-Meteorology Interactions
Mineral dust and smoke aerosols can absorb shortwave radiation, warm the nearby atmosphere, and change its dynamical and thermodynamical state. Our group strives to understand and better characterize this relationship between aerosols and meteorology to get a more accurate picture of aerosol impacts on the Earth system. See our publication page for selected papers in this area. See our publication page (click here) for selected papers in this area.
Aerosol-Human Interactions
Aerosol particles, such as dust and smoke particles, affect human health in several ways. High concentrations of aerosols can also cause severe air quality conditions and traffic accidents. When inhaled, fine particles can result in lung irritations, respiratory illnesses (including asthma, bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and even Cardiovascular effects. Our group is interested in exploring the connections between aerosols, particularly dust and smoke particles, with human health. See our publication page (click here) for selected papers in this area.
Aerosol-Biogeochemistry Interactions
Aerosol particles, including mineral dust aerosols, can carry essential nutrients, including iron and phosphorus, across continents and oceans. Upon deposition, these nutrients can stimulate primary productivity in oceans and terrestrial ecosystems, influencing nutrient availability, ecosystem dynamics, and even carbon sequestration. Our group is broadly interested in topics related to aerosol-biogeochemistry interactions. See our publication page (click here) for selected papers in this area.