Time: 16:00-17:00 pm, Friday, May 19, 2017
Venue: Lecture Hall, Labor Union
Speaker: Dr. SHI Zongbo
Abstract
Millions of tons of aerosol particles are transported to remote oceans and forests each year. These particles, once deposited, provide the ecosystems with an external source of nutrients, such as iron, phosphorus, and nitrogen. This, in turn, stimulates primary production (a plant’s ability to produce complex organic compounds from water, carbon dioxide, and simple nutrients) and enhances carbon uptake and thus indirectly affects the climate. In this talk, I will introduce what are atmospheric nutrients and why they are important in the biogeochemical cycles and the earth system functioning. I will then describe our current understanding on the key natural and anthropogenic sources of atmospheric nutrients. I will also explain how atmospheric processes may affect the atmospheric nutrient deposition to the marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Finally, I will outline how atmospheric nutrients may affect the ecosystems and how this may affect the climate system.
