Time: 9:30am, 19th Mar. 2021
Zoom ID: 670 2109 5883
Speaker: Dr. Nandita Basu, University of Waterloo
Abstract:
The terrestrial biosphere can release or absorb the greenhouse gases (GHG), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), and therefore has an important role in regulating atmospheric composition and climate. Anthropogenic activities such as land-use change, agriculture and waste management have altered terrestrial biogenic GHG fluxes, and the resulting increases in CH4 and N2O emissions in particular can contribute to climate change. Although the biogenic fluxes of CO2, CH4 and N2O have been individually measured and simulated by research communities separately, an overall GHG balance of the terrestrial biosphere has not yet been sufficiently investigated. To address this challenge, we have developed a coupled biogeochemical model, the Dynamic Land Ecosystem Model (DLEM), to concurrently quantify and attribute the magnitude and spatiotemporal patterns of three major GHGs in the terrestrial biosphere and along the land-ocean aquatic continuum (LOAC), and further constraining these gas budgets by combining atmospheric inversion. Our study indicates that there is an important need toward a concurrent accounting of full GHG budget for addressing biosphere’s role in the Earth’s climate as well as developing effective climate change mitigation strategies.
Biography:
Dr. Nandita Basu is an Associate Professor and University Research Chair of Ecohydrology and Water Sustainability at the University of Waterloo, Canada. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Hydrology and a Member of the Royal Society of Canada, College of New Scholars. Nandita is a watershed hydrologist and biogeochemist, and her research interests cover a broad range of issues related to water in human-impacted environments. From problems of nutrient pollution in intensively farmed regions in North America to drought in water-stressed areas of India to urban water pollution and water quality impacts of wildfire, Nandita uses tools from environmental science, and engineering to improve our ability to sustainably manage water resources.
