Dust effects on the atmosphere and ecosystems in Texas | Department of Geography and the Environment
February 8, 2016

Dust effects on the atmosphere and ecosystems in Texas

Dr. Alexandra Ponette-González of the Department of Geography and the Environment and collaborators were recently awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to study the effect of some of Texas's worst dust events (in 2012) on the atmosphere and ecosystems.

Derived from rock weathering, mineral dust is lifted into the atmosphere in regions with strong winds, dry conditions, and erodible soils. In Texas, blowing soil dust is part of everyday life and history for many residents. Despite its small size, dust is one of the most abundant particles in our atmosphere and can have major impacts on human health, ecosystems, and climate at local, regional, and global scales. Dust deposited as particles or in rain onto ecosystems can serve as fertilizer, providing essential nutrients for plant growth, but it can also deliver pollutants, such as lead, that are toxic to vegetation. Suspended dust particles also affect climate directly by reflecting incoming solar radiation and enhancing diffuse light at the earth surface. This change in the amount and type of light can affect plant growth and thus the uptake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. With climate and land use changing, the question remains: how will warmer, drier Dust Bowl-like conditions affect ecosystems, evapotranspiration, and the carbon cycle?

By combining cutting-edge technologies and tools from geography, geoscience, environmental engineering, and physics with publicly available data collected by national-scale monitoring networks, Ponette-González and her collaborators aim to develop an innovative approach for answering this key scientific question and for studying changing dust regimes across the State of Texas and elsewhere.

A description of the award can be found here, https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1600902&HistoricalAwards=false

PI: Alexandra Ponette-González

Collaborators: Gary Glass (UNT, Physics), Tom Gill (UTEP, Geoscience), Kathie Weathers (Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Biogeochemistry), Aline Jaimes-Hernández (UNT, Geography and the Environment)