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| B14: | Effects of Air Pollutants on Ecosystems |
| Sponsor: |
Biogeosciences
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| CoSponsor: |
Atmospheric Sciences |
| Convener: |
Douglas Burns U.S. Geological Survey 425 Jordan Rd. Troy, NY, USA 518-285-5662 daburns@usgs.gov Jason Lynch U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, DC, USA 202-343-9257 Lynch.jason@epa.gov |
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0478 0345 0469 0488 1630 .
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| Description: | The transport and deposition of air pollutants such as oxidized and reduced compounds of nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, ozone, persistent organic pollutants, and mercury can have a wide variety of cascading impacts on ecosystems that include acidification, eutrophication, bioaccumulation, phytotoxicity, and subtle shifts in species composition and community structure. New research on the cycling of air pollutants in the environment is highlighting the role of multi-pollutant interactions, as for example work on the role of atmospheric sulfur deposition in mercury methylation. Additionally, new studies are exploring the role of land use and disturbance history on the fate and effects of air pollutants in the environment, particularly nitrogen. Finally, ongoing and projected future changes in climate and the carbon cycle are likely to strongly impact the cycling and effects of air pollutants on ecosystems. Many of these air pollutant effects can be studied through the use of models and communicated to policymakers as critical loads—levels below which harmful environmental effects are not expected. Multi-pollutant interactions, landscape disturbance history, and climate change all present challenges to ecosystem and critical loads modeling efforts. In this session, we seek contributions from both empirical and modeling studies that address these challenges to our understanding of air pollutant effects on ecosystems. |
Union Sessions by Theme
There are no extra requirements to submit to these sessions.
1. Carbon in the Earth System
U01: Origin of Late Holocene (Pre-Industrial) Increases in Atmospheric CO2 and CH4U04: Understanding of the Global Carbon Cycle Using Models and ObservationsU15: Global Climate Change and Gas Hydrate Reservoir Degassing: Assessing the Scientific EvidenceU22: Geologic Carbon Sequestration: The Vital Links Between Risk Assessment, Monitoring and Mitigation Design
2. Earth's Polar Regions
U02: The International Polar YearU23: Observing, Understanding, Predicting and Responding to Pan-Arctic Ice Retreat Problems
3. Climate & the Environment
U06: Geoengineering to Counteract Global Warming?U10: Tropical Cyclone—Climate Interactions Past, Present, and FutureU11: Comparative Climate Studies of Earth, Venus and MarsU12: Consequences of Peak Oil for Climate ChangeU14: Environmental Consequences of the Changing Global Food SystemU24: Perspectives on the Past and Future of Paleoceanography and Paleclimatology
4. Earth's Dynamic Interior
U09: Different Views on One AsthenosphereU18: Interaction and Co-evolution of Earth Reservoirs: Coupling of Mantle, Tectonic, Atmospheric, and Hydrospheric Dynamics in the Evolution of EarthU20: Fluids at Convergent Margins: Synthesis of Observations, Experiments and ModelsU21: Geologic, Seismologic, and Geodynamic Constraints on the 4–D Evolution of North America: Where are we now and Where are we going?
5. New Frontiers
U03: MESSENGER at Mercury: The Second FlybyU05: Episodic Tremor and Slip: Insights into a Newly Discovered ProcessU08: The Library — Data Center Alliance in Earth and Space SciencesU13: The Phoenix MissionU16: The Van Allen Radiation Belts and Their Impact on Modern Space Science
6. Hazards and Public Risk
U07: Role of Science in Water, Biologic, and Geologic Hazards SecurityU17: Decision Support Needs and Tools for Global Change: Bridging the Gap Between Physical and Societal ModelsU19: The Great 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake: A Multi-disciplinary ViewU25: Integrated Geohazards Along Continental Margins and Plate Boundary Zones