Download How will a Changing Climate Affect the World`s Largest Dust Bowl

How will a Changing Climate Affect the World's Largest Dust Bowl?
During an invited talk, Rosenstiel School Professor Emeritus Joseph Propsero will present the
latest trends in Africa dust transport to the Caribbean. Know as the “grandfather of dust,”
Prospero will discuss how increases in African dust may impact future climate processes and
human health throughout the Caribbean.
In recent decades African dust concentrations over the Caribbean basin have often exceed U.S.
EPA standards for respiratory particles. The human health impacts may rise under future climate
change scenarios as more severe droughts coupled with soil disturbance, from increased land-use
in the Sahel-Soudano region of North Africa, occur.
The infamous Dust Bowl in the United States during the 1930’s was the result of severe drought
combined with poor farming practices that caused soil disturbance. Exposure to large amounts of
dust can lead to dust pneumonia and other respiratory problems.
Prospero and colleagues have over 45 years of daily dust measurements collected at sites in the
Caribbean Basin. The dust concentrations from this continuous record show variability from days
to decades and are important to understand both the role dust plays in climate processes and the
environmental factors that contribute to long-range dust transport.
Presentation: A21O-04 • “Trends in African dust transport to the Caribbean: African sources,
changing climate, and future scenarios” • Tuesday, Dec. 4 at 8:52-9:08 a.m. • Moscone West
2022-2024
Seagrass: A Coral Reefs Best Defense Against Ocean Acidification
During an invited talk, scientists from the Rosenstiel School’s Cooperative Institute of Marine
and Atmospheric Sciences and NOAA will present recent finding on potential safe havens for
Florida reefs from the effects of ocean acidification. Ocean acidification is the result of increased
CO2 from the burning of fossil fuel in the ocean, resulting in more acidic seawater.
The scientists will discuss their recently published research that suggests seagrass in near-shore
waters along the Florida Reef Tract absorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide and therefore helps
to create a refuge from acidification on inshore reefs. Coral reefs located within or immediately
downstream of seagrass beds may find refuge from ocean acidification.
The Florida Reef Tract spans 160 miles (260 kilometers) from Miami to the Dry Tortugas and is
the only living barrier reef in the continental U.S.
Presentation: OS51H-05 • “Ocean Acidification Refugia of the Florida Reef Tract” Friday, Dec.
7 at 9:00-9:15 a.m. • Moscone West 3005
Human Footprint on Iran’s Disappearing Lake Urmia
Presentation: GC42B-02 • “The disappearing of the Largest Lake in the Middle East:
Geochemical clues for human impact on Urmia salt lake NW Iran • Thursday, Dec. 06 at 10:3510:50 a.m. • Moscone West 3001
Large-scale volcano monitoring could detect ‘inflation’ in advance of eruptions
UM Rosenstiel School researchers present surveys of ground deformation for volcanoes in
Indonesia and Mexico. This study shows remote sensing monitoring as an effective tool to detect
inflation prior to volcanic eruptions.
In one study geophysicist Estelle Chaussard and UM professor Falk Amelung used over 1200
satellite images obtained by interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) to analyze the entire
west Sunda and Mexican volcanic arcs, which cover a total of 500 000 km2. In west Sunda, the
researchers detected deformation at six volcanic centers, three of which erupted after the
observation period, confirming that inflation is a common precursor of volcanic eruptions in this
region.
Because these regions are so volcanically active, our use of InSAR has been very successful. We
now have a tool that can tell us where eruptions are more likely to occur,” said Amelung, who has
been studying active volcanoes for 15 years.
The InSAR technique can detect the ascent of magma to shallow levels where it can be stored
prior to eruptions. The team will also present satellite-based ground deformation surveys of Latin
America with emphasis on Mexico.
An article on the Indonesia study by Chaussard and Amelung appears in the Nov. 5 issue of
AGU’s Geophysical Research Letters.
Poster Presentations: Friday, Dec. 7 at 8:00 a.m. -12:20 p.m. • Moscone South
G51B-1110 • Precursory deformation and depths of magma storage revealed by regional InSAR
time series surveys: example of the Indonesian and Mexican volcanic arcs
G51B-1108 • InSAR observations of active volcanoes in Latin America