Overview
Curbing climate change, reducing pollution that damages human and ecosystem health, and sustainably supplying food, water, and energy are grand environmental challenges of the 21st century. Atmospheric components of the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrous oxide (N2O), ammonia (NH3), and nitrogen oxides (NOx=NO+NO2), significantly contribute to these environmental challenges. CO2 and CH4 are the two most important anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHGs). N2O is the third most important anthropogenic GHG and also contributes significantly to stratospheric ozone depletion. NOx and NH3 are precursors of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and NOx and VOCs react to form tropospheric ozone (O3). Increased atmospheric reactive nitrogen (Nr) deposition, including both oxidized and reduced forms of N, increases carbon sequestration. However, excess Nr deposition also leads to soil acidification, eutrophication, and biodiversity loss. Because of these impacts, managing the N cycle has been identified as one of the 14 grand challenges for engineering. Motivated by these challenges, my research focuses on observations and modeling of land-atmosphere interactions of the C and N cycles to foster informed decisions and actions.
Learn more about Sensor Development, Field Observations, and Modeling and Policy Analyses.