Abstract View
Tiny Critters, Huge Impacts: Ocean Microbes, Climate, and Health
KIMBERLY PRATHER, University of California San Diego
Abstract Number: 488
Working Group: Invited by Conference Chair
Abstract
In the 1990’s, major advances enabled real-time measurements of the size and chemical composition of atmospheric aerosols. Since then, numerous field and lab studies have led to an increased understanding and appreciation for the impact of atmospheric aerosols on human health and climate. One of the largest remaining gaps in our understanding involves how biological processes in the ocean influence the composition of the marine atmosphere. Given their role in seeding clouds and affecting climate, it is critical to understand the factors controlling the size and composition of marine aerosols. This plenary lecture will provide an overview of studies in the NSF Center for Aerosol Impacts on Chemistry of the Environment (CAICE; https://caice.ucsd.edu). Over the past decade, CAICE scientists have successfully transferred the physical, chemical, and biological complexity of the ocean/atmosphere system into the laboratory at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. An overview will be provided of the key advances in CAICE studies and how this isolated ocean-in-the-lab approach has improved our understanding of the ocean on our atmosphere and climate. Finally, a discussion will be presented of recent studies investigating the factors controlling the ocean-to-atmosphere transfer of bacteria and viruses, including the SARS-CoV-2 virus that leads to COVID-19, and the implications for the health of residents living in and near coastal regions.