Quantify and model processes that control the emission, fate, bioavailability and impacts of pollutants including nanoparticles

Biogeochemistry Objective BG-2.1 contributes to meeting CEH Science Strategy Challenge II (to identify processes linking physical and chemical changes in the environment with ecosystem responses) through understanding of biogeochemical cycling of pollutants and the impacts on the environment of these processes and changes in these processes.

BG-2.1 research aims to:

• Increase our understanding of controls of N retention and bioavailability in soils and mechanisms/thresholds of effects on biota
• Improving the understanding of carbon catchments, in particular improvements of DOC (Dissolved Organic Carbon) modelling
• Relate the production and transport of DOC to soil organic matter turnover, climate, atmospheric deposition and study the fate and impact in freshwater and coastal systems
• Improve the modelling of atmospheric chemistry and transport focusing on tropospheric ozone and acid deposition, including the quantification of anthropogenic and biogenic emissions and uncertainty assessment
• Characterize and quantify processes governing organic and inorganic secondary aerosol formation to develop new parameterizations of pollutant dry deposition for application in chemical transport models at different scales (with emphasis on parametrizations that respond to global change)
• Improve models of the environmental behaviour of radionuclides by quantifying transfer to biota and developing and testing generic transfer approaches for wildlife and agricultural animals
• Quantification of contamination of freshwater and soils by toxic chemicals and metals, and impacts of other contaminants to improve model assessments

Areas of research

Examples of BG-2.1 research projects include:

Collaborative research projects

Topic BG-2 participates in many collaborative projects with a wide range of partners. Examples include: