Advancing Representation of Atmospheric Composition to Understand Connections with the Broader Environment and Society
Colloquium
The composition of our atmosphere has broad environmental and societal implications. Human exposure to air pollution is increasingly recognized as the leading global environmental determinant of health and longevity. Changing atmospheric composition drives climate change with pronounced effects in the Arctic. However, in situ monitoring remains sparse in many regions of the world. Satellite remote sensing of atmospheric composition offers global data to address these issues. Concurrent development of a global chemical transport model (i.e., GEOS-Chem) plays a critical role in interpreting these satellite observations to understand climate processes and to relate these remote sensing observations to ground-level concentrations. The resultant data indicate pronounced variation around the world, with implications for planetary health and insight into the association with health outcomes. GEOS-Chem simulations provide information at increasingly fine resolution on the composition and sources of atmospheric composition that affect the environment, climate, and human health. Machine learning offers increasingly powerful information to represent relevant nonlinear relationships. This talk will highlight recent advances in combining satellite remote sensing, modeling, and measurements to improve understanding of connections of atmospheric composition with the broader environment and society.
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Meeting ID: 682 5785 8251
Passcode: 837063
Randall V. Martin is the Raymond R. Tucker Distinguished Professor in the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering at Washington University. His research is at the interface of satellite remote sensing, modeling, and measurements, with a focus on characterizing atmospheric composition to inform effective policies surrounding major environmental and public health challenges ranging from air quality to climate change. His professional honors include the Langstroth Memorial Teaching Award selected by Dalhousie undergraduate students, an Outstanding Faculty Award by the Washington University Graduate Student Senate, an NSERC Steacie Memorial Fellowship, being named a Highly Cited Researcher by the Web of Science, and being recognized by Research.com as a leading environmental scientist worldwide.