Microbial diversity course designated as a 'Milestones in Microbiology' site

Public release date: 19-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan
ghogan@asmusa.org
202-942-9389
American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DC The Microbial Diversity Course at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), Woods Hole, Massachusetts, has been named a Milestones in Microbiology site by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). The ASM Milestones in Microbiology program recognizes institutions and the scientists who worked there that have made significant contributions toward advancing the science of microbiology. A ceremony unveiling the plaque that will mark the site is scheduled for Saturday, June 22, 2013, at 4:30 pm in the MBL Club during the Microbial Diversity Course. Jeffery Miller, President of the ASM, will present the plaque on behalf of the Society.

The Course is an intensive six-and-a-half-week research and training experience for graduate and postdoctoral students, as well as established investigators, who want to become competent in microbiological techniques for working with a broad range of microbes, and in approaches for recognizing the metabolic, phylogenetic, and genomic diversity of cultivated and as yet uncultivated bacteria. Admission is limited to 20 students.

"Since its creation in 1971 by Holger Jannasch, the MBL Microbial Diversity Course has trained many outstanding microbiologists from around the world, providing scientific tools that they have used to make many important discoveries," said Stanley Maloy, a past-President of ASM. "MBL has been a major place where scientists have gathered (mostly over the summer) to discuss and do research on marine biology, ecology, and development and microbiology has influenced and been influenced by each of these areas. MBL, including the Microbial Diversity Course, has had an important impact on our understanding of the critical role that microbes play in the environment, from the characterization of microbes that use unusual sources of nutrients to the discovery of microbes that live in unique ecosystems in the depths of the ocean. For example, work by Jannasch led to the discovery of bacteria that live adjacent to deep-sea hydrothermal vents and use sulfur as an energy source. Research on microbial ecology and physiology has led to many practical applications, from novel enzymes in laundry detergents to enzymes used for genetic engineering, from bioremediation to energy production, from novel antibiotics to phage therapy, and from environmental health to animal and human health."

One feature of the MBL summer courses, including Microbial Diversity, is that every four or five years, a new set of directors brings a fresh approach and a new set of tools to the course. "Each year, the Course has a different 'menu,' because during the winter months, directors become 'chefs', developing elaborate plans for each microbial 'feast of the week', deciding which areas to feature and whom to invite for the 20 or more guest lectures," writes Ralph S. Wolfe in a brief history of the course.

Many leading microbiologists have served as directors of the Microbial Diversity Course over the years, including course founder Holger Jannasch, Harlyn Halvorson, Ralph Wolfe, E. Peter Greenberg, Martin Dworkin, John Breznak, Edward Leadbetter, Abigail Salyers, Caroline Harwood, Alfred Spormann, William Metcalf, Thomas Schmidt, and current co-directors Daniel Buckley and Stephen Zinder.

The Microbial Diversity Course has shaped the careers of generations of outstanding microbiologists, and continues to be a premier site for advanced training at the leading edge of microbiological investigation.

In recognition of these contributions, the American Society for Microbiology is pleased to designate the Marine Biological Laboratory Microbial Diversity Course as a Milestones in Microbiology site. By placing plaques at Milestones sites, ASM hopes to increase professional and public recognition and appreciation of the significance of the science of microbiology.

###

Previously designated Milestones in Microbiology sites include the Waksman Laboratory at Rutgers University; Hopkins Marine Station in Monterey, California; the site of the University of Pennsylvania Laboratory of Hygiene; Scripps Institution of Oceanography; the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine; and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. For more information on these sites, visit http://www.asm.org/choma

The American Society for Microbiology is the largest single life science society, composed of over 38,000 scientists and health professionals. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences as a vehicle for understanding life processes and to apply and communicate this knowledge for the improvement of health and environmental and economic well-being worldwide. More information is available at http://www.asm.org.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 19-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan
ghogan@asmusa.org
202-942-9389
American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DC The Microbial Diversity Course at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), Woods Hole, Massachusetts, has been named a Milestones in Microbiology site by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). The ASM Milestones in Microbiology program recognizes institutions and the scientists who worked there that have made significant contributions toward advancing the science of microbiology. A ceremony unveiling the plaque that will mark the site is scheduled for Saturday, June 22, 2013, at 4:30 pm in the MBL Club during the Microbial Diversity Course. Jeffery Miller, President of the ASM, will present the plaque on behalf of the Society.

The Course is an intensive six-and-a-half-week research and training experience for graduate and postdoctoral students, as well as established investigators, who want to become competent in microbiological techniques for working with a broad range of microbes, and in approaches for recognizing the metabolic, phylogenetic, and genomic diversity of cultivated and as yet uncultivated bacteria. Admission is limited to 20 students.

"Since its creation in 1971 by Holger Jannasch, the MBL Microbial Diversity Course has trained many outstanding microbiologists from around the world, providing scientific tools that they have used to make many important discoveries," said Stanley Maloy, a past-President of ASM. "MBL has been a major place where scientists have gathered (mostly over the summer) to discuss and do research on marine biology, ecology, and development and microbiology has influenced and been influenced by each of these areas. MBL, including the Microbial Diversity Course, has had an important impact on our understanding of the critical role that microbes play in the environment, from the characterization of microbes that use unusual sources of nutrients to the discovery of microbes that live in unique ecosystems in the depths of the ocean. For example, work by Jannasch led to the discovery of bacteria that live adjacent to deep-sea hydrothermal vents and use sulfur as an energy source. Research on microbial ecology and physiology has led to many practical applications, from novel enzymes in laundry detergents to enzymes used for genetic engineering, from bioremediation to energy production, from novel antibiotics to phage therapy, and from environmental health to animal and human health."

One feature of the MBL summer courses, including Microbial Diversity, is that every four or five years, a new set of directors brings a fresh approach and a new set of tools to the course. "Each year, the Course has a different 'menu,' because during the winter months, directors become 'chefs', developing elaborate plans for each microbial 'feast of the week', deciding which areas to feature and whom to invite for the 20 or more guest lectures," writes Ralph S. Wolfe in a brief history of the course.

Many leading microbiologists have served as directors of the Microbial Diversity Course over the years, including course founder Holger Jannasch, Harlyn Halvorson, Ralph Wolfe, E. Peter Greenberg, Martin Dworkin, John Breznak, Edward Leadbetter, Abigail Salyers, Caroline Harwood, Alfred Spormann, William Metcalf, Thomas Schmidt, and current co-directors Daniel Buckley and Stephen Zinder.

The Microbial Diversity Course has shaped the careers of generations of outstanding microbiologists, and continues to be a premier site for advanced training at the leading edge of microbiological investigation.

In recognition of these contributions, the American Society for Microbiology is pleased to designate the Marine Biological Laboratory Microbial Diversity Course as a Milestones in Microbiology site. By placing plaques at Milestones sites, ASM hopes to increase professional and public recognition and appreciation of the significance of the science of microbiology.

###

Previously designated Milestones in Microbiology sites include the Waksman Laboratory at Rutgers University; Hopkins Marine Station in Monterey, California; the site of the University of Pennsylvania Laboratory of Hygiene; Scripps Institution of Oceanography; the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine; and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. For more information on these sites, visit http://www.asm.org/choma

The American Society for Microbiology is the largest single life science society, composed of over 38,000 scientists and health professionals. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences as a vehicle for understanding life processes and to apply and communicate this knowledge for the improvement of health and environmental and economic well-being worldwide. More information is available at http://www.asm.org.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-06/asfm-mdc061913.php

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JM 2013 - Football - Tunisie - Italie 2-2 : un d?but prometteur

La s?lection tunisienne de football U20 a fait match nul (2-2), mercredi soir, avec son homologue italienne, ? Mersin, en match comptant pour la premi?re journ?e (Groupe B) du tournoi de football des Jeux M?diterran?ens de Mersin 2013.
Au terme d'une premi?re mi-temps, qui s'est sold?e par un score vierge, la seconde manche a ?t? prolifique d?s lors que les attaquants des deux ?quipes ont fait parler la poudre ? 4 reprises.
Idriss M'hirsi a ouvert la marque d?s la 49?me minutede jeu.

Une joie de tr?s courte dur?e, dans la mesure o? l'Italie a ?galis?, dans un premier temps, deux minutes plus tard (51') par le biais de Guido Gomez et pris le dessus, dans un second temps, ? la 63?me minute, par Danilo Cataldi.

A l'approche de la fin de la confrontation, la Tunisie est parvenue ? remettre les pendules ? l'heure en inscrivant le but ?galisateur ? la 88?me minute, par le m?me M'hirsi qui a transform? un penalty siffl? par l'arbitre de la rencontre.

Rappelons que la Tunisie ?volue lors de ce tournoi de football des JM 2013 dans le groupe B, aux c?t?s de la Libye, de la Mac?doine et de l'Italie et qu'elle donnera la r?plique, vendredi (19H45 H.T) lors de la deuxi?me journ?e, ? la Libye avant d'achever sa participation dimanche, en croisant le fer avec la Mac?doine (19H45, H.T).

Lors du premier match du groupe disput? un peu plus t?t, la Libye et la Mac?doine ont fait, ?galement, match nul avec le m?me score que celui du match des Aiglons, 2-2.

Les quatre ?quipes du groupe B sont, ainsi, ? ?galit? parfaite, aussi bien en termes de points (un point chacune) qu'au niveau des buts inscrits et encaiss?s.

Classement Pays Pts J BC BP
1.Tunisie 1 1 2 2
.Libye 1 1 2 2
.Italie 1 1 2 2
.Mac?doine 1 1 2 2

Source: http://www.babnet.net/festivaldetail-67082.asp

Mothers Day 2013 World Baseball Classic

Revolutionary technique lets scientists 'see' with sound ? underwater

With a powerful acoustic transmitter and receiver, researchers can take detailed and almost instantaneous pictures of ocean waves, currents, and the underwater structure of the sea.?

By Charles Q. Choi,?LiveScience Contributor / June 17, 2013

Players on Italy's soccer team relax in the breakers of the Atlantic Ocean at the Soccer Confederations Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, June 17, 2013.

Antonio Calanni / AP

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The uppermost reaches of the ocean could be rapidly scanned in groundbreaking high detail using acoustic techniques, researchers say. The method resembles that employed to probe the deep Earth.

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For more than a century, geologists have used sound waves to investigate?Earth's interior, analyzing how these waves reflect off different layers of rock. Recently, such?seismic imaging?has become commonly used by oceanographers. They employ the technique to analyze fine-scale ocean structures ? thin layers of water only 3 feet (1 meter) or so thick that vary in temperature and?salinity (salt content). These layers can pop up in currents, swirls and the boundaries separating currents or masses of water.

Until now, most seismic imaging of the ocean focused on depths below 500 feet (150 m). This is because structures further up in the water reflect sound only weakly, and there are many sources of noise in shallow depths that can muddle analyses, such as shipping vessels or the breaking of waves. Still, many valuable insights about the ocean waters closest to most human activity potentially awaited scientists who could seismically image shallow waters.

Now marine geophysicist Helen Pi?t? at the University of Brest in France and her colleagues have devised a way to scan the upper ocean at depths of 30 to 500 feet (10 to 150 m).?

"These results are very exciting, not only because they provide the first actual imaging of shallow oceanographic structures, but also because they [are the] result of many unsuccessful attempts," Pi?t? told LiveScience.

Beating the odds

One key factor in the research team's strategy to image the upper ocean is a powerful transmitter of acoustic energy. Another is a receiver that can pick up multiple channels of sound, to help overcome interference from ambient noise. The scientists also made sure the acoustic wavelengths they used matched the thickness of the ocean features they investigated.

A major challenge the researchers faced was that many of the technical aspects of the device's design had contradictory requirements, calling for a series of compromises to make things work.

"When we started working on this project, many people were very skeptical about our chances," Pi?t? said.

The scientists tested their system on the continental shelf off western Brittany in France. From April to October, the warmer upper waters and the colder lower depths at this location become separated by a layer of water known as a thermocline.

"It took us almost four years and four scientific cruises to set up and test the device that we used for this study," Pi?t? said.

'Snapshot of the sea'

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/jGrfOrQums8/Revolutionary-technique-lets-scientists-see-with-sound-underwater

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Josh Duggar Takes Job With Family Research Council; GLAAD Far From Pleased

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/06/josh-duggar-takes-job-with-family-research-council-glaad-far-fro/

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Study: Wiser medication use could cut health costs

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) ? If doctors and patients used prescription drugs more wisely, they could save the U.S. health care system at least $213 billion a year, by reducing medication overuse, underuse and other flaws in care that cause complications and longer, more-expensive treatments, researchers conclude.

The new findings by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics improve on numerous prior efforts to quantify the dollars wasted on health care.

Numerous experts previously have estimated that tens of billions, perhaps hundreds of billions of dollars, could be better used each year to improve patient care and outcomes and to slow down spending by government health programs, insurers and consumers.

The institute, part of data analysis and consulting firm IMS Health, used its proprietary data on prescriptions written by doctors ? many of which patients never fill ? plus other information to produce a current, more reliable estimate of avoidable costs solely related to medication use.

IMS arrived at the $213 billion figure based on six categories in which doctors, patients or both could be making better use of medication, from getting a prompt diagnosis when new symptoms arise to taking medicines as directed by the doctor. Across the six categories, the researchers generally focused on spending on a handful of very common or very expensive diseases ? from high cholesterol and blood pressure to HIV and diabetes ? for which costs of care and complications are well documented.

"There's even larger avoidable costs if we were to look at all disease areas" where patients aren't getting optimal care, Murray Aitken, the institute's executive director, told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview. "There's a big opportunity for improvement."

The $213 billion equals nearly 8 percent of the more than $2.7 trillion the U.S. spent on health care last year. Those billions could pay for the health care of more than 24 million Americans currently uninsured, according to IMS.

And Aitken said more-appropriate use of medication ? taking it exactly as prescribed, not taking antibiotics for viral illnesses, preventing medication errors and the like ? could prevent 6 million hospitalizations, 4 million trips to the emergency room and 78 million visits to doctors and other outpatient care providers each year.

"Those are staggering numbers," Aitken said.

The report, titled "Avoidable Costs in Healthcare," found the biggest area of waste is patients not taking medicines prescribed by their doctor, either at all or as directed. IMS estimates the cost of such "non-adherence" at about $105 billion a year.

Reasons for the longstanding problem include patients fearing drug side effects, not understanding complications that can occur without treatment, having mental health issues and not being able to afford their medicines. Price has become less of a factor, though, as there are now relatively inexpensive generic versions of drugs for most diseases.

"I think there's really good, solid evidence that if you adhere to medications, that keeps you out of the hospital," said M. Christopher Roebuck, president of health policy consultants Rx Economics LLC.

Roebuck, who was not involved in the study, said it's well done. But he said the estimates of potential savings are "quite conservative" for medication non-adherence and treatment delays.

Those delays are blamed for racking up about $39 billion a year in avoidable care costs ? due to patients putting off doctor visits and not getting medications they're prescribed, or doctors not promptly starting treatments proven to prevent expensive complications.

"We've got a lot of people without insurance who are not routinely going to the doctor, and even some with insurance aren't," Aitken said.

Other areas of waste noted in the report include:

? Prescribing antibiotics inappropriately, as for patients with the flu or another viral infection, costing about $35 billion annually. This can contribute to bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics, resulting in more expensive treatment and even hospitalization with a future infection.

? Medication errors, costing about $20 billion annually. Those include sloppy handwriting leading to the wrong drug or dose being dispensed and doctors not checking to see that the patient is getting better, meaning they've been getting the right medicine. Those errors are on the decline due to more doctors using electronic prescriptions and other changes.

? Not using generic drugs when they are available, costing about $12 billion annually. That's a decreasing problem, as strategies of health plans and pharmacies encourage patients to choose generics by setting copayments for brand-name drugs a few times higher than for the generics. Without insurance, generics can cost 90 percent less than brand-name drugs. Today, when a generic is available, it's dispensed about 95 percent of the time.

? Multiple medication confusion, costing about $1.3 billion annually. For elderly patients taking five or more medicines, it's easy to mix up which pills should be taken when, and for those who are frail, those mistakes can cause serious harm. That problem likely will grow significantly with our aging population.

The report will be shared with government, medical and policy groups and other stakeholders in the health system, Aitken said.

The institute, whose clients include major drugmakers, noted that its report was prepared without funding from government or the pharmaceutical industry.

___

Follow Linda A. Johnson at http://twitter.comLindaJ_onPharma

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/study-wiser-medication-could-cut-health-costs-100504412.html

Buckwild Steve Alford

House committee takes up tough immigration bill

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A key committee in the Republican-led House has taken up a tough enforcement-focused immigration bill, but the proceedings were immediately interrupted by protesters shouting "Shame, shame!"

More than a dozen protesters began chanting as soon as Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia gaveled the committee hearing open Tuesday.

Goodlatte stopped the proceedings until the protesters were ushered into the hall, where their shouts could still be heard.

Goodlatte said the bill under consideration, which empowers local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws and makes visa fraud into a deportable felony, is needed to ensure enforcement of the law.

Democrats called it a dangerous approach.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/house-committee-takes-tough-immigration-bill-071515990.html

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Scientists undertake extensive field campaign to study US southeast atmospheric chemistry

Public release date: 19-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Cheryl Dybas
cdybas@nsf.gov
703-292-7734
National Science Foundation

Research examines chemical reactions between human-related pollution and volatile organic compounds emitted by vegetation such as trees

In the largest U.S. atmospheric chemistry field project in decades, researchers sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other organizations are working to study tiny particles and gases in the air over the southeastern United States.

The study looks at the chemical reactions between human-related pollution and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by vegetation such as trees in forests.

The project, called the Southeast Atmosphere Study, or SAS, runs through July 15, 2013. It's part of an unprecedented campaign, say the scientists, to investigate the relationship between air chemistry and climate change.

SAS is supported by NSF, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, along with the Electric Power Research Institute. Participants are from some 30 U.S. and international research institutions.

Atmospheric chemists have long known that human-made pollutants have the potential to interact with plant-emitted VOCs, turning them into airborne particles, or aerosols, that may then affect air quality and human health.

In the Southeast, the aerosols also affect the region's climate. The southeastern United States is one of the few places on Earth displaying an overall cooling trend over the last century.

"The Southeast Atmosphere Study will illuminate the role of the surface biosphere in producing volatile organic gases that can then form new particles, known as secondary organic aerosols (SOAs)," says Michael Morgan, NSF division director for Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences.

"The formation of SOAs has been observed over many forested regions of the world. Emission of these gases may have an important influence on our changing climate."

Some scientists believe that enhanced SOA formation may be responsible for an "aerosol cooling effect" that would explain the divergence of southeastern U.S. temperature trends from global average temperature trends over the last century.

Black aerosols produced by industry, home heating and other means absorb incoming solar radiation, increasing global temperatures, say scientists such as Ann Marie Carlton of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., lead NSF-funded SAS investigator.

However, many lighter-colored aerosols, such as those composed of sulfates or organics from vegetation typical of the Southeast, have a cooling effect because they reflect some amount of incoming light back to space, says Alex Guenther of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., also a scientist on the project.

Some of these aerosols get carried high into the atmosphere, affecting temperatures over a large area. But many linger in the region where they were emitted, resulting in more localized effects.

High concentrations of light-colored aerosols such as those expected in the Southeast can reduce the average temperature in the region, offsetting the warming caused by greenhouse gases circulating around the globe.

But those same aerosols can trigger chemical reactions that worsen air pollution such as ground-level ozone.

Certain types of aerosols affect cloud formation and cloud opacity; both can affect the amount of energy trapped in Earth's atmosphere.

Computer simulations can replicate some of the influences of aerosols. But they can't yet produce the level of detail required for a complete understanding of these complex chemical and atmospheric dynamics, which would lead to more accurate predictions of future air quality and regional climate.

To address these questions and improve observations that may be used to expand the capabilities of climate and chemistry models, SAS investigators are bringing a suite of air sampling equipment and sensors to the Southeast.

Project scientists are using two aircraft, the NSF/NCAR C-130 and the NOAA P-3, to sample air chemistry from the Mississippi River to the Atlantic Ocean, and from the Ohio River Valley to the Gulf of Mexico.

Researchers are also using ground instruments to measure low-level winds, moisture, temperature and chemistry.

Instrumented towers reaching some 150 feet high are taking measurements within and above forest canopies.

Additional aircraft and ground sensors deployed by companion programs will help paint an accurate atmospheric chemistry picture of this unique region.

NSF Southeast Atmosphere Study (SAS) Principal Investigators

Ann Marie Carlton, Rutgers University, New Brunswick: Collaborative Research: Atmospheric mixed phase chemistry for improved climate predictions: field measurements and modeling of the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study

William Brune, Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park: Resolving issues of OH measurements and oxidation chemistry in forest environments

Rodney Weber, Georgia Tech Research Corporation: Collaborative Research: Atmospheric mixed phase chemistry for improved climate predictions: field measurements and modeling of the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study

Donald Collins, Texas A&M University Main Campus: Collaborative Research: Sensitivity of gas and aqueous phase production of secondary organic aerosol to chemical and environmental perturbations

Robert Griffin, William Marsh Rice University: Collaborative Research: Sensitivity of gas and aqueous phase production of secondary organic aerosol to chemical and environmental perturbations

Delphine Farmer, Colorado State University: Organic acid concentrations and fluxes over a Southeastern forest during the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study

Allen Goldstein, University of California-Berkeley: Contribution of Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds to Organic Aerosol Formation in the Presence and Absence of Anthropogenic Pollution

Jose Jimenez, University of Colorado at Boulder: Collaborative Research: Investigation of the Effects of Anthropogenic-Biogenic Interactions on Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation

Douglas Worsnop, Aerodyne Research, Inc.: Collaborative Research: Investigation of the Effects of Anthropogenic-Biogenic Interactions on Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation

Frank Keutsch, University of Wisconsin-Madison: Field and laboratory study of rural VOC oxidation and SOA formation utilizing measurements of formaldehyde and glyoxal

Jesse Kroll, Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Measurement of Low-Volatility Gas-Phase Organic Compounds during the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study

Shan-Hu Lee, Kent State University: Measurements of Amines During the SOAS (SAS) Field Campaign

Paul Wennberg, California Institute of Technology: Hydroperoxide, Nitrate, and Epoxide Chemistry of Biogenically produced Alkenes

Xianliang Zhou, Health Research Inc/New York State Health Department: Collaborative Research: Photolysis of Particulate Nitrate as a Daytime HONO Source and a Re-NOx-ification Pathway in the Troposphere

Jochen Stutz, University of California-Los Angeles: Collaborative Research: Photolysis of Particulate Nitrate as a Daytime HONO Source and a Re-NOx-ification Pathway in the Troposphere

Daniel Jaffe, University of Washington: Collaborative Research: The North American Airborne Mercury Experiment

Noelle Selin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Collaborative Research: The North American Airborne Mercury Experiment

Christopher Cantrell, University of Colorado at Boulder: Collaborative Research: The North American Airborne Mercury Experiment

###

-NSF-

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 19-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Cheryl Dybas
cdybas@nsf.gov
703-292-7734
National Science Foundation

Research examines chemical reactions between human-related pollution and volatile organic compounds emitted by vegetation such as trees

In the largest U.S. atmospheric chemistry field project in decades, researchers sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other organizations are working to study tiny particles and gases in the air over the southeastern United States.

The study looks at the chemical reactions between human-related pollution and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by vegetation such as trees in forests.

The project, called the Southeast Atmosphere Study, or SAS, runs through July 15, 2013. It's part of an unprecedented campaign, say the scientists, to investigate the relationship between air chemistry and climate change.

SAS is supported by NSF, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, along with the Electric Power Research Institute. Participants are from some 30 U.S. and international research institutions.

Atmospheric chemists have long known that human-made pollutants have the potential to interact with plant-emitted VOCs, turning them into airborne particles, or aerosols, that may then affect air quality and human health.

In the Southeast, the aerosols also affect the region's climate. The southeastern United States is one of the few places on Earth displaying an overall cooling trend over the last century.

"The Southeast Atmosphere Study will illuminate the role of the surface biosphere in producing volatile organic gases that can then form new particles, known as secondary organic aerosols (SOAs)," says Michael Morgan, NSF division director for Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences.

"The formation of SOAs has been observed over many forested regions of the world. Emission of these gases may have an important influence on our changing climate."

Some scientists believe that enhanced SOA formation may be responsible for an "aerosol cooling effect" that would explain the divergence of southeastern U.S. temperature trends from global average temperature trends over the last century.

Black aerosols produced by industry, home heating and other means absorb incoming solar radiation, increasing global temperatures, say scientists such as Ann Marie Carlton of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., lead NSF-funded SAS investigator.

However, many lighter-colored aerosols, such as those composed of sulfates or organics from vegetation typical of the Southeast, have a cooling effect because they reflect some amount of incoming light back to space, says Alex Guenther of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., also a scientist on the project.

Some of these aerosols get carried high into the atmosphere, affecting temperatures over a large area. But many linger in the region where they were emitted, resulting in more localized effects.

High concentrations of light-colored aerosols such as those expected in the Southeast can reduce the average temperature in the region, offsetting the warming caused by greenhouse gases circulating around the globe.

But those same aerosols can trigger chemical reactions that worsen air pollution such as ground-level ozone.

Certain types of aerosols affect cloud formation and cloud opacity; both can affect the amount of energy trapped in Earth's atmosphere.

Computer simulations can replicate some of the influences of aerosols. But they can't yet produce the level of detail required for a complete understanding of these complex chemical and atmospheric dynamics, which would lead to more accurate predictions of future air quality and regional climate.

To address these questions and improve observations that may be used to expand the capabilities of climate and chemistry models, SAS investigators are bringing a suite of air sampling equipment and sensors to the Southeast.

Project scientists are using two aircraft, the NSF/NCAR C-130 and the NOAA P-3, to sample air chemistry from the Mississippi River to the Atlantic Ocean, and from the Ohio River Valley to the Gulf of Mexico.

Researchers are also using ground instruments to measure low-level winds, moisture, temperature and chemistry.

Instrumented towers reaching some 150 feet high are taking measurements within and above forest canopies.

Additional aircraft and ground sensors deployed by companion programs will help paint an accurate atmospheric chemistry picture of this unique region.

NSF Southeast Atmosphere Study (SAS) Principal Investigators

Ann Marie Carlton, Rutgers University, New Brunswick: Collaborative Research: Atmospheric mixed phase chemistry for improved climate predictions: field measurements and modeling of the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study

William Brune, Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park: Resolving issues of OH measurements and oxidation chemistry in forest environments

Rodney Weber, Georgia Tech Research Corporation: Collaborative Research: Atmospheric mixed phase chemistry for improved climate predictions: field measurements and modeling of the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study

Donald Collins, Texas A&M University Main Campus: Collaborative Research: Sensitivity of gas and aqueous phase production of secondary organic aerosol to chemical and environmental perturbations

Robert Griffin, William Marsh Rice University: Collaborative Research: Sensitivity of gas and aqueous phase production of secondary organic aerosol to chemical and environmental perturbations

Delphine Farmer, Colorado State University: Organic acid concentrations and fluxes over a Southeastern forest during the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study

Allen Goldstein, University of California-Berkeley: Contribution of Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds to Organic Aerosol Formation in the Presence and Absence of Anthropogenic Pollution

Jose Jimenez, University of Colorado at Boulder: Collaborative Research: Investigation of the Effects of Anthropogenic-Biogenic Interactions on Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation

Douglas Worsnop, Aerodyne Research, Inc.: Collaborative Research: Investigation of the Effects of Anthropogenic-Biogenic Interactions on Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation

Frank Keutsch, University of Wisconsin-Madison: Field and laboratory study of rural VOC oxidation and SOA formation utilizing measurements of formaldehyde and glyoxal

Jesse Kroll, Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Measurement of Low-Volatility Gas-Phase Organic Compounds during the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study

Shan-Hu Lee, Kent State University: Measurements of Amines During the SOAS (SAS) Field Campaign

Paul Wennberg, California Institute of Technology: Hydroperoxide, Nitrate, and Epoxide Chemistry of Biogenically produced Alkenes

Xianliang Zhou, Health Research Inc/New York State Health Department: Collaborative Research: Photolysis of Particulate Nitrate as a Daytime HONO Source and a Re-NOx-ification Pathway in the Troposphere

Jochen Stutz, University of California-Los Angeles: Collaborative Research: Photolysis of Particulate Nitrate as a Daytime HONO Source and a Re-NOx-ification Pathway in the Troposphere

Daniel Jaffe, University of Washington: Collaborative Research: The North American Airborne Mercury Experiment

Noelle Selin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Collaborative Research: The North American Airborne Mercury Experiment

Christopher Cantrell, University of Colorado at Boulder: Collaborative Research: The North American Airborne Mercury Experiment

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-NSF-

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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-06/nsf-sue061913.php

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