Smoke and bioaerosols: Release, processes, and impacts in a changing climate

The interactions of different components of the Earth system, such as between the biosphere and the atmosphere, are still poorly understood, especially, in the context of rapid climate change. Drought and land-use change resulting from more frequent climate extremes increase the risk of wildfires. Such fires and the emitted smoke particles and gases, in turn, affect air quality, the Earth’s radiation balance, and vegetation patterns. Forest fires and resulting vegetation changes also influence the emission of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP), which can potentially affect the formation of cloud droplets, cloud ice and precipitation due to their specific ice-forming properties. Understanding links between biodiversity and type of vegetation, the emission of smoke and PBAP, and the atmospheric distribution and processing of these particles and gases is key for assessing potential impacts and future changes. Addressing the depth of processes in the interconnected atmosphereclimate-vegetation system requires a combination of expertise from various scientific disciplines. The Leibniz ScienceCampus "Smoke and Bioaerosols in Climate Change" combines the outstanding expertise in (i) atmospheric and biodiversity research at LU, (ii) aerosols, clouds and atmospheric related processes at TROPOS, and (iii) biomass combustion analysis at DBFZ to clarify the control factors and the effects of the release of aerosol particles from vegetation. To this end, projects within the LSC focus on combustion experiments in the laboratory, field measurements of (bio)-aerosol properties, and the remote sensing and modelling of particle emission, transport, and atmospheric effects. This bundled expertise will stimulate new research opportunities in Leipzig’s research landscape.