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Particulate Matters: Warming the Arctic, Cooling the Southeastern US & Influencing Human Health Everywhere... and that's not all.

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Monday, February 01, 2016
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Mike Bergin, PhD

In this talk, Dr. Bergin will focus on several recent projects that have involved making a wide variety of PM related measurements focused on better understanding the impacts of aerosols on human health and climate. We will travel from the pristine Arctic, where just a small amount of soot can substantially alter the radiation balance, to urban Atlanta where emissions from rail yards and vehicles can impact local human health. Bergin will also discuss why the Taj Mahal, one of the great wonders of the World, is turning brown. Lastly, he will discuss the need for wireless sensors for air quality measurements, existing related measurement technologies, and suggestions for a path forward. Bergin's general research focus is on the influence of air pollution on both climate and human health. His specific interest is particulate matter (PM), and he has done a wide range of studies on the emission, formation, deposition and impacts of PM. He is particularly interested in how PM impacts climate by modifying the radiation balance of the atmosphere and has done studies in both pristine regions of the world (Greenland and the Himalaya), as well as hazy regions (the Southeastern US, China, and India). More recently Bergin has been studying the influence of PM on human health with emphasis on determining the relative contributions of sources (such as biomass burning and vehicular emissions) to acute health impacts.

Contact: Melissa Lehman