Perspectives on aerosol deposition to natural surfaces: interactions between aerosol residence times, removal processes, the biosphere and global environmental change

Abstract

This paper summarizes the state-of-the-art and the research needs in the areas of aerosol residence-time assessments, deposition modelling, and understanding of aerosols in biogeochemistry. Research needs are emphasized from a systems perspective of global environmental change. Although fundamental quantitative knowledge is lacking, some qualitative linkages between source strengths, residence times, removal processes and the biosphere can be identified. It turns out that not only are the respective areas as such challenged by new problems, superimposed on the fairly well established conventional ones, but these areas also face mutually operating sets of feedbacks between residence times and sink/source characteristics of ecological systems subject to stress. To evaluate the sensitivity of these feedback loops, and to assess whether they are negative (stabilizing interactions) or positive (destabilizing) are important and potentially urgent tasks. Such studies should focus on a common goal, such as developing empirical and theoretical understanding of aerosol resuspension, transport and deposition for application in large-scale circulation models. A basic link in such advancements is that structural change of vegetated surfaces of the biosphere caused by deposition itself, and by changing land-use and climate, be understood and assessed.