Dust Biogeochemistry
The atmosphere plays a crucial role in connecting all life and ecosystems on Earth. Particulates suspended in the atmosphere have the potential to travel between continents, transporting various constituents to distant locations. While particles are naturally emitted from the Earth’s surface, human land use practices have significantly amplified their entry rate to the atmosphere. Moreover, as societies continue to grow, create new industries, materials, and waste products, the composition of atmospheric particulates is being altered. Increasing wildfire activity throughout the western US is raising new concerns on the composition of atmospheric particulates and their impacts at depositional sites. Because monitoring programs tend to focus on only the very fine-grained portion of particulates in the atmosphere, (e.g. anything smaller than about the width of a blood cell), we have been ignoring a large portion of the materials that make up atmospheric particulates and don’t know how they influence ecosystems.
Our lab is interested in dust composition (physical, chemical, biological, synthetic) and how dust may alter sensitive receiving terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. We are also interested in developing novel tracers for dust and air quality. Learn more about our projects from the tabs below.
Our lab is interested in dust composition (physical, chemical, biological, synthetic) and how dust may alter sensitive receiving terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. We are also interested in developing novel tracers for dust and air quality. Learn more about our projects from the tabs below.
Publications and Thesis
*Daniels, J., Liang, L., Benedict, K. B., Brahney, J., Rangel, R., Weathers, K. C., & Ponette-González, A. G. (2024). Satellite-based aerosol optical depth estimates over the continental US during the 2020 wildfire season: Roles of smoke and land cover. Science of The Total Environment, 171122.
**Gonzalez-Olalla, J.M., Powell, J.A., Brahney, J. (2023) Dust storms increase the resistance of phytoplankton to damage induced by thermal and pH changes. Global Change Biology
Li, Q., Ziao, S., Cui, Y., Brahney, J., Mahowald, N. (2023). Long-distance atmospheric transport of microplastic fibers influenced by their shapes. Nature Geoscience
Brahney, J., Weathers, K.C., Reche, I. (2022) Dust and Fog Effects on Inland Waters. Chapter in Encyclopedia of Inland Waters, 2nd Ed. Volume 4 639-656. Reviewed by Kendra Cheruvelil. Eds: Klement Tockner, Thomas Mehner
Wu. R., Dong, Z., Cheng. X., Brahney, J., Jiao, X., Wu, L. (2022) Heavy metal levels and sources in suspended particulate matters of the glacier watersheds in Northeast Tibetan Plateau. Frontiers in Environmental Science.
Deonie Allen, Steve Allen, Sajjad Abbasi, Alex Baker, Melanie Bergmann, Janice Brahney, Tim Butler, Robert Duce, Sabine Eckhardt, Nikolaos Evangeliou, Tim Jickells, Maria Kanakidou, Peter Kershaw, Paolo Laj, Joseph Levermore, Daoji Li, Peter Liss, Kai Liu, Natalie Mahowald, Pere Masque, Dušan Materić, Andrew Mayes, Paul McGinnity, Iolanda Osvath, Kimberly Prather, Joseph Prospero, Laura Revell, Sylvia Sander, Won Joon Shim, Jonathan Slade, Ariel Stein, Oksana Tarasova, Stephanie Wright. (2022). The atmospheric cycle of micro and nano plastics in the marine environment. Nature Reviews Earth and Environment
Evangeliou, N., Tichy, O., Eckhardt, S., Zwaaftink, C.G., Brahney, J. (2022) Global emissions, transport and deposition of atmospheric microplastics revealed from Bayesian inverse modelling. Journal of Hazardous Materials
Jiao, X., Dong, Z., Parteli, E., Brahney, J., Wei, T., Marcelli, A., Nie, J., Ren, J., Qin, X. (2022) Uranium isotopic composition and constraints on the provenance of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau’s surface dust. Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface
Jiao, X., Dong, Z., Brahney, J., Parteli, E.J.R., Li, F., Marcelli, A., Wei, T. (2022) Uranium isotopes of aeolian dust deposited in northern Tibetan Plateau glaciers: Implications for tracing aeolian dust provenance. Fundamental Research
Wei, T., Brahney, J., Dong, Z., Kang, S., Zong, C., Guo, J., Yang, L, Qin, X. (2021) Hf-Nd-Sr isotopic composition of Tibetan Plateau dust as a fingerprint for regional to hemispherical transport. Environmental Science and Technology 55(40) 10121-10132.
Dong, Z., Brahney, J., Kang, S., Elser, J., Wei, T., Jiao, X., Shao, Y. (2020). Aeolian dust transport, cycles, and influences in the high-elevation cryosphere of the Tibetan Plateau region: new evidence from alpine snow and ice. Earth Science Reviews
Brahney, J., Wetherbee, G., Sexstone, G., Strong, P., Youngbull, C. (2020). A new sampler for the determination of dry deposition with the NADP network. Aeolian Environment
Brahney, J., Ballantyne, A.P., Vandergoes, M., Baisden, T., Neff, J.C. (2019) Increased dust deposition in New Zealand related to 20th century Australian land use. Journal of Geophysical Research - Biogeosciences.
Mahowald, N.M., Scanza, R., Brahney, J., Goodale, C.L., Hess, P.G., Moore, J.K., Neff, J.C. (2017) Aerosol deposition impacts on land and ocean carbon cycles. Current Climate Change Reports 8(2) 1-16
Stoddard, J.L, van Sickle, J., Herlihy, A.T., Brahney, J., Paulsen, S., Peck, D.V., Mitchell, R., Pollard, A. (2016) Continental Scale Increases in lake and stream phosphorus: Are oligotrophic systems disappearing in the U.S.? Environmental Science and Technology 50(7): 3409-3415 **Editors Choice Award
Brahney, J., Mahowald, N., Ward, D.S., Ballantyne, A., Neff, J.C. (2015b) Is Atmospheric phosphorus pollution altering global alpine lake stoichiometry? Global Biogeochemical Cycles 29(9): 1369-1383
Brahney, J., Ballantyne, A.P., Kociolek, P., Leavitt, P., Farmer, G.L., Neff, J.C. (2015a). Ecological changes in two contrasting lakes associated with human activity and dust transport in western Wyoming. Limnology and Oceanography 60(2):378-396
Brahney, J., Ballantyne, AP., Kociolek, P, Spaulding, S., Otu, M., Porwoll, T. Neff, J.C. (2014a). Dust mediated transfer of phosphorus to alpine lake ecosystems in the Wind River Range, Wyoming. Biogeochemistry DOI: 10.1007/s10533-014-9994-x
Brahney, J., Ballantyne, A. P., Sievers, C., & Neff, J. C. (2013). Increasing Ca2+ deposition in the western US: The role of mineral aerosols. Aeolian Research 10: 77-87 ** Award for top 5 highly cited papers in AR
Ballantyne, A.P., Brahney, J., Fernandez, D., Lawrence, C.L., Saros, J., Neff, J.C. (2011) Biogeochemical response of alpine lakes to recent changes in dust deposition. Biogeosciences 7: 8723-8761
Brahney, J (2015) ) Atmospheric increases in dust emissions tied to increases in lake productivity. USDA Mountain Views 9:1
Brahney, J. (2013) Increases in atmospheric dust over regions of the western U.S and its effect on precipitation pH and alkalinity. USDA Mountain Views 7:1
*Daniels, J., Liang, L., Benedict, K. B., Brahney, J., Rangel, R., Weathers, K. C., & Ponette-González, A. G. (2024). Satellite-based aerosol optical depth estimates over the continental US during the 2020 wildfire season: Roles of smoke and land cover. Science of The Total Environment, 171122.
**Gonzalez-Olalla, J.M., Powell, J.A., Brahney, J. (2023) Dust storms increase the resistance of phytoplankton to damage induced by thermal and pH changes. Global Change Biology
Li, Q., Ziao, S., Cui, Y., Brahney, J., Mahowald, N. (2023). Long-distance atmospheric transport of microplastic fibers influenced by their shapes. Nature Geoscience
Brahney, J., Weathers, K.C., Reche, I. (2022) Dust and Fog Effects on Inland Waters. Chapter in Encyclopedia of Inland Waters, 2nd Ed. Volume 4 639-656. Reviewed by Kendra Cheruvelil. Eds: Klement Tockner, Thomas Mehner
Wu. R., Dong, Z., Cheng. X., Brahney, J., Jiao, X., Wu, L. (2022) Heavy metal levels and sources in suspended particulate matters of the glacier watersheds in Northeast Tibetan Plateau. Frontiers in Environmental Science.
Deonie Allen, Steve Allen, Sajjad Abbasi, Alex Baker, Melanie Bergmann, Janice Brahney, Tim Butler, Robert Duce, Sabine Eckhardt, Nikolaos Evangeliou, Tim Jickells, Maria Kanakidou, Peter Kershaw, Paolo Laj, Joseph Levermore, Daoji Li, Peter Liss, Kai Liu, Natalie Mahowald, Pere Masque, Dušan Materić, Andrew Mayes, Paul McGinnity, Iolanda Osvath, Kimberly Prather, Joseph Prospero, Laura Revell, Sylvia Sander, Won Joon Shim, Jonathan Slade, Ariel Stein, Oksana Tarasova, Stephanie Wright. (2022). The atmospheric cycle of micro and nano plastics in the marine environment. Nature Reviews Earth and Environment
Evangeliou, N., Tichy, O., Eckhardt, S., Zwaaftink, C.G., Brahney, J. (2022) Global emissions, transport and deposition of atmospheric microplastics revealed from Bayesian inverse modelling. Journal of Hazardous Materials
Jiao, X., Dong, Z., Parteli, E., Brahney, J., Wei, T., Marcelli, A., Nie, J., Ren, J., Qin, X. (2022) Uranium isotopic composition and constraints on the provenance of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau’s surface dust. Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface
Jiao, X., Dong, Z., Brahney, J., Parteli, E.J.R., Li, F., Marcelli, A., Wei, T. (2022) Uranium isotopes of aeolian dust deposited in northern Tibetan Plateau glaciers: Implications for tracing aeolian dust provenance. Fundamental Research
Wei, T., Brahney, J., Dong, Z., Kang, S., Zong, C., Guo, J., Yang, L, Qin, X. (2021) Hf-Nd-Sr isotopic composition of Tibetan Plateau dust as a fingerprint for regional to hemispherical transport. Environmental Science and Technology 55(40) 10121-10132.
Dong, Z., Brahney, J., Kang, S., Elser, J., Wei, T., Jiao, X., Shao, Y. (2020). Aeolian dust transport, cycles, and influences in the high-elevation cryosphere of the Tibetan Plateau region: new evidence from alpine snow and ice. Earth Science Reviews
Brahney, J., Wetherbee, G., Sexstone, G., Strong, P., Youngbull, C. (2020). A new sampler for the determination of dry deposition with the NADP network. Aeolian Environment
Brahney, J., Ballantyne, A.P., Vandergoes, M., Baisden, T., Neff, J.C. (2019) Increased dust deposition in New Zealand related to 20th century Australian land use. Journal of Geophysical Research - Biogeosciences.
Mahowald, N.M., Scanza, R., Brahney, J., Goodale, C.L., Hess, P.G., Moore, J.K., Neff, J.C. (2017) Aerosol deposition impacts on land and ocean carbon cycles. Current Climate Change Reports 8(2) 1-16
Stoddard, J.L, van Sickle, J., Herlihy, A.T., Brahney, J., Paulsen, S., Peck, D.V., Mitchell, R., Pollard, A. (2016) Continental Scale Increases in lake and stream phosphorus: Are oligotrophic systems disappearing in the U.S.? Environmental Science and Technology 50(7): 3409-3415 **Editors Choice Award
Brahney, J., Mahowald, N., Ward, D.S., Ballantyne, A., Neff, J.C. (2015b) Is Atmospheric phosphorus pollution altering global alpine lake stoichiometry? Global Biogeochemical Cycles 29(9): 1369-1383
Brahney, J., Ballantyne, A.P., Kociolek, P., Leavitt, P., Farmer, G.L., Neff, J.C. (2015a). Ecological changes in two contrasting lakes associated with human activity and dust transport in western Wyoming. Limnology and Oceanography 60(2):378-396
Brahney, J., Ballantyne, AP., Kociolek, P, Spaulding, S., Otu, M., Porwoll, T. Neff, J.C. (2014a). Dust mediated transfer of phosphorus to alpine lake ecosystems in the Wind River Range, Wyoming. Biogeochemistry DOI: 10.1007/s10533-014-9994-x
Brahney, J., Ballantyne, A. P., Sievers, C., & Neff, J. C. (2013). Increasing Ca2+ deposition in the western US: The role of mineral aerosols. Aeolian Research 10: 77-87 ** Award for top 5 highly cited papers in AR
Ballantyne, A.P., Brahney, J., Fernandez, D., Lawrence, C.L., Saros, J., Neff, J.C. (2011) Biogeochemical response of alpine lakes to recent changes in dust deposition. Biogeosciences 7: 8723-8761
Brahney, J (2015) ) Atmospheric increases in dust emissions tied to increases in lake productivity. USDA Mountain Views 9:1
Brahney, J. (2013) Increases in atmospheric dust over regions of the western U.S and its effect on precipitation pH and alkalinity. USDA Mountain Views 7:1