Dust effects on freshwater systems
Human activities have significantly altered the concentration and availability of nutrients in the critical zone. The transport and availability of nitrogen and phosphorus are of importance because they are often the most limiting nutrients in many terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. The erosion of desert and agricultural soils has the potential to transport nutrients, particularly phosphorus (within soils, organisms, and phosphate minerals), acid-neutralizing minerals (carbonates), heavy metals, and organic contaminants influencing both precipitation chemistry and aquatic biogeochemistry. Human activity has the potential to increase dust emissions through the destabilization of soils due to land-use activity.
We examined whether or not the dust-mediated transfer of nutrients and base-cations were sufficient to induce change in precipitation and lake biogeochemistry. We found strong, recent increases in dust emissions (by up to 400%) over large regions of the US, primarily due to interactions between climate and land-use activities.. One of the most significant results from this work is that rising dust emissions are contributing to large increases (up to 70%) in the alkalinity of precipitation across large regions of the western US, and non-trivial portions of the increase elsewhere. Using sediment records and contemporary spatial data, we show that human land-use practices are a key driver for observed dust emissions in Wyoming and demonstrate that dust emissions have the potential to impart large changes to lake ecology. This work has received some attention from the media, including National Geographic and Discover online. Ongoing research in our lab is focused on quantifying the form and availability of atmospherically deposited nutrients and other constituents. The material is also being used to conduct experiments in a variety of ecosystems. |
Publications and Thesis
**Brahney lab student/postdoc
*student author
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.
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
**Wen, J. (2022) Dust deposition changes porduction, chlorophyll-a, and community composition in mountain lakes. Utah State University, MS thesis.
Brahney, J., Weathers, K., Reche, I. (2021) Book Chapter: Dust and Fog effects on Inland Waters. The Encyclopedia of Inland Waters. Eds Klement Tockner, Gene Likens, Thomas Mehner. Academic Press, Elsevier
**Scholz, J., Brahney, J. (2022). Evidence for multiple potential drivers of increased phosphorus in high-elevation lakes. Science of the Total Environment
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
**Scholz, J. (2022) Short and long-term mechanisms for increasing inputs of phosphorus in mountain waterbodies of northeastern Utah, USA. Utah State University, MS thesis
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 [IF 10.973, Cit:0]
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 Research 45, 100600 [IF:3.345 Cit:1]
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 lab student/postdoc
*student author
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.
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
**Wen, J. (2022) Dust deposition changes porduction, chlorophyll-a, and community composition in mountain lakes. Utah State University, MS thesis.
Brahney, J., Weathers, K., Reche, I. (2021) Book Chapter: Dust and Fog effects on Inland Waters. The Encyclopedia of Inland Waters. Eds Klement Tockner, Gene Likens, Thomas Mehner. Academic Press, Elsevier
**Scholz, J., Brahney, J. (2022). Evidence for multiple potential drivers of increased phosphorus in high-elevation lakes. Science of the Total Environment
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
**Scholz, J. (2022) Short and long-term mechanisms for increasing inputs of phosphorus in mountain waterbodies of northeastern Utah, USA. Utah State University, MS thesis
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 [IF 10.973, Cit:0]
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 Research 45, 100600 [IF:3.345 Cit:1]
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