DKK 3 million for research on the impacts of soil microbes on cloud formation
Congratulations to Associate Professor Tina Santl-Temkiv who has just received a grant of more than DKK 3 million from the Independent Research Fund Denmark.
The project "Agricloud" marks a bold exploration into the intricate relationship between microorganisms in agricultural soil and atmospheric cloud formation. Understanding this link is pivotal, given clouds' important role in shaping Earth's climate.
Bridging agroecology, microbiology and climate science
The project focuses on deciphering the impact of agricultural practices on bioaerosols, the biological particles in the atmosphere. These bioaerosols, as recent research suggests, significantly influence global climate dynamics. "Agricloud" aims to unravel how these aerosols, shaped by soil management, affect cloud properties.
"Since clouds play a vital role in the Earth's climate, it is important to understand this connection. In this way, we can contribute to selecting agricultural practices that counteract an increased warming of the Earth, " Tina Santl-Temkiv says.
This is a collaborative project linking microbial ecology, agroecology, engineering, atmospheric physics, and climate modeling and includes collaboration with Lars Elsgaard, Claus Melvad, Ulas Im, Kai Finster, and Bernadette Rosati.
In a combination fo field measurements and state-of-the-art lab simulations, Tina Santl-Temkiv's project will explore the aerosolization processes and contribute with valuable insights into climate modelling.