An Interdisciplinary Workshop Reducing Uncertainty in Soluble aerosol Trace Element Deposition (RUSTED); Goa, India; November 10-14, 2024

This project supports travel for early career scientists to attend the conference: “Reducing Uncertainty in Soluble aerosol Trace Element Deposition (RUSTED).” This meeting will bring together an international group of scientific experts from the fields of ocean biogeochemistry, atmospheric chemistry, and modeling to focus on compiling trace element solubility data and to discuss ways to improve the handling of soluble iron in Earth System models. Accurate identification and description of iron biogeochemical processes at the atmosphere-ocean boundary are crucial for confident projections of human-induced effects on the carbon cycle and climate, as well as understanding atmospheric nutrient deposition impacts on phytoplankton.

The RUSTED Early Career Researcher Workshop is scheduled to take place from November 10-14, 2024, at CSIR - National Institute of Oceanography located in Goa, India. The workshop builds upon the foundation laid by two preceding workshops, which focused on enhancing the comprehension of iron's influence on ocean biogeochemistry, carbon sequestration, and climate dynamics.

The meeting includes a focus on critical questions about iron biogeochemical cycling in the Earth System. Participants will be engaged to explore what simultaneous information would be needed to improve model predictions to better represent climate forcing and feedbacks and what steps must be taken to acquire such information, gain insight, and answer the most critical questions.

Ocean biogeochemical models have progressed in treating different dissolved forms, but kinetic descriptions of processes affecting iron solubility after deposition remain rudimentary.

One third of the invited researchers will be early career scientists (PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and young research scientists who received their PhD after 2018). The workshop will facilitate interactive discussions among researchers at various stages of their careers working on different aspects of iron biogeochemistry. This workshop is also sponsored by the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR), a non-profit, non-governmental organization that works to advance international oceanographic research.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.