The Project
Origin, fate and impact of biospheric climate-relevant trace gases during global change.
Winner
Dr Frank Keppler
Department of Atmospheric Chemistry
Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
Joh.-Joachim-Becher-Weg 27
Mainz 55128
Germany
Frank Keppler, aged 39, is a Research Associate at the Max-Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, in a group formerly led by Professor Thomas Röckmann. His strong publication record in earth sciences began as a PhD fellow in organic geochemistry at a Centre of Excellence in Heidelberg from 1997 to 2000. He stayed on at the Graduate College of Earth Sciences in Heidelberg as Post Doctoral Fellow until 2002, when he moved to Northern Ireland as a Marie Curie Fellow at Queen’s University, Belfast, leaving there in 2004 for his present position back in Germany. He has developed a reputation for applying highly innovative methods to study the formation of organic trace gases in the terrestrial biosphere.
He said: “This award is just what we needed and we are all highly grateful for the chance it gives us to fulfil our ambitions. Our work which focuses on the evolution of climate-relevant trace gases from terrestrial ecosystems is highly multidisciplinary, and the award will make sure we can bring in all the expertise we need in different fields.”
Provisional Award
€ 1,168,266
Project Description
While attention has focused on rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels as the primary contributor to global warming, the role of secondary climate feedback elements such as organic trace gases within the biosphere has yet to be given proper consideration. Yet a recent, and unexpected, observation suggested that plants produce relevant trace gases that play an important role in the budgets of methane, chloromethane and bromomethane. These three gases are suggested to play a key role in the natural cycles of climate change and atmospheric ozone levels.
The aim of this project is to assess more accurately the contribution to climate change made by these biospheric climate-relevant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by studying their life cycle utilising a stable isotope approach. Particular emphasis will naturally be placed on the fact that emissions of these gases are likely to increase in response to anticipated global warming during the 21st century, creating additional feedback effects. Moreover, the role of VOCs in global change during other periods of Earth’s history, particularly at mass extinction events, will be assessed.
While the group will focus on the three simple VOCs of known interest, ie methane, chloromethane and bromomethane, other candidates such as iodomethane, chloroform, and bromoform, will also be considered. After having identified the major sources of the contributing gases and assessed their response to, and impact, on climate change, numerical models will be developed and applied to simulate past and future impact of these atmospherically important compounds. This will all require a multidisciplinary approach, involving interaction between several disciplines including geochemistry, biochemistry, analytical chemistry, and atmospheric physical-chemistry.
