Biogeochemistry
These cycles describe the turnover of elements such as Carbon and Nitrogen, crucial parts of Earth’s life-support system. Carbon is a key driver of global warming, and hugely important to sustainable development. Nitrogen is now a pollutant in the atmosphere, on land and in freshwaters. We need better understanding of the cycles of other potentially hazardous chemicals and their impacts; and to identify effective measures against them.
CEH’s researchers are working to improve knowledge of the carbon cycle, its balance and exchange mechanisms and the possible impacts of climate change. We are exploring the impacts and effects of nitrogen enrichment caused by human activity, land use change and climate change. We are investigating interactions and feedback mechanisms between these biogeochemical cycles and the water cycle, and also the links with interactions between soil, water and vegetation. Our research findings will feed into UK, European and international policies for management of long-term changes. Our process research includes work to understand emissions, atmospheric transport, transformation, deposition and the fate and effects of the deposited compounds.
We are focusing specifically on:
- Assessing and measuring the sources, fate and effects of nitrogen in terrestrial ecosystems (that result from human activity), at a range of spatial scales.
- Understanding the controls on the natural binding of carbon within terrestrial ecosystems and the response to climate, nitrogen deposition and land use.
- Developing next generation models in order to measure the surface atmosphere exchange of trace gases and aerosols.
- Measuring and understanding the formation, atmospheric processing and deposition of atmospheric aerosols and the substances they contain.
- Integrating atmospheric sciences with the biogeochemistry of river catchments, to understand and simulate water chemistry and its responses to land use change.