Organization:
Research Title: Greenhouse Gas Dynamics (GCD)
Funding Level (millions of dollars):
| FY94 | 0.2 |
|---|---|
| FY95 | 0.2 |
| FY96 | 0.2 |
Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (CENR) Component:
(a) Subcommittee: Global Change Research Subcommittee (100%)
NSTC Committee on Fundamental Science
(b) Environmental Issue: Chemically Induced Changes (100%)
(c) Research Activity: System Structure and Function: Understanding
(100%)
Organizational Component:
Division of Chemistry (CHE)
Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences
National Science Foundation.
Division of Chemistry
NSF/CHE, Room 1055
4201 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22230
Point of Contact:
Margaret Cavanaugh
Phone: 703-306-1842
E-Mail: mcavanau@nsf.gov
Research Goals:
To understand the interactions of greenhouse gases with light, other atmospheric
gases,
surfaces, and other relevant substances; and the complex chemical processes, both
natural
and industrial, that lead to greenhouse gas production and release through the
conduct
of
laboratory based research.
Research Description:
The "Greenhouse Gas Dynamics" (GGD) program supports research needed to
understand:
(1) the interactions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) with light, other atmospheric gases,
surfaces, and other relevant substances; and (2) the complex chemical processes,
both
natural and industrial, which lead to GHG production and release. In order to carry
out the
analyses needed to define, model and predict environmentally critical interactions,
development of new physical and chemical tools will be required. Adsorption,
photochemistry, and bulk reaction between GHGs and other substances, frequently
at
surfaces or in aerosols or hydrosols, determine their environmental impact on
global
climate change. Understanding of the component chemical reactions, and thermal
and
transport processes, will not only promote intelligent use of the gases where that
use is
essential, but also reveal means whereby alternative, less environmentally
destructive
substances can be employed. Surface interaction studies can provide new and
effective
means for selectively removing GHGs from process streams or catalyzing their
conversion
to innocuous substances. Photochemical studies of greenhouse gases, undertaken
because
of environmental relevance, have revealed much about the reaction chemistry of
isolated
gases. The complex, nonlinear interactions of multiple gases and phases, however,
are
only vaguely understood, despite their clear climatic importance. The combination
of mass
and thermal transport, photochemistry, and surface chemistry that describes the
interactions
of GHGs in the atmosphere has only been appreciated recently. Attention will also
be given
to developing reliable techniques for in situ sensing and quantification of GHGs
and on
aliquot monitoring in industrial process streams. New methods are needed for
economical
on-line sensing that would allow more careful monitoring, and permit tighter
standards
for
air quality. Fundamental chemistries underlying passive and active sensor design,
allowing
selective, specific, sensitive, and rapid determination of the gases requires significant
development. For those circumstances where sensors are inappropriate,
development
of
next-generation separations technologies to allow identification and quantification
will be
supported.
Program Milestones:
- Conduct laboratory studies of chemical processes involving sulfur oxides, nitrogen
oxides, and other greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide between 1995 and 1999.
- Refine techniques for determination of composition and phase changes of
greenhouse
gases and for measuring chemicals in industrial process streams between 1995 and
1999.
Program Interfaces:
Projects supported under the GGD program component are largely
laboratory-based, and will complement field observations and studies supported
under
other Global Change initiatives in Global Tropospheric Chemistry and remote
sensing.
The GGD program will contribute to both short-and long-term improvement of
local
and
global habitats. The chemical manufacturing and agricultural industries, both major
contributors to U.S. exports, would be most immediately affected by the introduction
of
new methods and criteria for process monitoring. Atmospheric scientists and
modelers
of
global climate change will benefit from high precision baseline data and improved
understanding of kinetically coupled GHG reactions in the atmosphere and with
suspended
particulates.
Policy Payoffs:
The knowledge gained as a result of the program would provide guidance to
environmental
policymakers in a number of areas in which the complexity of the natural system
has
obscured the most appropriate action. Solutions to problems with greenhouse gases
may
lie in the reduction of atmospheric irritants and particulates, some of which may
be more
important to control than others, and whose effectiveness may vary with
temperature
and
sunlight. Future air quality legislation may be tailored to particular locales and
specific
industries which, where feasible, might be located at environmentally benign sites.