Formation and evolution of dust-generating deserts and their impact on Earth’s climate (DUST)
Navn på bevillingshaver
Mads Faurschou Knudsen
Titel
Professor
Institution
Aarhus University
Beløb
DKK 12,974,170
År
2025
Bevillingstype
Semper Ardens: Accomplish
Hvad?
Deserts are vital to our planet as they host unique ecosystems, provide critical nutrients for land and ocean photosynthesis, and regulate global climate. Despite their importance, surprisingly little is known about the origin of deserts and their influence on Earth’s climate. This project will quantify the evolution of key deserts and constrain their role in regulating the climate system.
Hvorfor?
The age and evolution of deserts and their role in the emergence of ice-age climate cycles 2.6 million years ago remain unclear. We know that dust emitted from deserts influenced Earth’s climate in the past and will continue to affect future climate, but the link between desert dust and global climate is poorly understood. Dust is consequently a major uncertainty in projections of future climate.
Hvordan?
This project will determine the age and evolution of the most important dust-emitting deserts. Via comparisons with dust records from ice sheets and marine sediments, and the use of an Earth system model, it will constrain the link between dust emissions and global climate. It will also test the idea that desert expansion played a key role for the emergence of ice ages 2.6 million years ago.