Biosphere-atmosphere interactions
and atmospheric chemistry research group

Malcolm Possell

Malcolm is a PhD student in the research group who started in February 2000. His interests in atmospheric chemistry led him to Lancaster University after taking his first degree in Environmental Sciences at University of East Anglia.

Research interests

Malcolm is investigating VOC emissions from trees in high CO2 environments as part of larger NERC funded project attempting to quantify net ecosystem C soil inputs under elevated CO2. Using typical UK woodland species in Lancaster University's solar domes, he will assess the overall contribution of VOC emissions to C cycling. The hypothesis to be tested is:

1. That elevated CO2 concentrations will effect the net emission of VOCs from emitting tree species and that VOC emission fluxes under future climate change scenarios can be predicted.
2. That this will effect the contribution of emitted VOC-carbon to the tree species' total carbon budget in present and future climate change scenarios.

It is well known that VOCs play an important role in the tropospheric chemistry of ozone and aerosols and data obtained from this study could be input to models to predict ozone and aerosol formation in climate change scenarios.

The VOC emission measurements will be complemented by estimates of plant lifetime C losses obtained from missing biomass estimates determined by comparison of intrinsic water use efficiency (from measurements of plant tissue carbon isotope ratio) and actual transpiration efficiency (deduced from lifetime water consumption and biomass at final harvest).

Supervisors: Prof. C.N. Hewitt and Dr. G. Kerstiens.

Useful links

Contact: m.possell@lancaster.ac.uk