星空传媒

Climate and Environmental Sciences

The Department of Earth Science at Khalifa University undertakes an integrated and quantitative interdisciplinary research program to better understand the Earth鈥檚 Climate and Environmental processes during the pre- and post-industrialization eras. This includes looking into the regional climate, the local meteorology, the atmospheric composition and understanding the interplay between the different Earth system components at different temporal and spatial scales. The knowledge gained from this research is further utilized to illuminate the effects of anthropogenic activities on global warming and climate change, as well as how these changes impact Earth's natural systems and processes. Additionally, it contributes to understanding and mitigating these effects. Faculty Members currently involved in this field of research include Thomas Steuber, Aisha Al Suwaidi, Andrea Ceriani, Diana Francis, Mohammad Alsuwaidi, Frantz Gerard Ossa Ossa, Mohammed Ali and Fateh Bouchaala.

Examples of ongoing research projects can be found below:

• Anthropogenically induced climate change and the impact of a warmer Arabian Gulf on the Arabian Sea OMZ and marine water chemistry. Impact of Anthropogenic climate change on enhanced soil development and weathering bi-products (By Aisha Al Suwaidi).
• Recent marine carbonate sediments in an extreme environment (Arabian Gulf) as analogue for Mesozoic hyperthermals: Holocene and Recent subtidal carbonate sediments from the Arabian Gulf formed in an extreme environment in terms of temperature, salinity and seasonality. Sediment cores from offshore Abu Dhabi are studied to evaluate the impact of Holocene and Recent climate change on carbonate producers and their chemical and isotopic composition (By Thomas Steuber).
• Late Quaternary Sea-level Change and Paleo-Environments of Coastal Abu Dhabi; Carbonate terrains of the Arabian Gulf of Abu Dhabi as a 鈥渘atural micritization laboratory鈥� (By Mohammad Alsuwaidi).
• Characteristics and distribution of microplastics in marine and terrestrial environments (By Andrea Ceriani).
• Research the climate, environmental and atmospheric sciences at local, regional and global scales (By Diana Francis)
• The biogeochemical cycles and mass-balance of Mo, Zn, U and Tl in the modern oceans and implications for palaeoceanographic interpretations (By Frantz Gerard Ossa Ossa). This is an international collaboration as part of the Deep Sea Oxic Coretop Team, including Sune Nielsen, CRPG (Nancy, France) and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI, USA); Morten Andersen, Cardiff University (UK); Kassandra Costa, WHOI; Ann Dunlea, WHOI; Logan Tegler, University of Hawaii (USA); Maureen Auro, WHOI; Frankie Pavia, University of Washington (USA); Chad Ostrander, University of Utah (USA); Andy W Heard, WHOI.