The composition and transport of Australian air-borne dust: critical to continental and marine environments

Our aims are to determine the composition of Australian air-borne dust and effects on the environment. We will fingerprint aeolian dust by determining its particle size, mineralogy, inorganic and organic chemical composition, including isotopic characteristics. The microbial component and pathogens found in association with dust will be determined. We will assess the conditions that lead to the entrainment of dust at various levels in the atmosphere and the direction dust plumes can be transported to and from Australia. Thus, we will determine the possible contribution of aeolian dust to soils, rainforests and the marine environment, including reefs, and the effect that climate currently has on dust distribution and the recent past