The UC Dust Symposium program will focus on the below topics that have been developed by the technical program committee. 

Participants will have the opportunity to present their research and applications via oral presentation, poster session, or informal conversation. Presentations from graduate students and early career scientists are highly encouraged. Submit an abstract for consideration below.

Dust, weather, and climate

Dust aerosols affect weather and climate in numerous ways, including by scattering and absorbing solar and terrestrial radiation and by serving as seeds for the formation of both cloud droplets and ice crystals. Conversely, dust emissions are sensitive to weather and climate and might increase in the future due to increasing drought, especially in the US southwest. This session invites studies of these and other interactions of dust with weather and climate in California or other regions.

Dust, agriculture, and renewable energy

Dust can influence crop productivity, soil health, and overall agricultural sustainability. In addition, dust deposition on solar panels can reduce energy efficiency, while wind turbines may experience performance degradation in dusty environments. Understanding these interactions is vital for implementing effective mitigation strategies that can enhance agricultural resilience in dust-prone regions and sustainable practices to maintain the effectiveness of renewable energy infrastructure. This session invites studies on the interactions of dust with agriculture and renewable energy in California or other regions.

Dust impact on air quality and disease/health/epidemiology

Dust is an important constituent of total particulate matter in many regions of the world, contributing to poor air quality and associated health outcomes for exposed populations. In addition to direct impacts on EPA criteria pollutant metrics (PM2.5 and PM10 mass concentrations), dust may also serve as a vehicle for the transport of bacteria, fungi, or other microbial pathogens, with implications for human health. In this session, we invite research that explores connections between dust and human health outcomes.

The Call for Abstracts is now closed

Submissions are being reviewed by the symposium committee and authors will be notified of their acceptance status on February 15th.

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