Howard University News February 10, 2017 Howard University Chemistry and Atmospheric Sciences Professor Leads Pilot Study from South America on Invasive Species Howard University Chemistry and Atmospheric Sciences Professor Vernon Morris, Ph.D., and a team of 11 researchers, including HU graduate students, undergraduate students and alumni, will soon leave the southern tip of Chile on a research cruise to investigate the atmospheric microbiome—the microscopic biological components of the gaseous envelope surrounding Earth. The cruise will start in Punta Arenas, Chile, on Feb. 11 and end in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Feb. 16. Howard University Chemistry and Atmospheric Sciences Professor Vernon Morris, Ph.D., and a team of 11 researchers, including HU graduate students, undergraduate students and alumni, will soon leave the southern tip of Chile on a research cruise to investigate the atmospheric microbiome—the microscopic biological components of the gaseous envelope surrounding Earth. The cruise will start in Punta Arenas, Chile, on Feb. 11 and end in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Feb. 16. “We do not fully understand the threats to biodiversity that climate change will cause in the future due to a lack of inventories on natural species and ecosystem health – especially in remote regions,” Morris said. “How do we protect something that we do not know is there? Moreover, how do we know what is threatening the natural environment unless we explore and characterize it?” According to Morris, who also serves as director of the the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Center for Atmospheric Sciences, invasive species pose one of the most serious threats to the global environment, harming extensive regions of the United States and every country in the world, including on agricultural, ecological, economical and epidemiological fronts. Invasive species may be as damaging to native species and ecosystems on a global scale as the loss and degradation of regional habitats. The impact on ecosystems, food and water security are immense and oftentimes irreversible with annual estimates to the United States alone in the tens of billions, said Morris. The cruise path will initially go through the Drake Passage and move northward from the Southern into the Atlantic Ocean. Researchers will look for evidence of airborne invasive species and characterize the exchange of pollutants to regions designated as marine protected areas<http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/mpa.html> within the ocean regions surrounding the southern tip of South America. The endeavor will be conducted in partnership with scientists from NOAA, the Atlantic Oceanic and Meteorological Laboratory and the National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service. By studying the atmospheric transport of emerging and invasive pathogens to these remote ocean regions, Morris said he hopes to expand upon the little data that has been collected about the atmospheric microbiome, especially considering the U.S. State Department’s recognition that emerging pathogens and invasive species are an issue of national security over the global oceans. Morris also wants to investigate whether unmitigated threats already are expanding through airborne pathways, he said. Following the pilot study, Morris will lead research efforts as chief scientist for the annual AEROSE cruise from Montevideo, Uruguay, on Feb. 18 to Charleston, S.C., on March 27. The AERosols and Ocean Science Expeditions, known as AEROSE, began in 2004 and have been conducted annually since 2006. The series of research-vessel-based campaigns are designed to explore the influence of African air masses on climate, weather, and environmental health over the tropical Atlantic Ocean and in the Americas. AEROSE is sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)<http://www.noaa.gov/> and conducted in collaboration with NOAA scientists, faculty from a variety of US and international academic institutions. More than 50 students have participated in these missions, many experiencing time on a ship in the open ocean for the first time. Morris is committed to ensuring that the next generation of scientists addressing global environmental challenges includes African American, Native American, and Latino students.

 “Many people across the diaspora stand to face the brunt of the worst climate impacts,” he said. “It is essential that we get more students of color involved from a knowledge-generation and sharing perspective. We have to take ownership so that the policy decisions include us. You cannot do that if you are not involved.” SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta, GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org/ sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org%3cmailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org>> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/