Olga Garmash

Project title

Biological material as a source of reactive organic nitrogen gases to the atmosphere

What is your project about?

Sea surface is rich in biological organic matter. I am interested in how organic biomolecules, specifically those containing nitrogen atoms, can get from the sea and into the air. We will conduct experiments in the laboratory and in the real atmosphere and test previously overlooked release mechanisms from sea spray. The presence of organic molecules over remote oceans is extremely interesting because they can react and form aerosol particles. These particles can affect climate as they absorb and reflect sunlight, but also because they are absolutely necessary for forming clouds. As a result, my project will help to understand the connection between oceans, clouds and climate.

How did you become interested in your particular field of research?

Even though I grew up in a city, I have always been very close to nature. This motivated me to first pursue a Bachelor degree in an environmental field and then a Master degree in Atmospheric Sciences. I quickly learned that Atmospheric Science is not only about predicting the weather, but also about microscopic processes that make our air breathable and our planet habitable. In fact, it was clear that a lot about the air remains unknown. During my PhD, I studied atmospheric oxidation processes and how they affect the formation of aerosol particles. I quickly realized that we need to work at the intersection of physics and chemistry (and sometimes also biology) in order to get a comprehensive understanding of the air and climate. Working within multiple fields of natural sciences feeds into my lifelong curiosity about how everything works.

What are the scientific challenges and perspectives in your project?

The exploratory nature of this project presents the main scientific challenge. We will step into the unknown and will work towards identifying the reactive organic biomolecules emitted by the oceans. Based on our hypotheses, we will test different release mechanisms from sea spray and are ready to get unexpected results. Detecting reactive organic species is also a huge instrumental challenge as thousands of different types of molecules are formed which then quickly react away. This is why we will characterize and use a highly sensitive mass spectrometry method in this project. Overall, I strongly believe that the mechanisms that we uncover will also be relevant for biological material present in other environments, beyond the remote marine atmosphere.

What is your estimate of the impact, which your project may have to society in the long term?

There is a massive effort within the scientific community to provide the society with accurate predictions of the future climate. The largest uncertainty in these predictions come from the interactions between aerosol particles and clouds. This project will investigate new processes that may form aerosol particles in the remote marine atmosphere. In context of climate, this will provide additional knowledge on how bright marine clouds form over dark ocean surface. We will identify and count the amount of reactive organic molecules and study in detail the physiochemical processes for their release. By describing yet unknown sources of particles, we will enhance our physical understanding of the climate system and improve our climate models.

Which impact do you expect the Sapere Aude programme will have on your career as a researcher?

The Sapere Aude programme will play a central role in establishing my research group focused on experimental atmospheric chemistry. With this “dare to know” grant my group will gain momentum by adding a postdoctoral researcher and a PhD student, who will work on previously overlooked processes in atmospheric chemistry. It will also allow me to expand my scientific network through international collaborations and gain leadership experience. I am looking forward to educating the next generation of excellent young researchers and contributing to our knowledge on the role of oceanic emissions in the climate system.