Assessing the role of dust deposition on phytoplankton ecophysiology

Dust Storms and their ecological impacts on Chlorophyll distributions over the Persian Gulf (1997-2007)

The Persian Gulf due to its position in subtropical belt is influenced by many intense dust storms during the year. The periodic dust events are expected to affect significantly the ecological condition of the Persian Gulf. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of mineral dust on the primary production in phytoplankton communities of Persian Gulf. Satellite data from Se...

Biological responses of the marine diatom Chaetoceros socialis to changing environmental conditions: A laboratory experiment

Diatoms constitute a major group of phytoplankton, accounting for ~20% of the world's primary production. It has been shown that iron (Fe) can be the limiting factor for phytoplankton growth, in particular, in the HNLC (High Nutrient Low Chlorophyll) regions. Iron plays thus an essential role in governing the marine primary productivity and the efficiency of biological carbon pump. Oceanic syst...

Saharan Dust Deposition May Affect Phytoplankton Growth in the Mediterranean Sea at Ecological Time Scales

The surface waters of the Mediterranean Sea are extremely poor in the nutrients necessary for plankton growth. At the same time, the Mediterranean Sea borders with the largest and most active desert areas in the world and the atmosphere over the basin is subject to frequent injections of mineral dust particles. We describe statistical correlations between dust deposition over the Mediterranean ...

Effects of atmospheric dust deposition on leaf chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of cow-tail shrubs (Smirnovia iranica) in the desert regions of Kashan, Iran

Dust Particles and Aerosols: Impact on Biota “A Review” (Part III)

Natural resources play a fundamental role in the economy of country and create the situation to achieve the goals of sustainable society, these valuable resources have to be conserved  and used with care. Destroying the forests and rangelands will lead to a dark future full of poverty, starvation and environmental pollution. Forests and rangelands play a considerable role in reducing air pollut...