Charlie Zender studies the effects of airborne chemicals, clouds and aerosols on climate change. Dust from the world's deserts changes cloud properties, rainfall locations and ocean carbon fixation, making it a hot topic in Earth science. Zender studies plumes of dust, industrial soot and biomass burning with a global climate model that predicts the sources, dispersal and fate of these particulates. These plumes can change climate after they land by darkening and melting snow and ice. Zender is associate professor of Earth system science. Contact Zender at 949-824-2987 or zender@uci.edu.

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