Mineral dust is, besides sea-salt, the most abundant component of atmospheric aerosol. Mineral dust is raised mainly from soil material. On global scale, predominantly the warm deserts produce mineral dust. On regional scales, also cold deserts and agricultural areas can be of importance as sources. Mineral dust impacts on climate by its atmospheric interactions, on the one hand by modifying directly solar and terrestrial radiation, on the other hand by impacting cloud processes by changing atmospheric temperature distribution and modifying cloud development and precipitation. Moreover, considerable amounts of nutrients are supplied to marine and terrestrial – especially tropical – ecosystems in the form of dust constituents.

Our research currently focuses on investigation of optical properties of airborne mineral dust, for example by modeling real dust particles in detail; on dust dry deposition into the northern Atlantic Ocean and (south) American ecosystems; on modification of dust by atmospheric processes and, for example, the thereby modified impact on cloud process (hygroscopicity).