12: Making Sense of How VOCs Impact Air Pollution and Climate

Understanding how volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that originate from living organisms like trees and plants could  influence climate change and air pollution is an important area of research.  Recently I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Alfred Mayhew, who is postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences here at the U.  Alfred did his earlier graduate and PHD work at the University of York in the UK.   Dr. Mayhew’s research is focused on the intersection between air quality and climate change, and the very complex chemical interactions between biogenic volatile organic compounds. By trying to better understand how certain interactions take place between compounds and how significant they are for understanding and forecasting air pollution and climate change, he hopes his work will provide direction and focus for future lab and field researchers, and policymakers interested in understanding the climate feedback between the biosphere, atmosphere, and anthropogenic emissions.This was a fascinating, and times challenging topic for me to wrap my head around, and Aflie was very gracious and patient to help get me up to speed on his work.  I hope you enjoy our conversation.