SGER: Effect of Soufriere Hills Volcanic Eruptions on the Plant and Soil Environment of Montserrat

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This project will investigate the effect of Soufriere Hills volcanic eruptions on the plant and soil environment of Montserrat. The Soufriere Hills volcano lies in the south-central part of Montserrat island, West Indies. In 1997, following a major eruption, there was significant damage to the southern 2/3 of the island because of heavy ash and pumice deposition, forcing evacuation of this part of the island. The ecological damage caused by the extreme high temperature and acidity of the ash was devastating. The volcano's dome collapsed again in July 2003. This resulted in even more widespread deposition of ash and serious damage to housing and vegetation. Volcanic eruptions are a natural source of metals and metalloids in both the atmosphere as well as terrestrial ecosystems. At present there is increasing concern with regard to the release of potentially toxic metals into the environment. Therefore, we aim to study the effect of the Soufriere Hills volcano on the biogeochemistry/mineralogy of the soils, concentrating on the impact of high temperatures, acidity of the ash, and metal deposition on soil characteristics. Additionally, the impact of the same on the expression of plant genes resistant to acidity and metals (aluminum etc.) will be investigated.The INTELLECTUAL MERIT of this proposal lies in the fact that, to our knowledge, no study has been reported that follows the time sequence effect of freshly deposited volcanic ash (hence the reason for SGER) on the biogeochemistry/mineralogy of the soil environment. Similarly, to our knowledge, no studies have investigated plant gene resistance to acidic volcanic ash deposition. In addition to this, cutting edge technology such as X-ray fluorescence microprobe, micro-XANES, and EXAFS will be employed to investigate the chemical nature of the ash at the atomic level.The BROADER IMPACT stems from the fact that minority students from an HBCU will get the opportunity to participate in cutting edge research, the information from which may have global significance.