Mapping the supply and demand of primary production in African drylands

The upcoming Environmental Biology Seminar features guest speaker Abdulhakim Abdi, Postdoctoral Researcher, Lund University

The seminar will take place online from11:30-12:30 EST; an online discussion will take place from 2-3:00 EST

To participate: please contact Allison Ford (allison.ford [at] mail.mcgill.ca) for Zoom link

When plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis, they use some of this carbon to maintain plant cellular structure. The rest is stored as plant tissue and forms plant biomass. The annual accumulation of this plant biomass is called net primary production (NPP). On an annual basis, NPP supplies the provision of crops, animal feed and pasture. The societal implications of reduced NPP can be severe, possibly leading to failure of the cropping season and eventual food insecurity. In this talk, I will focus on work I conducted during my PhD on the balance between the supply and demand of NPP in Africa and thoughts about opportunities for advancement.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Abdulhakim Abdi is trained as a geographer and uses remote sensing to study environmental change in terrestrial ecosystems. His research includes studying natural and anthropogenic phenomena in African drylands. This includes, but is not limited to, supply and demand of net primary production and assessing impact of drought on ecosystems and people. He is also an avid birder and spend his leisure time in nature and with his family.