Surf, Sink or Swim: Understanding Environmentally Important Processes at Water Surfaces

Although the special properties of water have been valued and appreciated for centuries, as scientists we continue to be perplexed by the molecular make-up of water in all its forms.  Equally perplexing is the surface of water, a surface that is involved in some of most important reactions in our atmosphere, a surface that can sculpt the landscape as it flows past rocks and soils, a surface that can break down the strongest of metals, and a surface across which essential nutrients and ions are constantly exchanged in life-sustaining processes in our bodies.  In our laboratory we study environmentally important processes at aqueous surfaces using laser based spectroscopic techniques and molecular dynamics simulations.  I will focus my talk on our recent studies of the intriguing behavior of water surfaces when in contact with molecules of importance in our environment.