Agriculture as a source of Aeolian sediment affecting air quality

Aeolian processes on agricultural lands have been examined for the past several decades on nearly every continent and has led to a better understanding of detachment, entrainment, transport, and deposition. Relatively little is known concerning the effect of these processes on air quality. In fact, few studies have examined the role of wind erosion on the emission of coarse and fine particulate matter from agricultural soils. Wind erosion, however, has been a concern in the Columbia Plateau region of the Pacific Northwest US where fugitive dust originating from agricultural fields contributes to the exceedance of the US EPA national ambient air quality standard for PM10 (particulate matter ≤10µm in diameter). This presentation will briefly review the current state of knowledge concerning the impact of wind erosion of agricultural soils on air quality. Central to understanding the impact of wind erosion on air quality has been past studies that have examined the linkage between horizontal sediment transport and vertical PM10 flux during high wind events. This presentation will also highlight more recent research in the Pacific Northwest that has been undertaken to quantify the loss of PM10 from agricultural fields during high wind events and develop strategies to control the emission of particulate matter and improve air quality in the region.