Cars Pass Through A Sandstorm at Devils Cornfield In Death Valley
More than 55,000 square miles of California cities, farmland, and desert experience sustained periods of strong winds capable of lifting tiny soil particles into the air. Better known as dust storms, these meteorological conditions affect nearly five million Californians and numerous inland California ecosystems.
“Dust emissions from dryland contribute to the loss of nutrient-rich soil particles, affect soil biogeochemical cycles, and impact human health with cascading effects on road safety, air traffic, and recreation,” explained Paolo D’Odorocio, the Thomas J. Graff Professor of Natural Resources in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management.
To better understand the sources, impacts, and future of dust in California, D’Odorico and a multidisciplinary team of researchers from seven University of California campuses have released a new report synthesizing the current state of knowledge of dust storms in California. The report shows that dust emissions in California are now greater than at any other period in history, and will likely continue to grow as climate change intensifies and human activity increases.
“Despite the fact that dust storms affect millions of Californians, these communities don’t have reliable forecasts of when, where, and for how long dust storms will occur, nor is there any type of warning system that can alert them to the risk of a dust storm heading into their location,” said the team leader, Amato Evan, a professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and director of the newly launched UC Dust research center.
D’Odorico’s research on aeolian processes—the ability of the wind to shape the surface of the Earth—has clarified the impact of air humidity, fire, and salinity on the susceptibility of soil to wind erosion and dust emissions using wind tunnel experiments, field observations, and model simulations. Tobia Rinaldo, a postdoctoral scientist working with D’Odorico, also contributed to the study.
The authors hope their efforts will identify critical gaps in understanding dust in California and help policymakers and communities develop future adaptation and mitigation efforts.
Learn more about the report’s findings at the UC Dust website.
This was adapted from material provided by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography