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Submitted to: Soil and Water Conservation Society Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 7/27/2004 Publication Date: 7/29/2004 Citation: Wagner, L.E. 2004. Future perspectives for modeling wind erosion and fugitive dust emissions. Soil and Water Conservation Society Proceedings, 22-28 July 2004, St. Paul, Minnesota. Interpretive Summary: Wagner, L.E. 2004. Future perspectives for modeling wind erosion and fugitive dust emissions. Soil and Water Conservation Society Proceedings. Technical Abstract: Wind erosion has and continues to be a serious problem in many parts of the world. Historically, emphasis has primarily focused on agricultural land and the damage done to it. This was not only because agricultural land is a significant source of soil loss by wind, but also because wind erosio physically removes the most fertile portion of that soil. Since cultural practices impact the susceptibility of much agricultural land, and are more or less controllable by the land managers, it has also been the principal target addressed by wind eroison models. The wind erosion equation (WEQ) and later, more mechanistic models like the Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS) have attempted to answer primarily onsite questions of: a) what surface, soil, and wind conditions are initiating soil loss from the field and when; b) how much soil is being lost from a field; c) what size of soil particles (saltation, suspension, PM10, etc.) are leaving the field; and d) what direction did the material leave the field. Public health and safety concerns as well as environmental regulations have begun and will continue to drive the direction of wind eroison modeling in the future. More emphasis will be placed on the offsite impacts rather than the onsite effects of wind erosion. Improvements in simulation and estimates of soil loss from agricultural fields (better identification of localized "hot spots" due to soil and/or topography effects for example) will continue. However, more emphasis will be placed on non-agricultural sources such as construction sites, mine tailings, etc. and emissions not caused by erosive level wind speeds such as vehicle traffic on unpaved roads, tillage and harvesting operations, etc. All of these will be included in future source models which will be more closely integrated with dispersion models to better estimate the offsite consequences downwind. |
