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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Pullman, Washington » Northwest Sustainable Agroecosystems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #85721
Title: ADDRESSING CONCERNS ABOUT WIND EROSION MEASUREMENT LOCATIONS

Author
item Saxton, Keith
item VESETH, ROGER - UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO
item SCHILLINGER, WILLIAM - WASHINGTON STATE UNIV.

Submitted to: Wheat Life
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/1/1994
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: This article describes the focus of the Columbia Plateau Wind Erosion/Air Quality Project and the reasons for the study to the local growers who will be effected by the results of the project. It explains that this project will allow us to recommend better management practices to the growers to limit wind erosion and PM10 emissions from agricultural fields in the Columbia Plateau.

Technical Abstract: Air quality has become a serious environmental issue, particularly in some urban regions. PM-10 particles have been identified as a potential health hazard because they are very chemically active and readily pass deep into the lung tissue. A comprehensive research program has been developed and initiated for the Columbia Plateau region of Eastern Washington involving scientists of USDA, Washington State University, and the University of Idaho. One important part of this project is to define the correlation between wind erosion and PM-10 emissions. Instruments which measure wind erosion and PM-10 particulates have been placed on farmers' fields near Ritzville, Lind and Prosser to study this correlation and other aspects of wind erosion in these areas. Future estimates of wind erosion and PM-10 particulate emissions from fields in this region will be based on the measured correlation's, but significantly modified by soil type, residue, vegetation, tillage, roughness, length, etc. of each field.