Dust transport pathways from The Great Basin

Authors: TREMINO, RONALD - New Mexico State University; Webb, Nicholas; DHITAL, SAROJ - New Mexico State University; FAIST, AKASHA - University Of Montana; Newingham, Beth; BRUNGARD, COLBY - New Mexico State University; DUBOIS, DAVID - New Mexico State University; EDWARDS, BRANDON - New Mexico State University; KACHERGIS, EMILY - Bureau Of Land Management

Submitted to: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/11/2024
Publication Date: 3/1/2025
Citation: Tremino, R., Webb, N.P., Dhital, S., Faist, A., Newingham, B.A., Brungard, C., Dubois, D., Edwards, B., Kachergis, E. 2025. Dust transport pathways from The Great Basin. Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres. 72. Article 100958. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aeolia.2024.100958.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aeolia.2024.100958

Interpretive Summary: The Great Basin is at risk of increasing wind erosion and dust emissions, which could affect air quality, public health, patterns of soil, nutrient and organic carbon redistribution, and impact snow hydrology. The causes of increased wind erosion and dust emissions risk include grazing, urban development, wildfires, and invasion by non-native plants. We used the locations of wind erosion hot spots described in previous research to model and map where dust from these hot spots may be transported over North America. We separated the locations of air-parcels, which may carry dust, by six different heights above the ground to identify where the dust could travel across North America. Large proportion of air-parcels trajectories occurred between 0 and 500 meters above ground level (AGL) in the spring, fall, and winter. However, in the summer, proportion of air-parcels is high between 2000 and 5000 meters AGL. Potential long-range dust transport follows the movement of weather systems from west to east across North America. However, local redistribution of dust is more likely in spring, fall, and winter. This local dust transport may be due to Great Basin topography interacting with meteorological conditions that keep air masses at lower elevations. This work increases the understanding of where dust might be transported and could help land managers and agencies to mitigate dust emissions at source in order to improve air quality.

Technical Abstract: The Great Basin is at risk of increased wind erosion and dust emissions due to grazing pressure, urbanization, wildfire, and non-native plant invasion. Recent efforts to quantify wind erosion risk on Great Basin rangelands identified high to extreme wind erosion and dust emission hotspots. However, the spatial extent and seasonal variability of dust transport pathways from the Great Basin, and thus the local and regional dust impacts, are not well understood. Here, we computed forward air-parcel trajectories using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model using the North American Regional Reanalysis 32-km meteorological data and kernel density analysis to describe potential seasonal dust transport pathways associated with three Great Basin wind erosion hotspots. Probability mass-densities for six different heights above ground level (AGL) were estimated to describe the spatial and vertical extent of potential dust transport across North America. A large proportion of trajectories occurred within 0 – 500 m AGL in spring (25.9 % - 32.7 %), fall (33.6 % - 35.1 %), and winter (44.1 % - 53.8 %). The proportion of trajectories at 2000 – 5000 m AGL is highest in summer (32.1 % - 39.8 %) and spring (23.0 % - 23.3 %). Thus, long range west-to-east transport of dust over North America is likeliest in summer. However, local redistribution of dust near hotspots, is more likely in spring, fall, and winter. This study helps to link potential dust transport pathways to wind erosion hotspots for mitigating the local and regional impacts of dust emissions, informing rangeland management strategies, and improving air quality assessments across North America.