Potential of wind erosion and dust emission in an arid zone of northern Mexico: A simple assessment method

Abstract

Wind erosion is the main problem that arid lands in northern Mexico are facing. Quantification of this phenomenon is crucial for planning purposes and to scale its impact. The challenge is to assess the problem under limited availability of climatic information. This study aimed to identify potential areas of dust emissions in an arid zone of Northern Mexico. Wind direction and intensity were characterized through a robust index that involves rainfall and evaporation as well as the climatic factor of the general wind erosion equation. A method for assessing the likelihood of dust emission associated with wind erosion was applied. Data from twelve weather stations within the region of the study was analyzed. The variables considered were wind velocity and direction, temperature, and precipitation. A wind rose of wind direction and intensity was obtained. Results showed that the Thornthwaite's method for computing the Soil Moisture Index (SMI) is a good approach when computing the climatic factor C of the general function of the potential average annual soil loss. Given the lack of local evaporation data, the precipitation-evaporation ratio (P E) for each weather station was computed as an intermediate step towards the computation of C. Three of the analyzed climatic stations had intermediate C values (36-71 %) in the scale of wind erosion climatic factor. The wind velocities registered in these climatic stations ranged from 15 to 30 km h-1. The magnitude-frequency analysis of the P E parameter for the stations showed the differences in rainfall and evaporation regimes. Dust pollution prone areas were identified, showing areas where conservation strategies should be directed.