Wind modeling of Chihuahuan Desert dust outbreaks

Rivera, N. I. Rivera; Gill, Thomas E.; Gebhart, Kristi A.; Hand, J. L.; Bleiweiss, Max P.; Fitzgerald, Rosa M.

doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2008.09.069

Cited by 53 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The county spans 2,600 square kilometers; in 2009, it was home to 750,000 people, 82% of which were Latino (US Bureau of the Census, 2010). Located in one of North America’s dust “hotspots” (Prospero et al, 2002), El Paso is arguably the dustiest city in the United States (Rivera Rivera et al, 2009). Dust events are caused by wind erosion of desert basins, rangelands, and agricultural lands primarily to the south and west of the city (Rivera Rivera et al, 2010).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hospital admissions for asthma and acute bronchitis in El Paso, Texas: Do age, sex, and insurance status modify the effects of dust and low wind events?

Grineski¹,

Staniswalis

Bulathsinhala

et al. 2011

Environmental Research

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Background El Paso County (Texas) is prone to still air inversions and is one of the dust “hot spots” in North America. In this context, we examined the sub-lethal effects of airborne dust and low wind events on human respiratory health (i.e., asthma and acute bronchitis) between 2000 and 2003, when 110 dust and 157 low wind events occurred. Because environmental conditions may not affect everyone the same, we explored the effects of dust and low wind within three age groups (children, adults, and the elderly), testing for effect modifications by sex and insurance status, while controlling for weather and air pollutants. Methods We used a case-crossover design using events matched with referent days on the same day-of-the-week, month, and year with conditional logistic regression to estimate the probability of hospital admission, while controlling for apparent temperature (lag 1), nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter of 2.5 micrometers or less. Results Children (aged 1–17) were 1.19 (95% confidence interval: 1.00–1.41) times more likely to be hospitalized for asthma three days after a low wind event, and 1.33 (95% CI: 1.01–1.75) times more likely to be hospitalized for acute bronchitis one day after a dust event than on a clear day. Girls were more sensitive to acute bronchitis hospitalizations after dust events (1.83, 95% CI: 1.09–3.08) than boys, but less sensitive than boys to acute bronchitis hospitalizations after low wind events (0.68, 95% CI: 0.46–1.00). We found general trends with regard to dust and low wind events being associated with increased odds of hospitalization for asthma and bronchitis amongst all ages and adults (aged 18–64). Adults covered by Medicaid and adults without health insurance had higher risks of hospitalization for asthma and acute bronchitis after both low wind and dust event Conclusions Results suggest that there were respiratory health effects associated with dust and low wind events in El Paso, with stronger impacts among children and poor adults. Girls and boys with acute bronchitis were differentially sensitive to dust and low wind events.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hospital admissions for asthma and acute bronchitis in El Paso, Texas: Do age, sex, and insurance status modify the effects of dust and low wind events?

Grineski¹,

Staniswalis

Bulathsinhala

et al. 2011

Environmental Research

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“…Comparisons of urban and rural absolute magnitudes should be approached with caution, but comparisons of regional and seasonal patterns are still meaningful. Sources of soil in the Southwest were most likely associated with local and upwind transport [ Kavouras et al , 2009], from long‐range sources such as Mexico [ Rivera Rivera et al , 2009] and Asia [ Kavouras et al , 2009]. Rural and urban soil concentrations in the northwestern United States were typically less than 1 μ g m −3 (see Figures 3a and 3b, respectively).…”

Section: Regional and Seasonal Monthly Mean Mass Concentrationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal composition of remote and urban fine particulate matter in the United States

et al. 2012

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Speciated aerosol composition data from the rural Interagency Monitoring for Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) network and the Environmental Protection Agency's urban/suburban Chemical Speciation Network (CSN) were combined to evaluate and contrast the PM2.5 composition and its seasonal patterns at urban and rural locations throughout the United States. We examined the 2005–2008 monthly and annual mean mass concentrations of PM2.5 ammonium sulfate (AS), ammonium nitrate (AN), particulate organic matter (POM), light‐absorbing carbon (LAC), mineral soil, and sea salt from 168 rural and 176 urban sites. Urban and rural AS concentrations and seasonality were similar, and both were substantially higher in the eastern United States. Urban POM and LAC concentrations were higher than rural concentrations and were associated with very different seasonality depending on location. The highest urban and rural POM and LAC concentrations occurred in the southeastern and northwestern United States. Wintertime peaks in AN were common for both urban and rural sites, but urban concentrations were several times higher, and both were highest in California and the Midwest. Fine soil concentrations were highest in the Southwest, and similar regional patterns and seasonality in urban and rural concentrations suggested impacts from long‐range transport. Contributions from sea salt to the PM2.5 budget were non‐negligible only at coastal sites. This analysis revealed spatial and seasonal variability in urban and rural aerosol concentrations on a continental scale and provided insights into their sources, processes, and lifetimes.

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“…One consequence of this generalization is the notion that nonlake sources are not significant. Yet a growing body of literature reveals that vegetated landscapes and dune fields can emit dust [Bullard et al, 2008;Rivera Rivera et al, 2009] (Figure 1). Recent advances using satellite data over northern Africa have also shown that dust sources may be more diverse than previously believed [Schepanski et al, 2007], and in the Mojave Desert of the southwestern United States, alluvial fans and plains may be larger overall contributors to total dust emission than dry lakes [Reheis and Kihl, 1995].…”

Section: Where Does Dust Come From?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Dust: Small‐scale processes with global consequences

et al. 2011

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Desert dust, both modern and ancient, is a critical component of the Earth system. Atmospheric dust has important effects on climate by changing the atmospheric radiation budget, while deposited dust influences biogeochemical cycles in the oceans and on land. Dust deposited on snow and ice decreases its albedo, allowing more light to be trapped at the surface, thus increasing the rate of melt and influencing energy budgets and river discharge. In the human realm, dust contributes to the transport of allergens and pathogens and when inhaled can cause or aggravate respiratory diseases. Dust storms also represent a significant hazard to road and air travel. Because it affects so many Earth processes, dust is studied from a variety of perspectives and at multiple scales, with various disciplines examining emissions for different purposes using disparate strategies. Thus, the range of objectives in studying dust, as well as experimental approaches and results, has not yet been systematically integrated. Key research questions surrounding the production and sources of dust could benefit from improved collaboration among different research communities. These questions involve the origins of dust, factors that influence dust production and emission, and methods through which dust can be monitored.

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Wind modeling of Chihuahuan Desert dust outbreaks

Cited by 53 publications

References 25 publications

Hospital admissions for asthma and acute bronchitis in El Paso, Texas: Do age, sex, and insurance status modify the effects of dust and low wind events?

Hospital admissions for asthma and acute bronchitis in El Paso, Texas: Do age, sex, and insurance status modify the effects of dust and low wind events?

Seasonal composition of remote and urban fine particulate matter in the United States

Dust: Small‐scale processes with global consequences

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