Elevated aeolian sediment transport on the Colorado Plateau, USA: The role of grazing, vehicle disturbance, and increasing aridity

Nauman, Travis; Duniway, Michael C.; Webb, Nicholas P.; Belnap, Jayne

doi:10.1002/esp.4457

Cited by 42 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 92 publications

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“…In support of this, Nauman et al. () observed sustained levels of extremely high horizontal flux at a silty soil recreational area in southcentral Utah. Although there is no observational evidence demonstrating a density‐dependent association between the area disturbed by OHVs, unpaved road networks, or energy development infrastructure and wind‐driven sediment flux, research in other settings (Gillette and Pitchford , Li et al.…”

Section: Preventionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…, Nauman et al. ). In the absence of surface disturbance or fire, many drylands of the western United States can be relatively stable and often produce minimal amounts of dust (Fig.…”

Section: Pressuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, Nauman et al. ), climate and dust share synergistic feedbacks (Mahowald ). For example, dust produced during 1930s Dust Bowl conditions may have intensified and spatially extended the drought (Cook et al.…”

Section: Climate Feedbacksmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, these data could be used to manage herds to avoid dust emission hotspots (Gillette ), such as where sandy soils that are prone to saltation occur adjacent to fine soils prone to suspension (Nauman et al. ). Second, structural changes to livestock management may be needed to effectively mitigate dust emissions.…”

Section: Preventionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, Nauman et al. ). The National Wind Erosion Research Network (NWERN; Webb ) is an important monitoring effort currently addressing information gaps for modeling eolian processes across land uses.…”

Section: Research Monitoring and Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Wind erosion and dust from US drylands: a review of causes, consequences, and solutions in a changing world

et al. 2019

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Erosion by wind is one of the principal processes associated with land degradation in drylands and is a significant concern to land managers and policymakers globally. In the drylands of North America, millions of tons of soil are lost to wind erosion annually. Of the 60 million ha in the United States identified as most vulnerable to wind erosion (arid and dominated by fine sandy soils), 64% are managed by federal agencies (37 million ha). Here we review the drivers and consequences of wind erosion and dust emissions on drylands in the United States, with an emphasis on actionable responses available to policymakers and practitioners. We find that while dryland soils are often relatively stable when intact, disturbances including fire, domestic livestock grazing, and off‐highway vehicles can increase horizontal eolian flux by an order of magnitude, in some cases as much as 40‐fold. A growing body of literature documents the large‐scale impacts of deposited dust changing the albedo of mountain snow cover and in some cases reducing regional water supplies by ~5%. Predicted future increases in aridity and extreme weather events, including drought, will likely increase wind erosion and consequent dust generation. Under a drier and more variable future climate, new and existing soil‐ and vegetation‐disturbing practices may interact in synergistic ways, with dire consequences for environments and society that are unforeseen to many but fairly predictable given current scientific understanding. Conventional restoration and reclamation approaches, which often entail surface disturbance and rely on adequate moisture to prevent erosion, also carry considerable erosion risk especially under drought conditions. Innovative approaches to dryland restoration that minimize surface disturbance may accomplish restoration or reclamation goals while limiting wind erosion risk. Finally, multidisciplinary and multijurisdictional approaches and perspectives are necessary to understand the complex processes driving dust emissions and provide timely, context‐specific information for mitigating the drivers and impacts of wind erosion and dust.

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Section: Preventionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…, Nauman et al. ). In the absence of surface disturbance or fire, many drylands of the western United States can be relatively stable and often produce minimal amounts of dust (Fig.…”

Section: Pressuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Climate Feedbacksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Preventionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Research Monitoring and Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Wind erosion and dust from US drylands: a review of causes, consequences, and solutions in a changing world

et al. 2019

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Induced biological soil crust controls on wind erodibility and dust (PM10) emissions

Fick

Barger

Tatarko³

et al. 2019

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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Inducing biological soil crust (biocrust) development is an appealing approach for dust mitigation in drylands due to the resistance biocrusts can provide against erosion. Using a portable device, we evaluated dust emissions from surfaces either inoculated with biocrust, amended with a plant-based soil stabilizer, or both at varying wind friction velocities. Four months after application, emissions from all treatments were either indistinguishable from or greater than controls, despite evidence of biocrust establishment. All treatments had greater surface roughness and showed more evidence of entrapment of windblown sediment than controls, factors which may have been partially responsible for elevated emissions. There was a synergistic effect of inoculation and stabilizer addition, resulting in a nearly twofold reduction in estimated emissions compared to either treatment alone. Stepwise regression analysis indicated that variables associated with surface crust strength (aggregate stability, penetration resistance) were negatively associated with emissions and variables associated with sediment supply (sand content, loose sediment cover) were positively associated with emissions. With more time to develop, the soil-trapping activity and surface integrity of biocrust inoculum and soil stabilizer mixtures is expected to increase with the accumulation of surface biomass and enhancement of roughness through freezethaw cycles.

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Oil and gas development influences potential for dust emission from the Upper Colorado River Basin, USA

Tyree,

Chappell,

Villarreal

et al. 2024

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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Wind erosion and dust emission from drylands have large consequences for ecosystem function and human health. Wind erosion is naturally reduced by soil crusting and sheltering by non‐erodible roughness elements such as plants. Land uses that reduce surface roughness and disturb the soil surface can dramatically increase dust emission. Extraction of oil and gas is a common and growing land use in the western United States (US) that removes vegetation and other roughness elements for construction of well pads and unpaved access roads, resulting in thousands of small (1–4 ha), discrete patches of unprotected soil. Here, we use a satellite albedo‐based model to assess the effect of oil/gas activity on surface roughness in the Uinta‐Piceance Basin, an area of the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB) with dense oil and natural gas development and modelled how the change in surface roughness could impact aeolian sediment flux and dust emission. We also investigated how regional drought influences the response of surface roughness to well pads and access roads. Oil/gas activity reduced surface roughness and increased modelled aeolian sediment flux at the landscape scale across much of the study region, resulting in a modest increase of 10 139 kg of dust per year, which is small relative to dust loads from a single regional dust event observed in the region, but downwind impact could be significant. The magnitude of surface roughness reductions by oil/gas activity was generally consistent among land cover types. However, in parts of the basin that had high cover of annual forbs and grasses, oil/gas activity was associated with larger surface roughness and smaller potential dust emission. Drought decreased surface roughness across disturbed and undisturbed sites, but there was no interactive effect of oil/gas activity and drought on surface roughness. These results suggest that oil/gas activity may increase sediment fluxes and likely contributes to dust emission from landscapes in the UCRB. Understanding how drought and land use change contribute to dust emissions will benefit mitigation of undesirable impacts of wind erosion and dust transport.

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Elevated aeolian sediment transport on the Colorado Plateau, USA: The role of grazing, vehicle disturbance, and increasing aridity

Cited by 42 publications

References 92 publications

Wind erosion and dust from US drylands: a review of causes, consequences, and solutions in a changing world

Wind erosion and dust from US drylands: a review of causes, consequences, and solutions in a changing world

Induced biological soil crust controls on wind erodibility and dust (PM10) emissions

Oil and gas development influences potential for dust emission from the Upper Colorado River Basin, USA

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