Annual Dust Composition and Flux Across Southwestern US Sites

55 sites in southern Nevada and California were sampled annually over five years to measure modern dust deposition rates, grain size, and mineralogical composition. The dataset provides average silt-plus-clay flux values ranging from 4.3 to 30 g/m2/yr, with analysis linking flux to climatic factors, source lithology, and human disturbance. Data was collected by CEOS_EXTRA, with a last update recorded in 1989.

Use Cases

• Model dust flux based on site-specific variables like mean annual temperature and precipitation using regression analysis.
• Compare mineralogical composition (e.g., soluble salts, carbonate, gypsum content) between dust from playa and alluvial sources.
• Analyze the impact of human disturbance by comparing dust flux from cultivated versus uncultivated areas, where cultivation yields about 20% more dust.
• Investigate geographic transport patterns by correlating clay and silt composition with regional wind patterns like the Santa Ana winds.
• Assess temporal variability in annual dust flux as a function of changes in annual precipitation.

Strengths

• Multi-year temporal coverage with annual samples collected over five years.
• Spatial coverage includes 55 distinct sampling sites across southern Nevada and California.
• Contains measured physical and chemical properties including grain size, mineralogy, and major-oxide composition.

Limitations

• Sampling design was not statistically based; sites were chosen for specific study questions, potentially limiting generalizability.
• Data is temporally stale, with the last update recorded in 1989, limiting relevance to current climatic conditions.
• Specific row count, column details, and sample size per site are unknown.

Provenance

Source

CEOS_EXTRA via NASA Earthdata.

Collection Method

Dust samples collected annually from field sites using deposition traps, with subsequent laboratory analysis for grain size, mineralogy, and chemistry.

Time Range

Covers a five-year period, specific years not provided in input.

Freshness

Data last updated in 1989; no update frequency specified.

Geography

Southern Nevada and California, United States, including the Transverse Ranges.