Characterization of potential fugitive dust emissions within the Keeler Dunes, an inland dune field in the Owens Valley, California, United States

Abstract

Fugitive dust sources within the Keeler Dunes, a small shoreline dune system in the northeast corner of Owens (dry) Lake in Owens Valley, California, U.S.A. were investigated. PM₁₀ flux potential was quantified using measurements from a Portable In-Situ Wind Erosion Laboratory (PI-SWERL). Stratified random sampling was used to evaluate potential PM₁₀ fluxes from eight landforms, as determined by high-resolution satellite imagery and ground observations, found within the vicinity of the Keeler Dunes. Within each landform, potential PM₁₀ flux for one or more representative surface types was measured. A total of seven surface types were identified, several of which existed on different landforms. The results indicate that the major determinant of potential PM₁₀ flux is the landform type. Furthermore, the highest potential PM₁₀ fluxes are from landforms characterized by surface deposition of alluvial sediment. Within the Keeler Dunes Complex, these landforms are associated with the severely eroded 1944 shoreline coppice dunes, flash flood channels, and flash flood deposits. In the Owens Valley, studies of dust emissions have tended to focus on aeolian landforms. However, similar to measurements of potential PM₁₀ flux from desert landforms across the globe, this investigation points to the importance of alluvial landforms as major sources of dust emissions within the Owens Valley region. This article is a part of a larger investigation into the modern destabilization and migration of the Keeler Dunes (Schaaf et al. this issue).