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  • Presentation | GH21B: Atmospheric Dust: Advances in Modeling, Ground-Based Validation, and Human-Centered Impacts Poster
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  • GH21B-0628: The contribution of agricultural and other anthropogenic dust emissions to coarse particulate matter concentrations in the U.S.
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  • Board 0628‚ Hall EFG (Poster Hall)
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Author(s):
Haihui Zhu, Colorado State University (First Author, Presenting Author)
Jeffrey Pierce, Colorado State University
Jennifer McGinnis, Colorado State University
Alex Maas, University of Idaho
James Crooks, Colorado School of Public Health
Jude Bayham, Colorado State University


Dust kicked up by farming (like preparing fields or managing livestock) adds harmful tiny particles to the air we breathe. This air pollution is linked to millions of deaths worldwide each year. However, we haven't fully understood how much dust farming actually produces, meaning we underestimate its true health and environmental costs.


This study used real-world air pollution measurements across the United States combined with a sophisticated computer model to show that current models drastically underestimate the amount of larger dust particles ('coarse' PM) coming from farms. Models missed up to 80% of this coarse dust pollution. They were much better at estimating smaller particles ('fine' PM). Using a more detailed emissions system, the study found that dust created by human activities overall needs to be increased by at least 6 times. Importantly, dust from cropland and livestock alone makes up roughly 30% of human-caused dust pollution in the US. However, the model still underestimated these particles by about 60% with the updated emissions.


This study is important because it will help us:



  1. Make models more accurate.

  2. Get a clearer picture of the health impacts (disease burden).

  3. Truly understand the full costs of producing our food.




Scientific Discipline
Neighborhood
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Main Session
Discussion