Dust on a Hawaiian volcano: A regional model using field measurements to estimate transport and deposition

Abstract

The western slopes of Hawaii's Mauna Kea volcano are mantled by fine‐grained soils, the record of volcanic airfall and eolian deposition. Where exposed, strong winds transport this sediment across West Hawaii, affecting tourism and local communities with decreased air and water quality. Operations on US Army's Ke'amuku Maneuver Area (KMA) have the potential to increase dust flux from these deposits. The USGS established 18 ground monitoring sites and sampling locations surrounding KMA. For over 3 years, each station measured vertical and horizontal dust flux, while co‐located anemometers measured wind speed and direction. We used these datasets to develop a parsimonious regional model for dust supply and transport to assess whether KMA is a net dust sink or source.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Jul 04, 2018
Source ID
10.1002/esp.4433

Entities

People

  • Corina Cerovski-Darriau
  • David R. Bedford
  • Jonathan D. Stock
  • Kai'ena Bishaw Ii
  • Madison M. Douglas

Organizations

  • California Institute of Technology
  • Engineer Research and Development Center
  • University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Coastal Oceanography
  • Geotechnical Engineering.
  • Polar and Arctic Studies