Transcript BLM dust on snow presentation

USDI - Bureau of Land Management:
Dust on Snow
Sources: Images 1&2 Nine Mile Canyon Coalition
Images 3&4 NASA Earth Observatory May 2008 and May 2009
Scott F. Archer, Senior Air Resource Specialist
USDI - Bureau of Land Management
[email protected]
November 9, 2009
Chronology
● National Public Radio, May 30, 2006
“Dust Storms Threaten Snow Packs” by Richard Harris
● National Public Radio, May 31, 2006
“Stirring Up Dust in the Desert” by Richard Harris
● Washington Post interview on December 24, 2008
of two BLM Scientists, two BLM Managers, and
two BLM Public Affairs Specialists
● Washington Post follow-up questions on April 13, 2009
● Washington Post, April 23, 2009
“Rise in Dust Storms Spurs Environmental Fears”
by Juliet Eilperin
BLM Fugitive Dust Concerns
● Soil disturbance and lack of health vegetation cover
increases mobilization and fugitive dust impacts
● Increased energy development leads to soil disturbance
(especially surface mining, oil and gas well pad and road
construction, and vehicle use)
● Organized Off Road Vehicle Events (especially staging
areas) and open/occasional Recreational Vehicle Use Areas
● Overgrazing by domestic livestock, WH&B, and wildlife
● Unique special cases (such as BLM Nine Mile Canyon
Backcountry Byway east of Price, Utah)
● BLM has closed some areas to recreational use, in part to
limit fugitive dust impacts
Washington Post Article
● “… an increasing amount of airborne dust is blanketing the
region, affecting how fast the snowpack melts, when local
plants bloom and what quality of air residents are breathing.”
● “Jayne Belnap, a research ecologist at the [USGS] who
has studied the issue, predicts that by midcentury, the fragility
of the region's soil "will be equal to that of the Dust Bowl
days.” … "No one has an appreciation for the scope of the
calamitous impacts.“
● “Jason Neff, … [UC-Boulder], has estimated that the
amount of dust falling back to Earth now is up to five times as
much as the amount before Europeans arrived. … "Nobody
could deny all this activity is causing more dust," Neff said… “
Washington Post Article
● “Thomas H. Painter, … [U of UT], has calculated that dust
deposition significantly reduces snow's reflectivity. "It's
effectively like turning up the sun 50 percent and putting that
energy into the snow," he said.”
● “But the Bureau of Land Management says it sees no
reason to change its rules for issuing permits for dustgenerating activities on the land it controls. "It's something
we look at," said Scott Archer, a senior air resource specialist
at the bureau. "In the big scheme of things, no, it's not that big
a deal."
● However, Archer’s comments were made only in direct
response to a Washington Post question regarding traditional
domestic livestock grazing on BLM administered lands.
Additional Studies
● “Multi-Decadal Impacts of Grazing on Soil Physical and
Biogeochemical Properties in Southeast Utah” by J.C. Neff,
et al, February 2005, in Ecological Applications
● “Increasing Eolian Dust Deposition in the Western United
States Linked to Human Activity” by J.C. Neff, et al, February
24, 2008, in Nature Geoscience
● “Images of 4 March 09 Dust Storm, North End of Milford
Flat Fire” by Mark Miller, USGS Southwest Biological
Science Center, Kanab, Utah
● “Biological Consequences of Earlier Snowmelt From Desert
Dust Deposition in Alpine Landscapes“ by Heidi Seltzer, et al,
July 14, 2009, in Proceedings:Nat’l Academy of Sciences
BLM Dust on Snow Activities
● Hired Morgan Phillips, student at Colorado Climate Center
● Consulted with Chris Landry, director of the Center for
Snow and Avalanche Studies in Silverton, Colorado
● Investigated high number of Colorado alpine dust
deposition events in 2009 (focused on meteorological
conditions and potential source regions)
● Analysis of individual RAWS stations during recorded
Colorado dust events
●Identification and analysis of dust event generating vs. nondust generating high wind periods
●Exploration of synoptic scale patterns and regional climate
associated with period surrounding dust storms
RAWS sites with high winds best
corresponding to dust events
NOTE: Isotopic
analysis also
identified the
Colorado Plateau
as a likely source of
dust found in the
Colorado snow
pack.
(Painter et al, 2007)
April 3, 2009 GOES Visible loop
Dust Generating v. Non-Dust
Generating High Wind Events
Dust Event
Dust Event
Time series graph generated from RAWS data in Hopi, Arizona from
March 28, 2009 to April 5, 2009
Atmospheric Conditions
• Specific atmospheric conditions existed
downstream of Colorado during the
generation of significant dust storms
– Sustained, high velocity boundary layer winds
– General southwesterly flow during peak winds
– Vertical structure is critical to entrainment and transport
• Ideal Storm Generating Setup
– Deep surface low pressure center over Wyoming with strong NW
to SE moving cold front
– Strong Southwesterly winds extending to 700 mb layer
– Large area of high pressure located off west coast
– Relative humidity, antecedent moisture and precipitation also
contribute to storm generation.
Departure from Average of
High Wind Days v.
Southern Oscillation Index
Departure from Average of Days with Max Wind Gust <44 mph (Jan-Apr)
vs Annual Average Southern Oscillation Index
3
1.85
0.85
1
0.35
0
2009
2007
2005
2003
2001
1999
1997
1995
1993
1991
-1
-0.15
-0.65
-1.15
-2
-1.65
-3
-2.15
Year
SOI data obtained from NWS Climate Prediction Center
Sea Level Pressure (mb)
1.35
1989
Number of Days
2
>44 mph
SOI Standardized
Additional Fugitive Dust
Regulatory Concerns
Source: New Mexico Environment Department – Air Quality Bureau
Questions?
Please feel free to contact:
Scott F. Archer
Senior Air Resource Specialist
USDI – Bureau of Land Management
Denver Federal Center, Building 50
P.O. Box 25047
Denver, Colorado 80225-0047
USA
+1.303.236.6400
[email protected]