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High-resolution simulations of particulate matter emitted by different agriculture tillage under different weather conditions in California, USA

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Abstract

Agriculture tillage can result in the high concentration of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 μm or less (PM10) that can cause serious health problems. To understand how different agriculture tillage methods and wind conditions affect the transmission and distribution of PM10, four model runs were performed using the high resolution Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with a chemistry component (WRF-Chem). In these runs, the observed emission rates under the conventional and combined tillage methods and different wind speeds were inputted into WRF-Chem. The simulated results show that the WRF-Chem model can reasonably capture the meteorological conditions at 500 m horizontal resolution over an agricultural field in California. The atmospheric concentration of particulate matter increases significantly with an increase in the emission area. Substantial reduction, 50%, of aerosolized PM10 dust emissions can be achieved by using combined tillage, when considered under the same meteorological conditions when compared to that caused by the conventional tillage method. Using the same conventional tillage emission rates, the lower velocity wind produces larger airborne concentrations of pollutants than does a stronger wind. Conversely, a stronger wind distributes the particulate matter over a larger area though with a diminished concentration when compared to a weaker wind. The atmospheric concentration of particulate matter was found to have a direct relationship to its emission intensity and area and wind conditions.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in cooperation with the National Laboratory for Agriculture and Environment in Ames, IA under specific cooperative agreement 58-365-4-121. This work was also supported by the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station and USDA CREES special grants 2008-34610-19175 and 2009-34610-19925.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Watershed Sciences and Plants, Soils, and Climate, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA

    Lijuan Wen & Jiming Jin

  2. Energy Dynamics Laboratory, 1695 North Research Park Way, North Logan, UT, 84341, USA

    Michael D. Wojcik

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  1. Lijuan Wen
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  2. Jiming Jin
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  3. Michael D. Wojcik
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Correspondence to Lijuan Wen.

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Wen, L., Jin, J. & Wojcik, M.D. High-resolution simulations of particulate matter emitted by different agriculture tillage under different weather conditions in California, USA. Environ Earth Sci 64, 1021–1029 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-0920-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-0920-4

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