Abstract

Windblown dust events can be defined as windblown dust emitted from the Earth's surface to the atmosphere. These events have significant impact on local air quality. Predicting the location and magnitude of these events is vital for Utah air quality assessment and planning. Previous modeling studies have focused only on past dust events. This work utilized a state-of-the-science software framework based on the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) v5.3.1 modeling system to predict dust events in Utah. The framework was verified using previous studies for dust events in April 2017 and March 2010. Once verified, the framework was used to predict the impact of future land use properties on dust events. Two scenarios were studied â€“ shrinking of the Great Salt Lake and the addition of large-scale solar farms west of the Wasatch Front. Both showed increases in dust concentrations overpopulated areas using the meteorological conditions from the April 2017 dust event. Such information from future impact studies can assess potential impacts from climate change and can guide government water and land use policies to mitigate dust event impacts.

Degree

College and Department

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology; Mechanical Engineering

Rights

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