Wind Erosion and Visibility Problems

WIND erosion frequently suspends enough particu-lates to create visibility hazards near highways and airports. How much visibility is reduced depends on both the concentration and size distribution of the particulates. For typical conditions, 100 to 400 mg/m3 are needed to reduce daytime visibility to 200 m. If the background is non-sky, visibility is reduced an additional 50 to 75 percent compared with a sky background and, if one is facing the sun, visibility is reduced even further. Particulate concentrations can be reduced by reducing the source emission rate or by diffusing and trapping the particulates. A combination of these methods may be needed where wind erosion is severe.