Relationship Between San Joaquin Valley Soil Texture and Pm10 Emission Potential Using the Uc Davi S Dust Resuspension Test Chamber

Fugitive dust emissions contribute a large fraction to the ambient PM10 concentrations in Californias San JoaquinValley. Some of the major sources of this dust include agricultural activities, construction sites, paved and unpaved roads,and wind erosion. The predictive equations recommended by USEPA to estimate fugitive dust emissions from soil sources were developedthrough empirical relationships between measured emission rates and the soils dry silt content (the fraction less than 75
mphysical diameter by dry sieving). The soils dry silt content is not readily available, though, so this parameter is not widelyuseful for estimating PM10 emission potential. The goal of the research described here is to develop a method that will improvepredictions of PM10 emissions from soils. A method was developed to measure the potential for PM10 dust production from soil using samples collected in CaliforniasSan Joaquin Valley and a dust resuspension chamber. The PM10 index is highly correlated to the soils sand or clay content.In fact, the clay content of the soil is an excellent predictor of the PM10 index; thus, it is a useful measure of the ability ofsoil to emit PM10.