Title | The association of land cover with aeolian sediment production at Jornada Basin, New Mexico, USA |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2011 |
Authors | Floyd KW, Gill TE |
Journal | Aeolian Research |
Volume | 3 |
Issue | 1 |
Pagination | 55-66 |
Accession Number | JRN00587 |
Keywords | BSNE, Chihuahuan Desert, dust collection, dust flux, Jornada Basin LTER, land cover, NPP sites, particle size, sand transport, vegetation communities |
Abstract | We investigated amounts and particle size distributions (PSDs) of aeolian sediments collected at five heights in five ecosystem types at the Jornada Basin, Chihuahuan Desert, New Mexico, USA. Particle size distributions, mass fluxes, and percent of dust-sized (650 lm) mass flux were determined for all heights and all ecosystem types. Differences between sites were determined using ANOVA followed by Tukey–Kramer post hoc tests to find groupings. For creosote shrublands, grasslands, and two tarbush-dominated alluvial flats, samples collected at 5, 10, and 20 cm had >80% sand-sized (>50 lm) particles, while one playa and tarbush site yielded ~45% dust-sized particles at 5 and 10 cm. The transition from saltation to suspension was ~20 cm for most sites. Two mesquite dune sites and an anthropogenically devegetated site, all with high overall mass fluxes, shifted to suspension at ~50 cm. Highest dust fluxes occurred at the devegetated site, followed by the playa, a mesquite site with unvegetated ‘‘streets,’’ and tarbush sites. |
URL | files/bibliography/JRN00587.pdf |
DOI | 10.1016/j.aeolia.2011.02.002 |