Dust in the wind: How cities alter natural airborne particles

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: One of 20 dust collectors, Jeff Munroe, a geologist with Middlebury College, has deployed on mountaintops around the Southwest U.S. This one is in the Independence Mountains of northern Nevada. Credit: Jeff Munroe Airborne dust pollution is a growing problem for residents of Utah and other Western states, especially with the exposed lakebed of Great Salt Lake potentially becoming more hazardous as the lake dries. Natural dust blows from the Great Basin and settles along the western edge of the Wasatch Front, Utah's major population center, and the surrounding mountains. While airborne, the dust mixes with local human-made materials, potentially contaminating the nearby watershed and resulting in other negative consequences, according to new research from the University of Utah that investigates the influe ... Read full article.