A comparison of Lagrangian model estimates to light detection and ranging (LIDAR) measurements of dust plumes from field tilling.

A Lagrangian particle model has been adapted to examine human exposures to particulate matter < or = 10 microm (PM10) in agricultural settings. This paper reports the performance of the model in comparison to extensive measurements by elastic LIDAR (light detection and ranging). For the first time, the LIDAR measurements allowed spatially distributed and time dynamic measurements to be used to test the predictions of a field-scale model.

Near-field dust exposure from cotton field tilling and harvesting.

The frequency and intensities of dust exposures in and near farm fields, which potentially contribute to high intensity human exposure events, are undocumented due to the transient nature of local dust plumes and the difficulties of making accurate concentration measurements. The objective of this study is to measure near-field spatial concentrations of the dust plumes emitted during tilling and harvesting of an irrigated cotton field outside of Las Cruces, NM (soil class: fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Calciargid). A comparison of remote lidar measurements of plumes emitted from cotton field operations with in situ samplers shows a strong agreement between the two techniques: r2 = 0.