Erosión y desertificación.-Simple passive methods for the assessment of the directional and vertical distributions of wind-blown particulates

Abstract

ABSTRACT We have designed and tested two types of passive collectors to study aeolian erosion in the field. The first passive sampler is a sticky pad that allows for directional particulate assessment by an automatic particle counting procedure. The second one features an omnidirectional capture opening, and mass of retained particles is gravimetrically quantified. Vertical arrays of these passive collectors have been constructed to obtain vertical profiles of the horizontal particle flux as a function of soil properties, nearby sources and wind speed. We present some first results from field campaigns.