Abstract
Extensive dust control on the dry Owens Lake mainly uses constructed basins that are flooded with shallow depths of fresh water. This dust control is mandated by law as a minimum percent of the area of each individual wetting basin. Wetted surfaces are evaluated for area and degree of wetness using the shortwave infrared (SWIR) band of Landsat TM, or similar earth observation satellite sensor. The SWIR region appropriate for these measurements lies within the electromagnetic spectrum between about 1.5 and 1.8 μm wavelengths. A threshold value for Landsat TM5 band 5 reflectance of 0.19 was found to conform with surfaces having a threshold for adequate wetting at a nascent point where rapid drying would occur following loss of capillary connection with groundwater. This threshold is robust and requires no atmospheric correction for the effects of aerosol scatter and attenuation as long as the features on the image appear clear. Monthly monitoring of surface wetting has proven accurate, verifiable and repeatable using these methods. This threshold can be calibrated for any Earth observation satellite that records the appropriate SWIR region. The monitoring program is expected to provide major input for the final phase of the dust control program that will have a focus to conserve water and resources.
Highlights
The dry Owens Lakebed was formerly the largest single source of anthropogenic PM10 in the western hemisphere [1] (Figure 1)
Wetted surfaces are evaluated for area and degree of wetness using the shortwave infrared (SWIR) band of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM), or similar earth observation satellite sensor
The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and application of a monitoring program to evaluate the degree of wetting achieved for dust control on Owens Lake
Summary
The dry Owens Lakebed was formerly the largest single source of anthropogenic PM10 (known to be a health hazard) in the western hemisphere [1] (Figure 1). Three dust control measures were identified by the agency responsible for enforcing SB270, the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District [9] These are (1) covering emissive portions of the lakebed with gravel, (2) covering the lakebed with vegetation, and (3) covering the lakebed with shallow flooding by water. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and application of a monitoring program to evaluate the degree of wetting achieved for dust control on Owens Lake. The paper that follows in this journal, entitled “Remote Monitoring of Vegetation Managed for Dust Control on the dry Owens Lakebed, California”, provides a similar heuristic program to develop methods to measure compliance for managed vegetation cover on about 9.06 km
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