Wind Tunnel Experiments on Volcaniclastic Dust Emission and Dispersion Initiated by Water Droplet Impact

Iceland contains active dust regions within high-latitude, cold-climate environments. An abundant supply of particulates < 10 µm in diameter (PM10) is available its extensive glacial outwash plains and through widespread transport deposition volcanic ash with hydrophobic tendencies. The climate notably wetter than located hot deserts, so that additional processes governing emission must be considered, inclusive rain splash. Field workers report events sometimes overlap precipitation. This study used high-speed photography wind tunnel experiments to assess the influence water droplet impact shear on detachment suspension collected from several source Iceland. Concentrations PM10 sampled downwind a single reached values as high 104 μg m-3 were positively correlated increasing speed, velocity angle. Our measurements demonstrate turbulent flow important for dispersion aerosols ejected via surface dry sediment, these coincident mechanisms can highly effective agents erosion, especially light winds are normally incapable entrainment. Foremost, this provides further evidence complexity cold environments importance examining phenomenon over wide range temporal spatial scale.