Special Issue of Aeolian Research Published

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A Special Issue of the Aeolian Research journal is now available online, which features papers resulting from the Airborne Mineral Dust Contaminants conference hosted by the University of Arizona Superfund Research Program (UA SRP) and funded by NIEHS in May 2013. The opening editorial, “Airborne mineral dust contaminants: Impacts on human health and the environment,” is written by Guest Editors Dave Breshears (UA), Jeff Whicker (Los Alamos National Lab), Eduardo Sáez (UA SRP), and Jason Field (UA SRP post-doctoral trainee), all conference participants. The editorial refers (and provides web links) to nine papers derived from the dust conference and published in the issue, on subjects ranging from basic processes and modeling of dust emissions and transport, to associated contaminants and risks related to toxicology and/or epidemiology. The report identifies important gaps and challenges in the field, and summarizes, “The papers in this issue reveal the value of interdisciplinary collaboration and integration spanning from source terms to human health and ecological consequences. Collectively, these papers serve as an important baseline for further advancing aeolian research in the context of airborne mineral dust contaminants, which is likely to become as increasingly important issue under pressures of future population growth, urbanization, land use change and climate change.”