Imagine my surprise at seeing the frontispiece of my doctoral dissertation on the cover of High Country News (“The Dust Detectives,” 12/22/14). To those who study it, the atmospheric transport of dust and pollution is a truly exciting detective drama, full of twists and new discoveries. It is a field both driven by and motivating imaginative new instrument development and creative field experiments. At this intersection of human activity, geology, chemistry and atmospheric science, we are continually reminded of the many-layered interconnectedness of our environment, at scales from desert soil crusts to the whole planet. Douglas Fox’s excellent piece captured both the thrill of the hunt and the deep implications of this area of environmental research.
Richard VanCuren
Davis, California
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Thrill of the dust hunt.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
