Soil wind erosion characterization in south-eastern Spain using traditional methods in front of an innovative type of dust collector

The movement of soil particles by the wind can be measured using wind tunnels and collectors, or dust traps. We tested both in Southeast Spain in order to compare movement in four types of soil. Our tests were carried out in a well-tilled orchard on an Anthrosol, an unploughed Leptosol and Arenosol, and finally on an olive-cropped Cambisol. We estimated soil loss using a wind tunnel with a built-in laser-scanner, and then compared the results with records from nine vaned masts, each with four big spring number eight collectors at different heights, and the same for another nine masts but with a new type of dust trap known as the multidirectional. The collectors can differentiate between overall loss and particle deposition, which is not detectable on a larger scale in the tunnel. The results from the big spring number eight traps and our wind tunnel showed a high degree of correlation (R² = 0.933) and an even closer correlation with the multidirectional trap (R² = 0.978). Moreover, the new multidirectional trap collectors are very efficient and easy to manufacture from thermoplastic filaments with an industrial 3D printer.