Harland Goldstein
Harland Goldstein is the Deputy Center Director of the Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center in Denver, Colorado.
Current Research and Activities:
- Climatic, geologic, biologic, and human controls on dust generation
- Effects of dust emission and transport: Ecologic, geomorphic, and human health
- Soil-geomorphic controls on ecosystems including distributions of threatened and endangered plants
- Environmental magnetism
- Dust on snow: Composition and effects on snow melt rates and timing
Professional Experience
2000-present: Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey
Education and Certifications
1997: B.S., Geology, Humboldt State University
2000: M.S., Geology, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Affiliations and Memberships*
Geological Society of America
International Society for Aeolian Research
Science and Products
Sources, compositions, and effects of atmospheric dust from American Drylands
The Drylands Project undertakes studies to measure past and ongoing changes in dust sources, flux, and composition in the American West, and strives to understand the effects of atmospheric dust on pressing national and global issues of snowmelt acceleration, air quality, and human health. The project develops the capability to forecast future dust emission/deposition and effects on the basis of...
Volcanic ash geochemistry and leachate analyses from the 2008 opening of Halemaʻumaʻu crater, Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi
On March 19, 2008, an explosive eruption occurred at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano for the first time since 1924. This event marked the beginning of a continuous summit eruption that lasted until the 2018 Kīlauea lower East Rift Zone eruption (Neal and others, 2019). The March 19 explosive eruption excavated a crater approximately 35 meters wide and scattered volcanic tephra over a 30-hectare area
Physical and chemical data for dust deposited on Colorado Rocky Mountain snow cover during water year 2013 through water year 2016.
Atmospheric particulate matter deposited to snow cover diminishes snow-surface albedo and results in early onset and rapid snow melting, challenging management of downstream water resources. We present here physical and chemical data from snow samples from 14 sites during the melt seasons of water years 2013-16 across 60,000 km2 of the central Rocky Mountains within the Upper Colorado River basin.
Supporting data for Physical and chemical evidence for an aeolian component of paleowetland deposits
The Las Vegas Formation (LVF) is a well-characterized sequence of groundwater discharge (GWD) deposits exposed in and around the Las Vegas Valley in southern Nevada. Nearly monolithologic bedrock surrounds the valley and provides an excellent opportunity to test the hypothesis that GWD deposits include an aeolian component. Mineralogical data indicate that the LVF sediments are dominated by carbon
Long-term annual aeolian dust deposition data from seven locations in southeastern Utah
These data are annual aeolian dust deposition calculations from vertical deposition at seven locations near the vicinity of Moab, Utah covering the period from 1999 to 2020. Data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center (Denver, Colorado) and Southwest Biological Science Center (Moab, Utah) to "monitor sediment characteristics at sites select
Data for Dust deposited on snow cover in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado, 2011-2016: Compositional variability bearing on snow-melt effects
Light-absorbing particles in atmospheric dust deposited on snow cover (dust-on-snow, DOS) diminish albedo and accelerate the timing and rate of snow melt. Identification of these particles and their effects are relevant to snow-radiation modeling and water-resource management. Laboratory-measured reflectance of DOS samples from the San Juan Mountains (USA) were compared with DOS mass loading, part
Data Release for Phosphorous speciation and solubility in aeolian dust deposited in the interior American West
This release contains avaialable particle-size and mineralogic data as well as latitude and longitude information for dust samples collected from snow at high elevation sites in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and from dust source areas on the Colorado Plateau.
OSL methods and field and laboratory data for Mesa Verde soils to support journal article
Thin loess deposits on the uplands of the southeastern Colorado Plateau have previously not been well studied. We sampled deposits and soils from trenches on Hatch Point mesa near Canyonlands National Park, Utah, and from two outcrops in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado. At Hatch Point, the oldest buried unit yielded two OSL ages of 10,370 and 7,555 yr; the middle unit yielded 10 OSL ages from 6
Filter Total Items: 37
Microplastic and associated black particles from road-tire wear: Implications for radiative effects across the cryosphere and in the atmosphere
The environmental effects of airborne micro- and nano-size plastic particles are poorly understood. Microscopy and chemical analyses of atmospherically deposited particles on snow surfaces at high elevation (2,865–3,690 m) in the Upper Colorado River basin (UCRB; Colorado Rocky Mountains) revealed the presence of black substances intimately associated with microplastic fibers, particles interprete
Authors
Richard L. Reynolds, Heather A. Lowers, George N. Breit, Harland L. Goldstein, Elizabeth Kellisha Williams, Corey Lawrence, Raymond F. Kokaly, Jeff Derry
Microplastic particles in dust-on-snow, Upper Colorado River Basin, Colorado Rocky Mountains, 2013–16
Atmospheric dust deposited to snow cover (dust-on-snow) diminishes snow-surface albedo (SSA) to result in early onset and accelerated rate of melting, effects that challenge management of downstream water resources. During ongoing investigations to identify the light-energy absorbing dust particles most responsible for diminished SSA in the Upper Colorado River Basin of the Colorado Rocky Mountain
Authors
Richard L. Reynolds, Harland L. Goldstein, Raymond F. Kokaly, Jeff Derry
Aeolian sediments in paleowetland deposits of the Las Vegas Formation
The Las Vegas Formation (LVF) is a well-characterized sequence of groundwater discharge (GWD) deposits exposed in and around the Las Vegas Valley in southern Nevada. Nearly monolithologic bedrock surrounds the valley, which provides an excellent opportunity to test the hypothesis that GWD deposits include an aeolian component. Mineralogical data indicate that the LVF sediments are dominated by car
Authors
Harland L. Goldstein, Kathleen B. Springer, Jeffrey S. Pigati, Marith C. Reheis, Gary L. Skipp
Atmospheric processing of iron-bearing mineral dust aerosol and its effect on growth of a marine diatom, Cyclotella meneghiniana
Iron (Fe) is a growth-limiting micronutrient for phytoplankton in major areas of oceans and deposited wind-blown desert dust is a primary Fe source to these regions. Simulated atmospheric processing of four mineral dust proxies and two natural dust samples followed by subsequent growth studies of the marine planktic diatom Cyclotella meneghiniana in artificial sea-water (ASW) demonstrated higher g
Authors
Eshani Hettiarachchi, Sergei Ivanov, Thomas L. Kieft, Harland L. Goldstein, Bruce M. Moskowitz, Richard L. Reynolds, Gayan Rubasinghege
'Dust in the wind’ from source-to-sink: Analysis of the 14-15 April 2015 storm in Utah
On 14–15 April 2015, an intense intermountain cyclone in the western USA caused high winds and a dust storm that degraded air quality in the eastern Great Basin, and deposited dust-on-snow (DOS) in the Wasatch Range near Salt Lake City, Utah. We analyzed the storm and documented its “source-to-sink” development to relate the frontal passage with dust mobilization, air quality changes, and dust dep
Authors
Kathleen Nicoll, Maura Hahnenberger, Harland L. Goldstein
Dust deposited on snow cover in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado, 2011-2016: Compositional variability bearing on snow-melt effects
Light-absorbing particles in atmospheric dust deposited on snow cover (dust-on-snow, DOS) diminish albedo and accelerate the timing and rate of snow melt. Identification of these particles and their effects are relevant to snow-radiation modeling and thus water-resource management. Laboratory-measured reflectance of DOS samples from the San Juan Mountains (USA) were compared with DOS mass loading,
Authors
Richard L. Reynolds, Harland L. Goldstein, Bruce M. Moskowitz, Raymond F. Kokaly, Seth M. Munson, Peat Solheid, George N. Breit, Corey R. Lawrence, Jeff Derry
Bioavailable iron production in airborne mineral dust: Controls by chemical composition and solar flux
A large part of oceanic biological production is limited by the scarcity of dissolved iron. Mineral dust aerosol, processed under acidic atmospheric conditions, is the primary natural source of bioavailable iron to oceanic life. However, synergistic and antagonistic effects of non-Fe-containing minerals on atmospheric processing of Fe-containing minerals and Fe solubilization are poorly understood
Authors
Eshani Hettiarachchi, Richard L. Reynolds, Harland L. Goldstein, Bruce M. Moskowitz, Gayan Rubasinghege
Iron dissolution and speciation in atmospheric mineral dust: Metal-metal synergistic and antagonistic effects
Under acidic atmospheric conditions, iron leached from atmospheric mineral dust may influence the distribution of bioavailable iron at a global scale. However, the effects of non-Fe-containing minerals on iron dissolution remain unknown. This work describes metal-metal synergistic and antagonistic effects on iron dissolution that go beyond aggregation and ionic strength effects in mineral dust mix
Authors
Eshani Hettiarachchi, Richard L. Reynolds, Harland L. Goldstein, Bruce M. Moskowitz, Gayan Rubasinghege
Phosphorus speciation and solubility in aeolian dust deposited in the interior American West
Aeolian dust is a significant source of phosphorus (P) to alpine oligotrophic lakes, but P speciation in dust and source sediments and its release kinetics to lake water remain unknown. Phosphorus K-edge XANES spectroscopy shows that calcium-bound P (Ca−P) is dominant in 10 of 12 dust samples (41−74%) deposited on snow in the central Rocky Mountains and all 42 source sediment samples (the fine fra
Authors
Zhuojun Zhang, Harland L. Goldstein, Richard L. Reynolds, Yongfeng Hu, Xiaoming Wang, Mengqiang Zhu
Late Quaternary loess and soils on uplands in the Canyonlands and Mesa Verde areas, Utah and Colorado
Thin loess deposits on the uplands of the southeastern Colorado Plateau have previously not been well studied. We sampled deposits and soils from trenches on Hatch Point (HP) mesa near Canyonlands National Park, Utah, and from two outcrops in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado. At HP, the oldest buried unit yielded 2 optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages of 10,370 and 7555 yr; the middle un
Authors
Marith C. Reheis, Harland L. Goldstein, Richard L. Reynolds, Steven L. Forman, Shannon A. Mahan, Paul E. Carrara
Controls on the chemical composition of saline surface crusts and emitted dust from a wet playa in the Mojave Desert (USA)
Saline-surface crusts and their compositions at ephemeral, dry, and drying lakes are important products of arid-land processes. Detailed understanding is lacking, however, about interactions among locally variable hydrogeologic conditions, compositional control of groundwater on vadose zone and surface salts, and dust composition. Chemical and physical data from groundwater, sediments, and salts r
Authors
Harland L. Goldstein, George N. Breit, Richard L. Reynolds
Concentrations of mineral aerosol from desert to plains across the central Rocky Mountains, western United States
Mineral dusts can have profound effects on climate, clouds, ecosystem processes, and human health. Because regional dust emission and deposition in western North America are not well understood, measurements of total suspended particulate (TSP) from 2011 to 2013 were made along a 500-km transect of five remote sites in Utah and Colorado, USA. The TSP concentrations in μg m−3 adjusted to a 24-h per
Authors
Richard L. Reynolds, Seth M. Munson, Daniel Fernandez, Harland L. Goldstein, Jason C. Neff
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Sources, compositions, and effects of atmospheric dust from American Drylands
The Drylands Project undertakes studies to measure past and ongoing changes in dust sources, flux, and composition in the American West, and strives to understand the effects of atmospheric dust on pressing national and global issues of snowmelt acceleration, air quality, and human health. The project develops the capability to forecast future dust emission/deposition and effects on the basis of...
Volcanic ash geochemistry and leachate analyses from the 2008 opening of Halemaʻumaʻu crater, Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi
On March 19, 2008, an explosive eruption occurred at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano for the first time since 1924. This event marked the beginning of a continuous summit eruption that lasted until the 2018 Kīlauea lower East Rift Zone eruption (Neal and others, 2019). The March 19 explosive eruption excavated a crater approximately 35 meters wide and scattered volcanic tephra over a 30-hectare area
Physical and chemical data for dust deposited on Colorado Rocky Mountain snow cover during water year 2013 through water year 2016.
Atmospheric particulate matter deposited to snow cover diminishes snow-surface albedo and results in early onset and rapid snow melting, challenging management of downstream water resources. We present here physical and chemical data from snow samples from 14 sites during the melt seasons of water years 2013-16 across 60,000 km2 of the central Rocky Mountains within the Upper Colorado River basin.
Supporting data for Physical and chemical evidence for an aeolian component of paleowetland deposits
The Las Vegas Formation (LVF) is a well-characterized sequence of groundwater discharge (GWD) deposits exposed in and around the Las Vegas Valley in southern Nevada. Nearly monolithologic bedrock surrounds the valley and provides an excellent opportunity to test the hypothesis that GWD deposits include an aeolian component. Mineralogical data indicate that the LVF sediments are dominated by carbon
Long-term annual aeolian dust deposition data from seven locations in southeastern Utah
These data are annual aeolian dust deposition calculations from vertical deposition at seven locations near the vicinity of Moab, Utah covering the period from 1999 to 2020. Data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center (Denver, Colorado) and Southwest Biological Science Center (Moab, Utah) to "monitor sediment characteristics at sites select
Data for Dust deposited on snow cover in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado, 2011-2016: Compositional variability bearing on snow-melt effects
Light-absorbing particles in atmospheric dust deposited on snow cover (dust-on-snow, DOS) diminish albedo and accelerate the timing and rate of snow melt. Identification of these particles and their effects are relevant to snow-radiation modeling and water-resource management. Laboratory-measured reflectance of DOS samples from the San Juan Mountains (USA) were compared with DOS mass loading, part
Data Release for Phosphorous speciation and solubility in aeolian dust deposited in the interior American West
This release contains avaialable particle-size and mineralogic data as well as latitude and longitude information for dust samples collected from snow at high elevation sites in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and from dust source areas on the Colorado Plateau.
OSL methods and field and laboratory data for Mesa Verde soils to support journal article
Thin loess deposits on the uplands of the southeastern Colorado Plateau have previously not been well studied. We sampled deposits and soils from trenches on Hatch Point mesa near Canyonlands National Park, Utah, and from two outcrops in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado. At Hatch Point, the oldest buried unit yielded two OSL ages of 10,370 and 7,555 yr; the middle unit yielded 10 OSL ages from 6
Filter Total Items: 37
Microplastic and associated black particles from road-tire wear: Implications for radiative effects across the cryosphere and in the atmosphere
The environmental effects of airborne micro- and nano-size plastic particles are poorly understood. Microscopy and chemical analyses of atmospherically deposited particles on snow surfaces at high elevation (2,865–3,690 m) in the Upper Colorado River basin (UCRB; Colorado Rocky Mountains) revealed the presence of black substances intimately associated with microplastic fibers, particles interprete
Authors
Richard L. Reynolds, Heather A. Lowers, George N. Breit, Harland L. Goldstein, Elizabeth Kellisha Williams, Corey Lawrence, Raymond F. Kokaly, Jeff Derry
Microplastic particles in dust-on-snow, Upper Colorado River Basin, Colorado Rocky Mountains, 2013–16
Atmospheric dust deposited to snow cover (dust-on-snow) diminishes snow-surface albedo (SSA) to result in early onset and accelerated rate of melting, effects that challenge management of downstream water resources. During ongoing investigations to identify the light-energy absorbing dust particles most responsible for diminished SSA in the Upper Colorado River Basin of the Colorado Rocky Mountain
Authors
Richard L. Reynolds, Harland L. Goldstein, Raymond F. Kokaly, Jeff Derry
Aeolian sediments in paleowetland deposits of the Las Vegas Formation
The Las Vegas Formation (LVF) is a well-characterized sequence of groundwater discharge (GWD) deposits exposed in and around the Las Vegas Valley in southern Nevada. Nearly monolithologic bedrock surrounds the valley, which provides an excellent opportunity to test the hypothesis that GWD deposits include an aeolian component. Mineralogical data indicate that the LVF sediments are dominated by car
Authors
Harland L. Goldstein, Kathleen B. Springer, Jeffrey S. Pigati, Marith C. Reheis, Gary L. Skipp
Atmospheric processing of iron-bearing mineral dust aerosol and its effect on growth of a marine diatom, Cyclotella meneghiniana
Iron (Fe) is a growth-limiting micronutrient for phytoplankton in major areas of oceans and deposited wind-blown desert dust is a primary Fe source to these regions. Simulated atmospheric processing of four mineral dust proxies and two natural dust samples followed by subsequent growth studies of the marine planktic diatom Cyclotella meneghiniana in artificial sea-water (ASW) demonstrated higher g
Authors
Eshani Hettiarachchi, Sergei Ivanov, Thomas L. Kieft, Harland L. Goldstein, Bruce M. Moskowitz, Richard L. Reynolds, Gayan Rubasinghege
'Dust in the wind’ from source-to-sink: Analysis of the 14-15 April 2015 storm in Utah
On 14–15 April 2015, an intense intermountain cyclone in the western USA caused high winds and a dust storm that degraded air quality in the eastern Great Basin, and deposited dust-on-snow (DOS) in the Wasatch Range near Salt Lake City, Utah. We analyzed the storm and documented its “source-to-sink” development to relate the frontal passage with dust mobilization, air quality changes, and dust dep
Authors
Kathleen Nicoll, Maura Hahnenberger, Harland L. Goldstein
Dust deposited on snow cover in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado, 2011-2016: Compositional variability bearing on snow-melt effects
Light-absorbing particles in atmospheric dust deposited on snow cover (dust-on-snow, DOS) diminish albedo and accelerate the timing and rate of snow melt. Identification of these particles and their effects are relevant to snow-radiation modeling and thus water-resource management. Laboratory-measured reflectance of DOS samples from the San Juan Mountains (USA) were compared with DOS mass loading,
Authors
Richard L. Reynolds, Harland L. Goldstein, Bruce M. Moskowitz, Raymond F. Kokaly, Seth M. Munson, Peat Solheid, George N. Breit, Corey R. Lawrence, Jeff Derry
Bioavailable iron production in airborne mineral dust: Controls by chemical composition and solar flux
A large part of oceanic biological production is limited by the scarcity of dissolved iron. Mineral dust aerosol, processed under acidic atmospheric conditions, is the primary natural source of bioavailable iron to oceanic life. However, synergistic and antagonistic effects of non-Fe-containing minerals on atmospheric processing of Fe-containing minerals and Fe solubilization are poorly understood
Authors
Eshani Hettiarachchi, Richard L. Reynolds, Harland L. Goldstein, Bruce M. Moskowitz, Gayan Rubasinghege
Iron dissolution and speciation in atmospheric mineral dust: Metal-metal synergistic and antagonistic effects
Under acidic atmospheric conditions, iron leached from atmospheric mineral dust may influence the distribution of bioavailable iron at a global scale. However, the effects of non-Fe-containing minerals on iron dissolution remain unknown. This work describes metal-metal synergistic and antagonistic effects on iron dissolution that go beyond aggregation and ionic strength effects in mineral dust mix
Authors
Eshani Hettiarachchi, Richard L. Reynolds, Harland L. Goldstein, Bruce M. Moskowitz, Gayan Rubasinghege
Phosphorus speciation and solubility in aeolian dust deposited in the interior American West
Aeolian dust is a significant source of phosphorus (P) to alpine oligotrophic lakes, but P speciation in dust and source sediments and its release kinetics to lake water remain unknown. Phosphorus K-edge XANES spectroscopy shows that calcium-bound P (Ca−P) is dominant in 10 of 12 dust samples (41−74%) deposited on snow in the central Rocky Mountains and all 42 source sediment samples (the fine fra
Authors
Zhuojun Zhang, Harland L. Goldstein, Richard L. Reynolds, Yongfeng Hu, Xiaoming Wang, Mengqiang Zhu
Late Quaternary loess and soils on uplands in the Canyonlands and Mesa Verde areas, Utah and Colorado
Thin loess deposits on the uplands of the southeastern Colorado Plateau have previously not been well studied. We sampled deposits and soils from trenches on Hatch Point (HP) mesa near Canyonlands National Park, Utah, and from two outcrops in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado. At HP, the oldest buried unit yielded 2 optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages of 10,370 and 7555 yr; the middle un
Authors
Marith C. Reheis, Harland L. Goldstein, Richard L. Reynolds, Steven L. Forman, Shannon A. Mahan, Paul E. Carrara
Controls on the chemical composition of saline surface crusts and emitted dust from a wet playa in the Mojave Desert (USA)
Saline-surface crusts and their compositions at ephemeral, dry, and drying lakes are important products of arid-land processes. Detailed understanding is lacking, however, about interactions among locally variable hydrogeologic conditions, compositional control of groundwater on vadose zone and surface salts, and dust composition. Chemical and physical data from groundwater, sediments, and salts r
Authors
Harland L. Goldstein, George N. Breit, Richard L. Reynolds
Concentrations of mineral aerosol from desert to plains across the central Rocky Mountains, western United States
Mineral dusts can have profound effects on climate, clouds, ecosystem processes, and human health. Because regional dust emission and deposition in western North America are not well understood, measurements of total suspended particulate (TSP) from 2011 to 2013 were made along a 500-km transect of five remote sites in Utah and Colorado, USA. The TSP concentrations in μg m−3 adjusted to a 24-h per
Authors
Richard L. Reynolds, Seth M. Munson, Daniel Fernandez, Harland L. Goldstein, Jason C. Neff
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government