Dr. Vicken Etyemezian, Research Professor

Title: Research Professor
Affiliation: Division of Atmospheric Sciences
Location: DRI Las Vegas
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Phone: 702.862.5569
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Research Areas

• Fugitive dust emissions and controls
• Source apportionment
• Dispersion and deposition in the near-source region
• Instrument development

Professional Interests

Dr. Etyemezian currently holds the position of Research Professor in the Division of Atmospheric Sciences of the Desert Research Institute. He is active in several ongoing research projects including two DoD studies focusing on dust emissions and quantification from military activities, characterization of playa dust emissions from Mojave basins, measurement of emissions of particulate matter from fires in the Mojave and Great Basin Deserts as well as measurement of post-fire aeolian dust emission potential, continued development of a portable wind tunnel-like device for measuring aeolian sediment transport, and identifying controls on wind erosion on Steppe landscapes in Mongolia. Dr. Etyemezian's research interests and specialties include direct measurement and quantification of atmospheric pollutant emissions, source apportionment, designing research instrumentation, and analysis of spatial data.

As principal investigator in the Treasure Valley Road Dust Study (Boise, ID), Dr. Etyemezian improved upon the existing methods for estimating paved and unpaved road dust emissions. Completion of the study, which relied heavily on the novel TRAKER technology, resulted in the most detailed, measurement-based, road dust emissions inventory to date. Additionally, Dr. Etyemezian is the principal inventor and developer of the PI-SWERL system (Portable In-Situ Wind ERosion Laboratory), an ultra compact device for field measurement of wind erosion processes. The ability of PI-SWERL to obtain rapid measurements of soil wind erodibility potential represents a breakthrough in aeolian sediment transport and dust emission measurement.

Dr. Etyemezian supplements his experience in conducting air quality measurements with the modeling of pollutant dispersion and deposition. Focusing on phenomena occurring immediately downwind of a source, he has demonstrated that for certain atmospheric conditions, PM10 emissions as measured at the source require discounting to allow for the removal of particles by surface roughness elements such as vegetation and buildings.

As part of his doctoral research, Dr. Etyemezian investigated the effects of air pollutants on the degradation of limestone buildings. This work drew heavily on modeling of particle transport and deposition in boundary layer flows, modeling and measurement of particle deposition and rain impingement on outdoor structures, and measurement of air pollutant concentrations and pollutant deposition rates. While obtaining a Master's degree and working as a research assistant at the Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Etyemezian focused on drinking water quality, wastewater treatment, and environmental aquatic chemistry.