Research Interests | Former Students | Current Students | Selected Research Funded Topics | Selected Publications

Dr. Thomas E. Gill Associate Professor (Joint appointment: Department of Geological Sciences, and Environmental Science & Engineering Ph.D. Program) Aeolian Processes, Environmental Geology, Atmospheric Science
	E-mail: tegill@utep.edu Tel.: (915) 747-5168 Fax: (Geological Sciences Dept.) (915) 747-5073 Mailing Address: Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso 500 W. University Ave., El Paso TX 79968-0555 USA RESEARCH INTERESTS: Dr. Gill joined the faculty in Fall 2004 after six years at Texas Tech University in Lubbock.  He is affiliated with the Department of Geological Sciences, the Environmental Science and Engineering Ph.D. program, and the Environmental Science M.S. program at UTEP. His primary research interests are in atmosphere-lithosphere interaction -particularly aeolian (wind-related) processes (wind erosion, blowing sand and dust storms) and atmospheric aerosols of geological origin; and their roles in biogeochemical cycling and environmental change. Gill's research uses aspects of geomorphology, sedimentology, geochemistry, remote sensing, wind engineering and meteorology to study the generation, transport, deposition, and management of aeolian sediments and aerosols, as well as to investigate the interactions and cycling of materials between the atmosphere, lithosphere and biosphere, at all spatial scales. Tom Gill is the co-author of the Bibliography of Aeolian Research on the Internet.  Dr. Gill's research interests also include the environmental geochemistry, source appointment and biogeochemistry of trace elements; the geomorphology, sedimentology, and geochemistry of saline lakes and playas; evaporite mineralogy; earth system science, especially the relationship between landforms, climate/weather, and ecosystems; mesoscale meteorology and air pollution meteorology;  the application of X-ray spectrometric techniques in earth science; natural resource management in arid and semiarid lands; and applications of meteorology to homeland security. CLASSES TAUGHT: GEOL 1311- Principles of Earth Sciences GEOG 3107- Weather and Climate Laboratory GEOG 3306- Weather and Climate GEOG 4307- Geography of Arid Lands GEOP 5306- Atmospheric Processes ESE 6405- Environmental Geoscience TOP OF PAGE FORMER GRADUATE STUDENTS: Dominguez Acosta, Miguel, 2009 (Chair, Ph.D., Geology, UTEP)- The Pluvial Lake Palomas/ Samalayuca Dunes System. Janugani, Swapna, 2009 (M.S., Electrical Engineering, UTEP)- Directional Filtering and Classification Techniques for Dust Storm Detection in NOAA-AVHRR Imagery. Langman, Jeff, 2008 (Ph.D., Geology, UTEP)- A Multi- Tracer Study of Saltwater Origin, Cross-Formational Flow and the Geochemical Evolution of Groundwater in the Southern High Plains Aquifer Along the Western Caprock Escarpment, East-Central New Mexico. Perez, Adriana, 2008 (Co-Chair, Ph.D., Geology, UTEP, with Nick Pingitore)- Application of Integrated Remote Sensing and GIS Technologies to Geo-Environmental Issues in Far West Texas and Southern New Mexico. Villegas, Yvette, 2007 (Chair, M.S., Geology, UTEP)- The Characterization and Examination of the Geologic Factors Influencing the Geomorphic Development of Playas Within Fort Bliss, Texas and New Mexico. Nzewunwah, Chima, 2007 (Ph.D., Geology, UTEP)- Channel Dynamics and Controls on Planform Changes Along the Colorado and Pecos Rivers. Rivera, Nancy, 2006 (Chair, M.S., Environmental Science, UTEP)- Detection and Characterization of Dust Source Areas in the Chihuahuan Desert, Southwestern North America (Awarded Best Master's Thesis in Science or Engineering at UTEP for 2006) . Shi, Ye, 2006 (Ph.D., Environmental Science & Engineering, UTEP)- Characterization and Comparison of Speciated Atmospheric Carbonaceous (Soot) Particulates and Their Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Contents in the Context of the Paso Del Norte Airshed Along the U.S.- Mexico Border. Adams, Luqman, 2006 (Ph.D., Geology, UTEP)- Sequence and Mechanical Stratigraphy: An Integrated Reservoir Characterization of the Weber Sandstone, Western Colorado. Rose, Jessica, 2006 (M.S., Geology, UTEP), Differences in Dune Morphology Related To Changes in Groundwater Geochemistry, White Sands National Monument, NM. Crabtree, Greg, 2005 (Co-Chair, M.S., Atmospheric Science, Texas Tech, with Richard Peterson), Dustfall in the Southern High Plains. Rothman, Gabriel, 2004 (Chair, M.S., Atmospheric Science, Texas Tech), Saharan Air Layer Interaction with Hurricane Claudette (2003). Evans, Felecia, 2004 (M.S., Atmospheric Science, Texas Tech), Visualization of Tornado Track Prediction with GIS-Based Computer Software. Winn, Russell, 2003 (Chair, M.S., Geology, Texas Tech), Stable Isotope Geochemistry of Aeolian Dust from Owens Lake, California. Vancuren, Richard (Tony), 2002 (Ph.D., Geography, UC Davis), Asian Aerosols in North America: Frequency and Intensity of Transpacific Transport, Chemical Composition, and Mass Concentrations. TOP OF PAGE CURRENT STUDENTS: Doctoral: Fernald, Katherine (Chair, Ph.D., Environmental Science & Engineering, UTEP) - Peinado, Porfirio (Ph.D., Environmental Science and Engineering, UTEP) - Rivera Rivera, Nancy (Co-Chair, Ph.D., Environmental Science & Engineering, UTEP, with Rosa Fitzgerald) - Chihuahuan Desert mineral dust Rojo, Analila (Chair, Ph.D., Environmental Science & Engineering, UTEP)- Particle size effect on dust chemistry and mineralogy, Owens Lake, California Velarde, Roberto (Co-Chair, Ph.D., Geophysics, UTEP with Phil Goodell)- Evaluating suspended dust particulate matter from anthropogenically-altered lands in the Chihuahuan Desert Master’s: Research Assistants / Research Students: Floyd, Kevin (Ph.D., Environmental Science and Engineering, UTEP) GRADUATE THESIS/DISSERTATION COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR: De La O Fernandez, Olienka (Ph.D., Environmental Science and Engineering, UTEP) Gaytan, Monica (Masters of Public Health, UTEP) Gomez, Eduardo (Ph.D., Environmental Science and Engineering, UTEP) Guereque, Mariana (M.S., Geology, UTEP) Medina, Richard (M.S., Physics, UTEP) Neu, Roene (Ph.D.,Geology, UTEP) Ruiz, Alfredo (Ph.D., Geology, UTEP) Shekhter, Eugenia (Ph.D., Environmental Science and Engineering, UTEP) Wolff, James (M.S., Environmental Science, UTEP) Yamaguchi, Chika (Ph.D., Environmental Science and Engineering, UTEP) TOP OF PAGE SELECTED FUNDED RESEARCH TOPICS (past and present) Principal Investigator (US Army Corps of Engineers): Wind Erosion Patterns in the Future Combat Systems Maneuver-to-Test Area Principal Investigator (Norman Hackerman Advanced Research Program): Database Development of Wind Erosion Source Areas in the Southern High Plains and Chihuahuan Desert Co-Investigator (NASA): The Impact of the Saharan Air Layer on Tropical Cyclone Genesis and Intensification Principal Investigator (US Army Corps of Engineers): Wind Erosion Patterns in Coppice Dune Maneuver Areas Principal Investigator (NIH ARCH Program on Border Asthma Pilot Project): Asthma, Dust, and El Paso: Innovative Analysis of Airborne Particulates Co-Principal Investigator (SCERP via US EPA): Investigating the Health Effects of Dust Storms in El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua Co-Principal Investigator (NOAA): NOAA Center for Atmospheric Sciences Principal Investigator (SCERP via US EPA): Investigation of Dust Emission Hotspots in Chihuahuan Desert Playa Basins Principal Investigator (US Dept. of Energy): Potential  Fractionation of Heavy Metals in Wind Resuspension of Contaminated Soils Principal Investigator (US Dept. of Defense): Modeling Airborne Transport of Hazards Using Advanced Atmospheric Monitoring Systems and Numerical Techniques Co- Principal Investigator (US Dept. of Commerce): Windstorm Mitigation Initiative Principal Investigator (Texas Advanced Research Projects): Geochemical Fractionation of Dust at the Surface of a Wind-Eroding Playa Project Manager (California Air Resources Board): Generation, Characterization and Transport of Owens (Dry) Lake Dusts Project Manager (California State Lands Commission): Mitigation of Windblown Dusts and Reclamation of Public Trust Values, Owens Lake, California: Partial Mitigation of PM10 Episodes Through Control of Saltating Particles and Reduction of Wind Shear Project Manager (California Department of Health): Particulate Transport at Toxic Waste Facilities in California. TOP OF PAGE SELECTED PUBLICATIONS: Yanlei Peng, J. G. Staniswalis, S. E. Grineski, and T. E. Gill, 2010. A retrospective analysis of the association of dust storms and respiratory hospitalizations in El Paso, Texas, using a case-crossover study design. First Environment and Health Symposium, American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, January 2010. Janugani, S., Jayaram, V., Cabrera, S.D., Rosiles, J.G., Gill, T.E., and Rivera Rivera, N.I., 2009. Directional Analysis and Filtering for Dust Storm Detection in NOAA-AVHRR Imagery. In: Algorithms and Technologies for Multispectral, Hyperspectral, and Ultraspectral Imagery XV, Proceedings of the SPIE 7334, 73341G: doi:10.1117/12.820235, 12 pp. Gill, T.E., Stout, J.E., and Peinado, P., 2009. Composition and characteristics of aerosols in the Southern High Plains of Texas, USA. AIP Conference Proceedings 1099: 255- 258. Gill, T.E., Collins, T.W., and Novlan, D.J., 2009. Variable impacts and differential response to flash flooding in the Paso del Norte metroplex (El Paso, Texas, USA / Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico). Preprints of the Joint Symposium on Geographic Effects on Urban Weather and Climate, American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, January 2009, Phoenix, J5.3. Rivera Rivera, N.I., Gebhart, K.A., Gill, T.E., Hand, J.L., Novlan, D.J., and Fitzgerald, R.M., 2009. Analysis of air transport patterns bringing dust storms to El Paso, Texas. Preprints of the Symposium on Urban High Impact Weather, American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, January 2009, Phoenix., JP2.6. Rivera Rivera, N.I., Gill, T.E., Gebhart, K.A., Hand, J.L., Bleiweiss, M.P., and Fitzgerald, R.M., 2009. Wind modeling of Chihuahuan Desert dust outbreaks. Atmospheric Environment 43: 347- 354. Lee, J.A., Gill, T.E., Mulligan, K.R., Dominguez, M.A., and Perez, A.E., 2009. Land use/ land cover and point sources of the 15 December 2003 dust storm in southwestern North America. Geomorphology 105: 18- 27. Stout, J.E., Warren, A., and Gill, T.E., 2009. Publication trends in aeolian research: An analysis of the Bibliography of Aeolian Research. Geomorphology 105: 6- 17. Gill, T.E., 2008. Water to dust: the case of Mono Lake. In: Correa, A.C., Agnello, M.F., Todd, R., and Peterson, R.E., editors. Water in Arid and Semiarid Lands- Innovative Approaches and Informed Decision-Making, Proceedings of 2006 International Conference, Lubbock, Texas, USA International Center for Arid and Semiarid Land Studies Publication 2008-1, pp. 181- 190. Sawalha, M.F., Sengupta, M.K., Ohira, S.I., Idowu, A.D., Gill, T.E., Rojo, L., Barnes, M., and Dasgupta, P.K., 2008. Measurement of soil/dust arsenic by gas-phase chemiluminescence. Talanta 77: 372- 379. Rojo, L., Gill, T.E., and Gillette, D.A., 2008. Particle size/composition relationships of wind-eroding sediments, Owens (dry) Lake, California, USA. X-Ray Spectrometry 37: 111- 115. (Invited paper) Leggoe, J.W., Chang, C.B., Cox, S.B., Presley, S.M., Zartman, R., and Gill, T., 2008. Predicting and characterizing threat transport. In: Advances in Biological and Chemical Terrorism Countermeasures, R.J. Kendall, S.M. Presley, G.P. Austin, and P.N. Smith, editors, CRC Press/ Taylor and Francis Publishers, pp. 29- 104. Haque, N., Peralta-Videa, J.R., Jones, G.L., Gill, T.E., and Gardea- Torresdey, J.L., 2008. Screening the phytoremediation potential of desert broom (Baccharis sarothroides Gray) growing on mine tailings in Arizona, USA. Environmental Pollution 153: 362- 368. Rojo, L., Gill, T.E., and Barnes, M.A., 2007. Intercomparison of aeolian dust elemental concentrations via PIXE and ICP-AES. Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on PIXE and its Analytical Applications, Puebla, Mexico, May 2007, ISBN 978-970-32-5115-5, UNAM Press, Mexico D.F., paper PI-32. Perez, A.E., and Gill, T.E., 2007. Composition of mineral aerosols generated in the Salt Basin of far west Texas (USA) using PIXE and complementary techniques. Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on PIXE and its Analytical Applications, Puebla, Mexico, May 2007, ISBN 978-970-32-5115-5, UNAM Press, Mexico D.F., paper PI-34. Gill, T.E., 2007. Analysis of 19th century Mexican postage stamps by PIXE. Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on PIXE and its Analytical Applications, Puebla, Mexico, May 2007, ISBN 978-970-32-5115-5, UNAM Press, Mexico D.F., paper PI-42. Dominguez, M.A., and Gill, T.E., 2007. PIXE based geochemical characterization of the pluvial Lake Palomas system, Chihuahua Mexico. Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on PIXE and its Analytical Applications, Puebla, Mexico, May 2007, ISBN 978-970-32-5115-5, UNAM Press, Mexico D.F., paper PII-33. Van Pelt, R.S., Zobeck, T.M., Ritchie, J.C., and Gill, T.E., 2007. Validating the use of ^137Cs measurements to estimate rates of soil redistribution by wind. Catena 70: 455- 464. Novlan, D.J., Hardiman, M., and Gill, T.E., 2007. A synoptic climatology of blowing dust events in El Paso, Texas from 1932-2005. Preprints, 16^th Conference on Applied Climatology, American Meteorological Society, J3.12, 13 pp. Gill, T.E., Zobeck, T.M., and Stout, J.E., 2006. Technologies for laboratory generation of dust from geological materials. Journal of Hazardous Materials 132: 1- 13. (Invited paper) Gill, T.E., 2006. Teaching meteorology at the University of Texas, El Paso. Preprints, 15^th Conference on Education, American Meteorological Society, P1.34, 6 pp. (Invited paper) Rivera Rivera, N.I., Bleiweiss, M.P., Hand, J.L., and Gill, T.E., 2006. Characterization of dust storm sources in southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico using remote sensing imagery. Preprints, 14^th Conference on Satellite Meteorology and Oceanography, American Meteorological Society, P3.9, 17 pp. Chang, C.B., and Gill, T.E., 2005. MM5-HPAC simulation experiments. Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics 90: 127- 138. Gill, T.E., and Shao, Y., eds., 2004. Modeling of wind erosion and aeolian processes. Environmental Modeling and Software 19(2): 91- 215. Acosta-Martinez, V., Zobeck, T.M., Gill, T.E., and Kennedy, A.C., 2003. Enzyme activities and microbial community structure in semiarid agricultural soils. Biology and Fertility of Soils 38: 216-227. Chang, C.B., Gill, T.E., and Conder, M., 2003.  West Texas Mesonet observations and four-dimensional data assimilation for testing MM5 and HPAC.  Proceedings of the BACIMO (Battlefield Atmospheric and Cloud Impacts on Military Operations) 2003 Conference, Naval Research Laboratory, Monterey, CA, September 2003, U.S. Department of Defense publication, 12 pp. Gill, T.E., Cahill, T.A., Copeland, S.A., and White, B.R., 2003. Sand fences for control of wind erosion and dust emission at Owens Lake, CA: 1. Full-scale testing, field deployment, and evaluation of effectiveness. Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Wind Engineering, Lubbock, TX, June 2003, vol. 2, pp. 2773- 2780. Prospero, J.M., Ginoux, P., Torres, O., Nicholson, S.E., and Gill, T.E., 2002. Environmental characterization of global sources of atmospheric soil dust identified with the NIMBUS-7 TOMS absorbing aerosol product. Reviews of Geophysics 40: 2-01 - 2-31 (doi:10.1029/2000RG000095). Gill, T.E., Gillette, D.A., Niemeyer, T., and Winn, R.T., 2002. Elemental geochemistry of wind-erodible playa sediments, Owens Lake, California. Nuclear Instruments and MethodsB189: 209- 213. Husar, R.B., et al. (including Gill, T.E.,), 2001. The Asian dust events of April 1998. Journal of Geophysical Research 106D: 18317- 18330. Gill, T.E., Chang, C.B., Doggett, A.L., and Peterson, R.E., 2001. Mesoscale processes and transport of substances in the urban atmospheric boundary layer. Proceedings of BACIMO 2001 (Battlefield Atmospheric and Cloud Impacts on Military Operations) Conference, Fort Collins, Colorado, July 2001, USA Department of Defense Publication ARL-SR-01126, 15 pp. Gill, T.E., Reynolds, R.L., and Zobeck, T.M., 2000. Measurements of current and historic settled dusts in west Texas. Proceedings of the 93rd Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA) Annual Conference and Exhibition, AWMA Publication VIP-97 (ISBN 0-923204-34-2), Paper No. 0175, 15 pp. Gill, T.E., Westphal, D.L., Stephens, G., and Peterson, R.E., 2000. Integrated assessment of regional dust transport from west Texas and New Mexico, spring 1999. Preprints of the 11th Joint Conference on Applications of Air Pollution Meteorology with the Air and Waste Management Association, American Meteorological Society, Boston, MA, pp. 370- 375. Zobeck, T.M., Gill, T.E., and Popham, T.M., 1999. A two-parameter Weibull function to describe airborne dust particle size distributions. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 24(10): 943-955. Gillette, D.A., Fryrear, D.W., Gill, T.E., Ley, T., Cahill, T.A., and Gearhart, E.A., 1997. Relation of vertical flux of PM10 to total aeolian horizontal mass flux at Owens Lake. Journal of Geophysical Research 102D: 26009- 26015. Perry, K.D., Cahill, T.A., Eldred, R.A., Dutcher, D.D., and Gill, T.E., 1997. Long-range transport of Saharan dust to the eastern United States. Journal of Geophysical Research 102D: 13225-13238. Cahill, T.A., Carroll, J.J., Campbell, D., and Gill, T.E., 1996. Air quality. In: Status of the Sierra Nevada. U.S. Geological Survey Digital Data Series Publication DDS-043, Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project, Final Report to Congress, vol. II. Centers for Water and Wildland Resources, University of California, Davis, Wildlands Resource Center Report 37 (vol. II, chapter 48), pp. 1227- 1261. Cahill, T.A., Gill, T.E., Reid, J.S., Gearhart, E.A., and Gillette, D.A., 1996. Saltating particles, playa crusts and dust aerosols at Owens (dry) Lake, California. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 21: 621- 639. Gill, T.E., 1996. Eolian sediments generated by anthropogenic disturbance of playas: human impacts on the geomorphic system and geomorphic impacts on the human system. Geomorphology 17: 207- 228. Gill, T.E. and Cahill, T.A., 1992. Drying saline lake beds: a regionally-significant PM10 source. In: Chow, J.C., and Ono, D.M., eds., PM10 Standards And Nontraditional Particulate Source Controls. Air & Waste Management Association Transactions Series 22: 440-454. Gill, T.E., Tanada, T.N., Cahill, T.A., Taylor, D., and Matsuura, H., 1989. Air quality on Hawaii Island during a Kilauea eruption. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Air and Waste Management Association, Anaheim, CA, June 1989, Paper #89-66A.04, 15pp. Gill, T.E., Kusko, B.H., Higgins, C.G., Cahill, T.A., and Howard, S., 1988.  Site variation in provenance studies: the Carrara Marble example. In: Farqhar, R.N.,  Hancock, R.G.V., and Pavlish, L.A., eds., Archaeometry '88: Proceedings of the 26th International Archaeometry Symposium, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, pp. 211- 219. TOP OF PAGE
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This page last updated on 22 October, 2009. Photo by Dirk Goossens.