During the 1930s, a prolonged dry spell culminated in dust storms and soil destruction of disastrous proportions. The "black blizzards" of the resulting Dust Bowl inflicted great hardships on the people and the land.

The Dust Bowl has been called our nations worst ecological disaster. It was an area in the southern Great Plains during the 1930's, where prolonged drought and severe dust storms inflicted great  hardships on the people and damage to the soil. As if the drought and storms were not bad enough, the 1930's was also the time of the Great Depression. Because of the dust storms, which spread dust across the country, the 1930's are often known as the Dirty Thirties.

Following the Dirty Thirties, the U.S. Department of Agriculture started an intensive research program on wind erosion in cooperation with Kansas State University. Today, this laboratory, officially known as the Wind Erosion Research Unit (WERU), continues to serve as the focal point for wind erosion research, both nationally and internationally. The researchers use theoretical, laboratory, and field studies to focus on four broad areas: mechanics, control, prediction, and environmental impact of wind erosion.

Back to top