We worked it out. The whiteish sediment layer is a superb reservoir for dust particles. The brownish serves as saltators. Perfect match, perfect dust source. In any case, the water resets everything.
We see the interplay between “turning into a dust source” and “becoming flooded” since we arrived in the Dyngjusandur area end of July. Nevertheless, during the last few days the surface area drying up and changing its colour from greyish-brownish to white is larger than the area which floods during the night. So, we are kind of expecting a shift towards turning the entire area into a dust source. That’s why we are here, that’s why we set up the tower in Paradise.
Our hope for more dust in the next few days is clearly not unfounded. Nevertheless, the flood surge arrived later this afternoon washing away the dusty spots that have formed during the last days. The good thing about this “not so welcome” flooding is that it will deposit more sediment on top, which will eventually turn into a dust source – if it once turns dry. Think positive!