Wind and sand control by an oasis protective system: a case from the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert,China

Wind and sand control are important factors in combating desertification and protecting oases. An oasis protective system can provide these benefits, but quantitative research on protection effects has been lacking to date. This researchdescribes an oasis protective system in the southeastern border of the Tengger Desert. The system consists of a sand barrier belt, a shrub and herbaceous plant belt, and a farmland shelter belt.The system was compared to a bare dunes area as the control zone. The study investigated windproof effect,sediment transport, and erosion through fieldobservations. Results showed that the roughness of the shrub and herbaceous plant belt, farmland shelter belt, and sand barrier belt were increased compared with bare dunes. The shrub and herbaceous plant belt provided the highest windproof effect values for the same wind velocity measurement height, and the windproof effect values for different protective belts were as follows: shrub and herbaceous plant belt farmland shelter belt sand barrier belt. The sand barrier belt provided effective wind and sand control at heights from 0 to 50 cm above the ground. The total sediment transport for each protective belt is as follows: bare dunes sand barrier belt shrub and herbaceous plant belt farmland shelter belt. The sediment transport decreased exponentially as the height increased. In the bare dunes and protective systems, the sediment transport is mainly within 30 cm of the ground surface. The wind erosion intensity for this protective system was as follows: bare dunes sand barrier belt shrub and herbaceous plant belt farmland shelter belt. This research offers quantitative evidence for how oasis protective systems can effectively intercept sand and prevent erosion in oases. The results of this study can be applied in similar regions.     

Characteristics, origin and evolution ages of aeolian sand in the Sahelian region of Mali

SahelbioclimaticzonecrossNorthAfricabe-tweenl7oNandl3"Nborders,theSaharaDeserttothenorthandtheSudansavannatothesouth,beinganimportantfragileecologicalzoneintheworld.SincethesevereSudano-Saheliandroughtof1968-l973sandydesertificationhasresultedinaverymiserableconse-quencestolocalpeople,asaSahelcountryinwestAhica,theRepublicofMaliisoneofthecountriesmostseverelyaffectedbydroughtanddesertification,AccordingtotheinvestigationsoftheexpertgroupoftheLanzhouInstituteofDesertResearch,theChineseA-…     

STATUS, CAUSES AND COMBATING SUGGESTIONS OF SANDY DESERTIFICATION IN QINGHAI-TIBET PLATEAU

Land desertification isone ofthe m ajorissuesofw orld-w ide concern and considerable am ount of research onthis subject has been carried out at hom e and abroad(D O N G and LIU , 1993a; 1993b; H O U ER O U ,1996;ZH A and G A O ,1996),especially the com m …     

A STUDY ON DESERTIFICATION OF WEST JIJLIN PROVINCE BASED ON REMOTE SENSING AND GIS TECHNIQUES

“West Jilin Porovince” in ths paper means Zhenlai,Baicheng,Taonan,Da‘an,Tongyu,Fuyu,Songyuan,Qian‘an ,Chandling,also includes Gongzhuling,Shuangliao,Lishu,Siping and Nong′an which have been suf-fered from desertification.In west Jilin Province there are three sand zones passing through,they are Xiang(Xianghai)-Wu(Wlan Tug)sand zone,Hai-Fent sand zone,and Tao′er River right band sand zone.The desertification area of west Jilin Province is 819 100ha,making up 12.5% of the total land area.Among desertification types,in Jilin Province light desertification is the major,then is medium dersertification,hevey desertification is the least.According to the compare-son of the interpretation results of the Landsat images of the 1980s and 1990s by remote sensing and GIS techniques,it can be seen that the diesertification area in west Jilin Province basically didn′t change on the whole,only increased 6130ha,making up 0.8% of the desertification area,change scale is less than 1%.Evidently,desertification is con-trolled mostly,but some areas are continuing deterioration.The desertification process of China can be divided into three types according to origin nature,they are sandy steppe desertification,fixed sand area(sand land) activation and dunes transfer invasion.Reasons of desertification of West Jilin Province are analyzed,they include natural factors(such as material source factors,chimate factors) and artificial factors(such as destroying grass to reclaim,steppe decreasing greatly,illegally feeling shelter forest stands,constructing reservoir to influence eco-environment etc.).Some sugges-tions are put forward as follows:establishing the social project for ecological reconstruction of degenerated land;intensify-ing planning and management of land use,reverting farmland into forestland or pasture in a planned way.The key desertifica-tion control is to depend mainly on policy and management,then control techniques.     

Variations in aeolian landform patterns in the Gonghe Basin over the last 30 years

Wind erosion, or the transportation and deposition of sand into desert dunes and aeolian loess, is one of the most important aeolian activities. The progression of aeolian landforms expands arid and barren landscapes, leading to the degradation of adjacent areas. The Gonghe Basin, as a typical plateau with abundant sand sources, is highly sensitive to changes in the local climate conditions. In order to quantify the spatial-temporal variations in the aeolian landforms in the Gonghe Basin, we conducted field surveys and also analyzed twelve remote sensing(Landsat5 TM and Landsat8 OLI) images that sample the Gonghe Basin from 1989 to 2019. In the Gonghe Basin, we identified aeolian landforms such as climbing dunes on the windward slopes of the foothills, checkerboard dunes in the southeastern part of the basin, flat dunes, parabolic dunes and crescent dunes on the east and west sides of Longyangxia Reservoir, shrubby sandbanks on the valley slope in Shazhuyu, Tanggemu, and Indel, and sandy thickets at the bottom of the valley near the Dalian Sea, the Longyangxia Reservoir, and the tributaries of the Yellow River. From 1989 to 2005, the area of theaeolian regions expanded by 816.7 km~2, with an annual conversion rate of 0.05%. From 2015 to 2019, the area of the aeolian regions shrunk by 2411.9 km~2, with an annual conversion rate of-0.15%.The number and size of the fixed and semi-fixed dunes(e.g. the shrubby sandbanks on the valley slope and the sandy thickets at the bottom of the valley) were more stable than those of the mobile dunes(e.g. the checkerboard dunes, the flat dunes, the crescent dunes, the parabolic dunes, and the climbing dunes). The fixed and semi-fixed dunes were arranged in an irregular ring shape, and the location of the center of gravity of this ring did not change significantly from 1989 to 2019; in this time, the mobile dunes migrated to the northwest.     

THE DYNAMIC MONITORING OF HORQIN SAND LAND USING REMOTE SENSING

Hurqin Sand Land is regarded as the typical region for studying the problem of desertification.The integra-tion of 3S(GIS,GPS and RS)techniques offer a most helpful method to study and monitor the dynamics of desertification.Based on the data derived from 3 periodsˊmultitemporal Landsat TM imagery of the 1990s,the regional land use and dynamo-ics of desertification in Horqin Sand Land were studied.The main results revealed that :1)as long as the general change tendency was concerned,the desertification of Horqin Sand Land would continue to spread;2)there was a gradual de-crease in the area of both moving sand dunes and semi-stabilized ones,which meant that fruitful progress had been made to control the desertification during the 1990s;3)as a result of unreasonable cultivation,the total area of stabilized sand dunes and grassland in the middle and western region decreased obviously.It suggested that the increasing damage caused by human was leading to the hazard of further desertification.So in the future,it is necessary to take more effect-tive measures to control the spread of desertification and restore the degraded ecosystems for the purpose of optimizing the global eco-environment in Horqin Sand Land.     

ENVIRONMENTAL EVOLUTION OF ORDOS DESERT IN CHINA SINCE 1.1MA B. P. AS INDICATED BY YULIN STRATIGRAPHICAL SECTION AND ITS GRAIN-SIZE ANALYSIS RESULTS

1INTRODUCTIONOrdosDesertisageneral appellationof Qubqi Desert onthe north, Hedong Sandy Landonthesouthwest and MuUs Desert on the southeast (Fig. 1). It is situated on atransitional zone from arid desert steppe to semi-aridsteppe between ariddesertinNorth…     

Grain-size characteristics of sediments formed since 8600 yr B.P. in middle reaches of Yarlung Zangbo River in Tibet and their paleoenvironmental significance

Widespread aeolian sediments have been found in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, China. The grain-size characteristics of sediments from Cha'er Section in the area were analyzed. The results show that the section include one stratum of paleo-mobile dunes, four strata of paleo-semi-fixed dunes, two strata of paleo-fixed dunes, one stratum of sandy immature soils. The paleo-mobile and paleo-somi-fixed dune sand in this section are similar to modern aeolian sand in either grain-size composition or Mz and σ distribution. Compared the above types of dunes each other, the content of sand substance decreases, while the content of silt and clay increases for palco-fixed dunes and sandy immature soils. Combined with age data for each stratum, the analysis shows that these strata are the products of climate changes and the evolution of aeolian landforms. The evolutionary sequence of the paleoclimate and of acolian activities in the valley since 8600 yr B.P. reveals four stages: 8600-5700 yr B.P., when the paleoclimate was cold and dry, with strong winds, thereby activating dunes; 5700-3600 yr B.P., when it was warm and wet, with weak winds, causing dunes to undergo soil-forming processes; 3600-1900 yr B.P., when climate shifted from cold-dry with strong winds to warm-wet with weak winds, and activated dunes were fixed again; and 1900 yr B.P. -present, when the climate became fine, with weak winds, fixing dunes again.     

Characteristics of Sand Dune Pattern and Fluvial-aeolian Interaction in Horqin Sandy Land,Northeast Plain of China

The interaction between fluvial and aeolian processes can significantly change surface morphology of the Earth. Taking the Horqin Sandy Land as the research area and using Landsat series satellite remote sensing images, this study utilizes geomorphology and landscape ecology to monitor and analyze the aeolian geomorphology characteristics of the Horqin Sandy Land. Results show that the sand dunes of the Horqin Sandy Land are mainly distributed on alluvial plains along the banks of the mainstream and tributaries of the Western Liao River, and the sand dune types tend to simplify from west to east and from south to north. The aeolian geomorphology coverage tend to be decreasing in the past 40 years, with an average annual change rate of 0.31%. While the area of traveling dunes decreased, the area of fixed and semi-fixed dunes increased. The fractal dimensions of various types of sand dune have all remained relatively constant between 1.07 and 1.10, suggesting that they are experiencing a relatively stable evolutionary process. There is a complex interaction between fluvial and aeolian processes of the Horqin Sandy Land, which plays a central role in surface landscape molding. Sand dunes on both sides of different rivers on the Horqin Sandy Land present certain regularity and different characteristics in terms of morphology, developmental scale, and spatial pattern. There are six fluvial-aeolian interaction modes in this area: supply of sand sources by rivers for sand dune development, complete obstruction of dune migration by rivers, partial obstruction of dune migration by rivers, influence of river valleys on dune developmental types on both sides, influence of river valleys on dune developmental scale on both sides, and river diversion due to obstruction and forcing by sand dunes. This study deepens our understanding of the surface process mechanism of the interaction between fluvial and aeolian processes in semi-arid regions, and provides a basis for researches on regional landscape responses in the context of global environmental change.     

Characteristics of Wind Erosion and Deposition in Oasis-desert Ecotone in Southern Margin of Tarim Basin,China

The oasis-desert ecotone is a fragile ecological zone that is affected both by oasis and desert conditions. To understand the impact of the differences in wind power, and the influence of wind erosion and deposition on the ecotone, meteorological data and con- temporaneous wind erosion and deposition data were collected on the southern margin of Tarim Basin with serious sand-blown hazards. The wind velocity, average wind velocity, sand drift potential （DP）, resultant sand drift potential （RDP）, and sand transportation rate decrease significantly and successively across four landscape types with increasing vegetation coverage （VC）. Flat surfaces and areas of shifting sandy ground experience intense wind erosion with fast movement of mobile sand dunes; semi-fixed sand areas experience ex- tensive wind deposition but only slight wind erosion; and fixed sand areas experience only slight wind erosion and deposition. Volume of wind erosion on bare newly reclaimed farmland is up to 6.96 times that of bare shifting sandy ground. Wind erosion volume per unit area and VC follow an exponential function relationship in natural conditions, while wind deposition volume per unit area does not conform to any functions which has close relationship with vary topography and arrangement patterns of vegetation besides for VC. The results indicate that the volume of wind erosion has a close correlation with VC, and different types and distribution patterns of topog- raphy and vegetation also profoundly influence the wind deposition volume in the field, and underground water tables in different land- scape types control the plant community distribution. Keywords： wind erosion; wind deposition; oasis-desert ecotone; vegetation coverage （VC）; topography; Cele County     

A sand control and development model in sandy land based on mixed experiments of arsenic sandstone and sand: A case study in Mu Us Sandy Land in China

Serious desertification caused by human activity and climate change, in addition to water loss and soil erosion related to arsenic sandstone in the Mu Us Sandy Land, lead to severe scarcity of soil and water resources, which causes worse local agricultural conditions accordingly. Many physical properties of arsenic sandstone is complementary with that of sand, arsenic sandstone is therefore supposed to be blended to enhance water productivity and arability of sandy land. Container experiments are carried out to study the enhancement of water holding capacity of the mixture, the blending ratio of arsenic sandstone and sand, and the proper size of the arsenic sandstone particles, respectively. The results of the experiments show that particle size of 4 cm with a ratio of 1 ： 2 between arsenic sandstone and sand are the proper parameters on blending. Both water content and fertility increase after blending. Water use efficiency in the mixture is 2.7 times higher than that in sand by the water release curves from experiments. Therefore, a new sand control and development model, including arsenic sandstone blending with sand, efficient water irrigation management and reasonable farming system, is put forward to control and develop sandy land so that water-saving agriculture could be developed. Demonstration of potato planting about 153.1 ha in area in the Mu Us Sandy Land in China indicates that water consumption is 3018 m3/ha in the whole growth period. It means that about 61% of irrigation water can be saved compared with water use in coarse sand without treatment. Recycle economic mode and positive feedback of sand resource-crop planting-soil resource are constructed, which changes sand into arable soil and make it possible to develop water-saving agriculture on it. The proposed model will be helpful for soil-water resources utilization and management in the Mu Us Sandy Land.     

Spatial distribution and formation mechanism of aeolian sand in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River

Aeolian sand landforms in the Yarlung Zangbo River(YZR) valley are a special type of aeolian landform that has attracted the attention of many scholars. However, the spatial distribution as well as the formation mechanism of aeolian sand has rarely been reported with integrated studies. In this paper, for remote sensing interpretation, scanning electron microscopy(SEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD) and particle size distribution(PSD) methods were used to analyze the spatial distribution and the deposition characteristics of aeolian sand. Combined with wind data and topography, the main driving factors and the formation mechanism of aeolian sand landforms were also examined. In the middle reaches of the YZR valley, there is a total of 2324.43 km~2 of aeolian sand, especially on the north bank of the wide valleys. In different wide valleys, the aeolian sand landforms exhibit a decreasing trend from the upstream to the downstream regions in both the area and expansion rate of aeolian sand. The cyclonic vortexes generated by the westerly winds and glacial winds are the main driving factors for transporting alluvial sand to the riverbank areas to form aeolian dunes. There are three main types of sand dunes in the river valley: climbing dunes, lee dunes and circumfluent dunes. Climbing dunes and lee dunes are mostly located west of the Jiacha Gorge, and the circumfluent dunes are mostly located east of the Jiacha Gorge.     

Geomorphological evolution revealed by aeolian sedimentary structure in Badain Jaran Desert on Alxa Plateau, Northwest China

The Badain Jaran Desert,located in the Alxa Plateau,Northwest China,features mega-dunes and a unique dune-lake alternation landscape.This paper presented the aeolian sediment structures of three representative dunes in the Badain Jaran Desert using ground-penetrating radar (GPR).We processed and analyzed the GPR data and investigated the feasibility of using integrated GPR and sedimentological data to reconstruct dunes structure,sedimentary environment and geomorphological evolution.The results show that the internal structures of star dune and transverse dune represent various stages of mega-dune evolution: the main deposition processes of mega-dune are similar to those of transverse dunes but have a more complicated mechanism of sand transport and deposition because of the superimposition of dunes;the upper section of the mega-dune has a structure similar to that of star dune,with vertical aggradations on top.Diffraction hyperbolae in the GPR profile indicates that the presence of ancient dunes characterized by calcareous cementation layers is involved in the maintenance of mega-dunes,and water levels,shown by continuous,sub-horizontal GPR reflections,are supposed to be closely related to mega-dunes and the interdune lakes.Outcrop of wet sand and horizontal stratifications on the GPR image indicate moisture potentials with different levels inside mega-dunes.The multiplex geomorphology in the Badain Jaran Desert is the result of global climatic undulation,the unique geographical location,the geological structural features,etc.     

PRESENT STATUS AND CAUSE OF LAND DESERTIFICATION IN THE YARLUNG ZANGBO RIVER BASIN

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THE PRECIPITATION INFILTRATION AND RUNOFF RECHARGING EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION IN THE TAKLIMAKAN DESERT

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Effects of an oasis protective system on aeolian sediment deposition:a case study from Gelintan oasis,southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert,China

Desert-oasis ecotones are boundary areas between oases and desert ecosystems.Large efforts to control sediment and stabilize these boundaries depend on understanding sedimentary processes,especially aeolian transport and deposition.Previous studies on aeolian sediment deposition have focused primarily on a single land surface type or a single engineering approach.Few studies have considered deposition in a multi-layer oasis protective system.A complete oasis protective system consists of an outer bare sand area,a sand barrier zone,a shrub and herbaceous plant zone,and a farmland shelter zone.This study used sedimentary analysis to quantify grain-size characteristics in samples from the four land surfaces under different types of weather conditions in the Gelintan oasis of the Tengger Desert,the fourth largest desert in China.The results showed that aeolian sediment deposition decreased from the outer bare sand area through the oasis protective system and into the interior.The four land surface types showed significant differences in deposition volume(P 0.05).Deposited sediment showed gradual decrease in dominant grain-size from sand to silt,but sediment deposited during dust weather contained a larger coarse-grained fraction.From the outer desert to the inner oasis,transport mechanisms shifted from saltation(sand) to suspension(silt and smaller) in non-dust weather.During dust weather,deposition primarily occurs from near-surface aeolian sand transport with saltation.Sediment sorting decreased from exterior to interior zones of the protective system while skewness and kurtosis showed no significant change(P 0.05).These results can help inform strategies for stabilizing and protecting desert-oasis ecotones in this region and other localities.     

雅鲁藏布江中部流域土地沙化遥感识别

雅鲁藏布江中部流域长期遭受土地沙化侵蚀,采取有效手段进行沙化土地信息快速识别,跟踪土地沙化现状和动态发展,是土地沙化防治的基本前提。遥感数据因其快速、大范围、高精度监测等特点已被广泛应用于土地沙化监测。为降低该区域沙化土地破碎化分布特征以及广泛分布的稀疏植被地表对沙化土地遥感识别带来的不确定性,本文利用Google Earth Engine平台获取2019年秋季雅鲁藏布江中部流域Landsat无云遥感影像,基于面向对象的分类思想,充分提取沙化土地的光谱、几何和地形特征,根据不同的分类器构建4种分类方案,包括单一分类器（支持向量机、决策树、最近邻）分类以及组合分类法分类,提取雅江中游河谷地区沙化土地信息并验证不同方案的提取精度。结果表明：① 利用面向对象组合分类模型提取的沙化土地信息效果最佳,总体精度高达91.38 %,Kappa系数为0.82;② 相较于采用单一分类器（支持向量机、最近邻和决策树分类）的面向对象分类方法,组合分类模型能更有效地识别破碎化的小面积沙化土地,降低沙化土地与稀疏植被地表的混淆情况,提高分类可靠性;③ 基于面向对象组合分类模型反演得到雅鲁藏布江中部流域2019年沙化土地分布信息,土地沙化面积达299.61 km²,总体上呈现沿河谷的带状不连续分布,且集中分布于河流北岸以及靠近河道的阳坡、低海拔地区。本研究可为土地沙化遥感监测提供新思路,其应用可服务于雅鲁藏布江中部流域土地沙化预防和治理工作。     

沂蒙山区南龙口岩溶地面塌陷形成机制探讨

沂蒙山区南龙口隐伏灰岩分布区,上覆第四系砂砾石层、砂质黏土等,受地下水集中开采、降水等诱发因素的影响,近年来多次发生地面塌陷,导致交通干线、民房及村中道路受损,造成一定的经济损失,对当地村民的生命安全及重要交通干线构成威胁。该文初步分析研究了岩溶地面塌陷的特征、形成条件及影响因素,提出了防灾减灾措施。     

青海湖区土地荒漠化遥感地学分析

青海湖是我国最大的内陆咸水湖,是世界著名的湿地,但随着周围地区荒沙漠化环境的恶化,其土地荒漠化也不断加剧。本文对青海湖地区土地荒漠化的自然特征和社会经济特征进行了分析,明确了荒漠化的环境背景。在此基础上,结合青海湖地区荒漠化土地普查与监察工作的范围和内容,采用ASTER卫星影像图对湖区周围地区进行解译,并利用解译数据对荒漠化土地进行等级划分,分析土地荒漠化的空间分布格局,对荒漠化作出综合评价。     

Simulating study on barchan dune

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