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.     

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.     

Simulating study on barchan dune

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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-…     

Simulating study on barchan dune

Barchan dune is one of the basic forms of eolian landform, it is usually moulded by high-concentration non-saturated wind-sand flow. The formation process of barchan dune begins from “wave-grain duality” of wind-sand movement, and goes through two developmental stages of sand material accumulating (high-concertration saturated wind-sand flow) and dune form moulding (high-concentration non-saturated wind-sand flow), i.e. the processes of dissipative increase and dispersive decrease. The scattered single barchan dunes on non-sandy bed surface have obvious characteristics of mobility and unstability (not including barchan sand hill). The formation of barchan dune in wind tunnel (its dune scale is one order of magnitude larger than sand ripple scale) is helpful to know the formation mechanism of barchan dunes. One of the series achievements supported by the National Natural Science Fundation of China (No. 49371009)     

Application of Grain Size Analysis to Study Sedimentary Environment of Sand Dune in the Vicinity of Tumen River

The average size of the sand of dune in the vicinity of Tumen River is 0.12～0.30 mm, its standard deviation is 0.45～0.99 φ and the frequency cumulative distribution curve is divided into the single peak and the double peak. The Ski of the single peak is negative and the double peak is positive. There are two different areas in the plot of the Ski versus σi* It is shown that the sedimentary environment of the dunes is neritic deposit by the expressions of the grain-size parameters. All of the characters show that the sand dunes in Estuary of Tumen River may be the dunes of sea facies which were changed again by weathering and fluvialaction.     

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     

Grain-size characteristics and climate variability in TMS5e sequence of Tumen section in southern Tengger Desert, northwestern China

The TMS5e sequence from the Tumen section,at the southern edge of Tengger Desert in the northwestern China,is synchronous with Marine Isotope Stage 5e(MIS5e).It consists of 16 layers of aeolian dune sands,11 layers of lacustrine loess-like facies,and 5 layers of lacustrine facies.The results of grain-size analysis shows that the palaeo-mobile dune sands,palaeo-fixed to semi-fixed dune sands and loess-like sandy loams are mainly composed of sands,ranging from 70% to 96%;their silt contents ranged from 4% to 20%,and their clay contents ranged from 1% to 5%;the climate under which the aeolian dune sands were deposited is similar to that under which modern mobile dune sands form,which is caused by the dominance of the cold,dry East Asian winter monsoon.In contrast,the lacustrine loess-like facies and lacustrine facies had a lower sand contents than those of the three aeolian dune sands,but have higher silt and clay contents,most of their sand content ranged from 30% to 60%,their silt contents ranged from 35% to 55%,and their clay contents ranged from 6% to 20%.The lacustrine loess-like facies and lacustrine facies formed under the influence of the warm,humid East Asian summer monsoon based on their similarity with modern sediments.The grain-size indicator Mz(mean grain diameter) and the SC/D value in the TMS5e sequence indicate climatic insta-bility at the southern edge of the Tengger Desert during MIS5e,with at least 14 fluctuations between a warm,humid climate and a cold,dry climate,divided into five stages:TMS5e5(139 kyr to 129.3 kyr B.P.),TMS5e4(129.3 kyr to 124 kyr B.P.),TMS5e3(124 kyr to 119.5 kyr B.P.),TMS5e2(119.5 kyr to 116.5 kyr B.P.),and TMS5e1(116.5 kyr to 113.7 kyr B.P.).These correspond roughly to MIS5e5,MIS5e4,MIS5e3,MIS5e2,and MIS5e1,respectively,in the GRIP ice core data.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

绿洲演变动态监测的遥感分析

绿洲演变是绿洲研究的核心问题。针对干旱区绿洲的特点,阐述了绿洲变化及其研究的特点和内容,在此基础上,以玛纳斯绿洲为例,分析了绿洲属性变化和空间位置变迁的遥感应用。研究表明,遥感技术进行短时间尺度内的绿洲属性变化研究,可以比较准确地掌握在特定时间内绿洲组分、结构及功能的变化情况。同时通过遥感影像反映出的水系变迁信息,结合地貌学的相关理论和绿洲的逐水竞生性,研究河道、扇缘、阶地等地貌类型与绿洲变化的关系,进而从更长时间尺度上分析绿洲空间位置变迁过程的方法。     

Coastal Erosion Along the West Coast of the Taiwan Strait and It’s Influencing Factors

Based on the field surveys and repeated cross-profile observations combined with the comparison of many years’ topog-raphic maps,this study shows the spatial variability and varying patterns of coastal erosion along the west coast of the Taiwan Strait.Regional differentiation in the Meso-Cenozoic coastal tectonics determined the irregular coastline and geological background for large-scale coastal erosion distribution.The intensity of coastal erosion on the west side of the Taiwan Strait is mild in the nort...     

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.     

Present status and cause of land desertification in the Yarlung Zangbo River basin

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Recent progress of research on Oasis in China

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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.     

近55年来澜沧江流域降水时空变化特征分析

本文利用澜沧江流域及周边共30个气象站点1960-2014年的逐月降水数据,采用气候倾向率、Mann-Kendall趋势检验、Morlet小波分析、Co-Kriging插值以及重心模型等方法,分析了澜沧江流域降水的时空变化特征。结果表明：① 分析时段内全区、北部和中部年降水量呈现增加趋势,南部年降水量出现减少趋势。春季全区、北部、中部和南部降水均呈增加趋势;夏季均呈减少趋势;秋季全区和南部降水呈现减少趋势,北部和中部呈增加趋势;冬季全区、中部和南部呈下降趋势,只有北部呈增加趋势。② 近55年来,全区包括北部、中部和南部年降水都存在近29年、近22年和5-10年左右的周期,这3个周期在分析时段内表现很稳定,具有全域性。全区、北部和南部还存在明显的13年左右的周期,中部1975年前和1995年后也存在13年左右的周期,北部1975年前存在明显的7-10年的周期,1995年后,7-10年的周期表现也比较稳定。降水量变化的第一主周期是近29年,第二主周期是近22年。③ 澜沧江流域多年平均降水量由南部向北部减少,流域南部降水最多,多年平均降水量在1200 mm以上,中部多年平均降水量处于800~1100 mm,北部多年平均降水量多小于800 mm,大部分在400~800 mm;澜沧江流域年降水重心和月降水重心都集中在中部,其中11月的降水重心迁移距离最大,向东南方向迁移了131.82 km。从季节来看,春季、夏季和秋季降水重心向东南迁移,冬季的向西北方向迁移,雨季降水重心相对比较集中,旱季降水重心相对 比较分散。     

Effect of Sand Body Enrichment Under the Restriction of a Tectonic Transfer Zone: A Case Study on the Pinghu Formation in the Kongqueting Region on the Pinghu Slope

Results of long-term explorations in the Kongqueting region, located in an East China Sea depression, suggest that the strong fault activity during the sedimentary period of the Pinghu formation significantly influenced the development of the sedimentary system. However, the aggregation and enrichment of the sand body under a tectonic background has become a problem that requires an immediate solution. Considering research outcomes of previous studies, this study used three-dimensional seismic and logging data to identify Y-or H-type and the en echelon distribution patterns of the fault plane, as well as identify the locations wherein the fault growth index value is greater than 1 in the study region, indicating the tectonic background of the fault transfer zone in the region. Second, the development type of the fault transfer zone was studied, and the sand body enrichment site was identified based on seismic inversion data and the development position of the fault transfer point. This helps clarify the evolution of sedimentary facies of the Pinghu formation combined with the sedimentary environment of the braided-river delta. Finally, after summarizing the coupling relationship between the synsedimentary fault systems and the sand body enrichment patterns, three sand-control models were determined, namely, the flexural-parallel, the en echelon collinear, and the torsional-reformed superimposed transfer zones. The findings of this study lay a foundation for the subsequent search of tectonic lithologic oil and gas reservoirs.