Great Victoria Desert: Development and sand provenance

Sands of the Great Victoria Desert, south‐central Australia, can be divided into three main groups on the basis of their physical and chemical characteristics (colour, grainsize parameters, mineralogy of heavy‐mineral suites, quartz oxygen isotopic composition, zircon U–Pb ages). The groups occupy the western, central and eastern Great Victoria Desert respectively, boundaries between them corresponding approximately to changes in the underlying rocks associated with the Yilgarn Craton to Officer Basin to Arckaringa Basin. Several lines of evidence suggest derivation of the sands mainly from local bedrock with very little subsequent aeolian transport. Ultimate protosources for the sands, each in order of importance, are: western Great Victoria Desert—Yilgarn Craton, Albany‐Fraser Orogen, Musgrave Complex; central Great Victoria Desert—Musgrave Complex; eastern Great Victoria Desert—Gawler and Curnamona Blocks, Adelaide Geosyncline, Musgrave Complex. Sediment from the Adelaide Geosyncline includes in addition an ‘exotic’ component from Palaeozoic sedimentary rocks probably derived mainly from Antarctica. Sediment transport of several hundred kilometres from these protosources to the sedimentary basins was dominantly by fluvial, not aeolian, means. Post‐Tertiary aeolian transport or reworking has been minimal, serving only to shape sand eroded from underlying sedimentary rocks or residual products of local basement weathering into the current dunes.     

塔里木沙漠公路防护林滴灌水分利用效率分析

塔里木沙漠公路防护林生态工程全长436 km,是沙漠公路沿线一条重要的绿色长廊,沙漠公路防护林带以滴灌为主,灌溉水源就地开采沙漠公路沿线的地下咸水(3.26～26.65 g·L-1),建有110眼灌溉机井,设计滴头流量为3.6 L·h-1,每次灌水时间6 h。针对沙漠公路防护林滴灌的灌水效率,开展了滴灌与根灌的对比灌溉试验,试验结果表明,滴灌水量转化成有效土壤水分的利用率不到50%,滴灌存在地表土壤水分蒸发损失、灌溉水有效利用率低等问题,为沙漠公路防护林提高灌水效率、提高灌溉水的有效利用率,提供科学依据。     

塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地人工绿地风沙土的土壤酶活性研究

在极端干旱的塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地,利用咸水(矿化度4~5 g·L^-1)灌溉建立人工绿地后,受植被和各种人为措施的影响,风沙土内部性质发生了一系列的变化,土壤酶活性也发生了变化。1998年对不同种植时间、不同植被类型的样地布点采样,采样深度0~10 cm和10~50 cm。分析测定了转化酶、蛋白酶、H₂O₂酶、脲酶、中性磷酸酶、碱性磷酸酶活性,结果表明:①分析测定的6种酶活性随着植被建立时间的增长而明显增强;②相同种植时间不同植被类型的样地土壤酶活性有差异,如:相同种植时间,蔬菜地土壤酶活性要高于其他样地;③表层土壤酶活性高于下层,表明土壤酶活性随剖面深度下降而减弱;④通过相关性分析表明,土壤酶活性与有机质、氮、磷、微生物数量相关性显著;⑤通过与其他沙区土壤酶活性的比较,塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地土壤酶活性要相应低于其他沙区的流动和固定沙丘。     

Background concentrations of elements in surface soils and their changes as affected by agriculture use in the desert-oasis ecotone in the middle of Heihe River Basin,North-west China

The concentrations of twenty four chemical elements in the surface layer of natural desert soils and the cultivated farmland soils were measured at a desert-oasis ecotone in the middle of Heihe river basin, north-west China. Background values were estimated for (a) major elements (Si 335.3 g kg^− 1, Al 49.4 g kg^− 1, Fe 19.1 g kg^− 1, Ca 29.4 g kg^− 1, Mg 8.9 g kg^− 1, K 20.1 g kg^− 1, Na 17.5 g kg^− 1 and P 0.338 g kg^− 1), (b) heavy metals and non-metals (Cr 55.8 mg kg^− 1, Mn 404.8 mg kg^− 1, Ni 17.7 mg kg^− 1, Cu 5.1 mg kg^− 1, Zn 33.7 mg kg^− 1, Pb 15.5 mg kg^− 1 and As 5.2 mg kg^− 1) and (c) other trace elements (Ti 2.0 mg kg^− 1, V 55.3 mg kg^− 1, Co 5.7 mg kg^− 1, Rb 82.4 mg kg^− 1, Sr 232.9 mg kg^− 1, Y 14.7 mg kg^− 1, Zr 194.9 mg kg^− 1, Nb 7.8 mg kg^− 1 and Ba 720.6 mg kg^− 1). After natural desert soil was cultivated for agricultural use, significant changes in element concentrations occurred under tillage, irrigation and fertilisation management. Compared to natural soil, the for the levels of Si, K, Na, Sr, Zr and Ba decreased, and no changes were observed for Rb, while the values of the other 17 elements increase in agricultural soil from 1.2 to 3.5 times. However, their absolute concentrations are still low, suggesting that the arable soil in this region remains comparatively a clean soil. The increased silt, clay and organic carbon content, under long-term irrigation, enriched the fine-grained materials, and application of fertilisers and manure contributed to the accumulation of most elements in arable soil. The accumulation of elements in agricultural soil increased with increasing cultivation years and extent of soil development.     

干旱荒漠区植被覆盖变化的遥感监测分析

多期的遥感数据可以用来分析干旱荒漠区植被的空间分布格局和变化特征。本文以1989、2000和2007年3个不同时相的Landsat TM/ETM+影像为数据源,利用线性光谱混合分析和RGB彩色合成法构建一个研究框架,对古尔班通古特沙漠西缘进行植被信息的提取和变化监测分析。在混合像元分解过程中,通过多种方法选择端元,比较...     

巴丹吉林沙漠北缘拐子湖流沙下垫面近地层湍流强度和陆面过程特征

利用巴丹吉林沙漠北缘拐子湖流沙下垫面2013年7、10月和2014年1、4月的湍流通量资料,计算并分析了研究区近地层湍流强度,同时针对风速分量、温度、水汽和CO₂归一化标准差随稳定度的变化关系和总体输送系数等陆面过程特征进行分析。结果表明：（1）风速各分量的湍流强度均随风速的增加逐渐减小,风速处于2 m·s^-1以下时湍流发展最为旺盛。湍流强度主要由水平方向风速分量决定,垂直方向风速的作用较小,且近中性和不稳定层结利于湍流的发展。与其他地区相比,平坦且没有建筑物的沙漠地区,机械湍流较弱,湍流强度相应较小。（2）风速各分量的归一化标准差与稳定度（z/L）均满足1/3次方函数规律,其中垂直方向风速分量的拟合曲线方程较好。（3）动量输送系数C_d具有明显的夏季高、冬季低的变化状态且各月的日变化形态均呈夜间低、日间高的循环形态。热量输送系数C_h的不同月份日变化间并没有明显的排列次序,且日出日落前后具有明显的波动。不稳定层结时,C_d和C_h均随风速的增加逐渐减小;稳定层结时,C_d和C_h均随着风速的增加逐渐上升。     

Lateral migration,thermoluminescence chronology and colour variation of longitudinal dunes near Birdsville in the Simpson Desert,central Australia

The longitudinal dunes of the Simpson Desert, in the vicinity of Birdsville, have been reworked largely during the Holocene from dunes deposited up to 80000 years ago or earlier. The widespread asymmetry of these roughly northward-trending dunes, with steeper eastern faces and more gentle western faces, supports wind-rose data showing sand-transporting winds from the southwest obliquely intersecting the dunes. While this suggests a change in the wind pattern since the dune field was oriented, it does not indicate that the dunes are necessarily shifting leeward (eastward) as a consequence. It is hypothesized that the direction of migration is controlled by the extent to which the dunes are vegetated. Relatively well-vegetated dunes can accrete sand on their gentle stoss slopes and erode on their lee slopes causing them to shift westward and hence obliquely into the wind, a condition that probably prevails in wetter regions and during episodes of relatively humid climate. In contrast, in very dry areas or during arid phases, sand can move unimpeded up a sparsely vegetated stoss face and over the crest to form an avalanche or slip face on the lee side, thereby causing the dunes to shift eastward. Despite evidence that longitudinal dune crests can shift laterally to some extent, the dunes in the western part of the Simpson Desert have not migrated, either westward or eastward, more than 100m or so from their Pleistocene cores. Aeolian transport and partial or complete removal of iron cutans from around quartz grains results in dunes of widely varying colour yet of similar age.     

塔克拉玛干沙漠周边地区极端弱降水的时空变化特征

选用塔克拉玛干沙漠周边40个气象站1961-2009年日降水资料和4个极端弱降水指标,分析该地区极端弱降水的时空变化特征。采用M-K法和F检验对各站点降水指标的变化趋势及变化率进行检验和计算,并利用Monte Carlo模拟进行区域显著性检验。由 Copula函数得到两降水指标的联合分布,计算两降水指标的联合重现期。结果表明：（1）年最长连续无降水日数（CDD）多为80～100 d,呈显著减少趋势;出现频率最高的每年日降水量小于降水日序列25%分位数的日数（D₂₅）为0～10 d,呈显著增加趋势;每年日降水量小于降水日序列25%分位数的总降水量（P₂₅）的值集中在0～1.5 mm,2～3 mm的 P₂₅从2000年才开始出现;出现频率最高的每年日降水量小于降水日序列25%分位数的日平均降水量（I₂₅）为0.1～0.3 mm,I₂₅超过0.4 mm的情况极少出现。（2）CDD与D₂₅和P₂₅各自五年一遇值的空间分布相反。除CDD和D₂₅均大于各自五年一遇值的联合重现期较长外,其余各类型联合重现期较短。沙漠周边地区发生不同类型极端弱降水事件的概率不同。     

远离绿洲的沙漠近地面观测实验

通过比较远离经录洲沙漠区与临近绿洲沙漠区近地面的观测资料，发现临近绿洲沙漠区的逆湿现象主要是受到绿洲干扰的影响，沙漠地区地气之间能量交换主要由感热控制，潜热能量可以忽略不计，两个沙漠地区感热通量基本相当。ＨＥＩＦＥ中沙漠或戈壁观测到的能量收支过程基本上能够代表干旱地区的特征。     

Effects of an exceptional drought on daily activity patterns, reproductive behaviour, and reproductive success of reintroduced Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx)

Activity patterns, social behaviour, and reproductive success of Arabian oryx were monitored in a reintroduced population in Mahazat as-Sayd Protected Area, Saudi Arabia. During the first year of the study, precipitation was 38% lower than the long-term average, whereas rainfall in the following year resulted in precipitation that was 92.8% of the long-term average. These dramatically different rainfall conditions corresponded with distinct patterns in various environmental parameters (air and soil temperature, humidity, wind speed, solar radiation, air pressure). Daily activity patterns, the frequency of social behaviours, and foraging activity were significantly reduced during the drought period. The frequency of reproductive behaviour was significantly related to daytime, air temperature and radiation, with a pronounced reduction of reproductive activities during the drought. Monthly rates of conceptions were considerably lower during the drought. Our results substantiate the idea that extended dry periods affect the population development of Oryx, but also raise questions about habitat suitability and carrying capacity. Future management of Arabian oryx should consider extreme climatic events as factors influencing various aspects of the ecology and behaviour of this species. This aspect may become even more important in the face of climate change, including a future increase of extreme climatic events.