Response of bedload transport, submarine topography, and dune internal structures to typhoon processes off Dongfang coast in the Beibu Gulf

Bedload sediment transport was estimated by the SEDTRANS96 model based on three-day hydrodynamics data obtained off the Dongfang coast in the Beibu Gulf during Typhoon Ketsana in September 2009. Bedforms on the sea floor off the Dongfang coast and internal structures of a typical dune were interpreted to evaluate storm influences on individual dunes and the dune field. Results indicated that flow forcings and related bedload transport were both strengthened significantly due to Typhoon Ketsana. The measurements and modeling results, which mainly included three different stages, presented noticeable phasic variation. The three stages were dominated by tidal current (Period Ⅰ), tidal current combined with wind-induced waves (Period Ⅱ), and swells combined with tidal current and seaward flows (Period Ⅲ). This phasic variation could be a common trait of hydrodynamics due to typhoons moving westwardly to the south of Hainan Island and Beibu Gulf in South China Sea. Results indicated that the maximum bedload transport rate for every burst in Period Ⅲ was almost 100 times larger than that in Period I and was ten times larger than that in Period II. However, the short-term increase in bedload transport induced by storms like Ketsana did not change the long-term evolution of dune morphology. Evidence was given by the internal structures of a typical dune, which revealed renewed modification under subsequent moderate conditions after storm erosion. Instead, storms may influence at different scales and regional allocation of sand dunes in some large areas because changes of the sea floor in large scales can hardly be recovered. More surveys during and after storm passage are also needed to document the level of positive contribution to forward migration.     

塔克拉玛干沙漠沙垄区公路防护带内风场特征研究

塔克拉玛干沙漠公路是世界上穿越流沙区最长的公路,公路两侧防沙治沙工程体系是公路正常运行的关键因素。以塔克拉玛干沙漠沙垄区的公路防护林带为研究对象,结合野外地形测量、防护工程调查以及风沙数据观测,分析沙垄不同地貌部位防护林带内气流特征,揭示防护林带内风场变化规律,探讨不同地貌部位防护林带的防护效果。主要结论是:①垂直于公路的防护林带断面风场存在3个区(防护林带前部风速迅速降低区、防护林带中部风速低值区、防护林带工程后部风速恢复区),气流穿过公路路面时风速呈增大趋势,利于公路防护;②现有防护林带具有较好的防护效果,相对于防护林带上风向流沙区的风速,防护林带中部风速降低幅度在80%以上,多数断面在林带前缘10H后（H为植株平均高度）风速降低至最小;③沙垄不同地貌部位的工程防护效益存在显著差异,迎风坡底部防护效果最好,迎风坡中部防护最差。其研究结果可为塔克拉玛干沙漠公路防沙治沙工程体系优化提供科学依据。     

土壤水分对流动沙丘迎风坡与丘间低地过渡带植被入侵的制约

在半干旱沙区植物天然更新过程中,种子萌发、幼苗出土是植物种群维持和实现更新的关键阶段。通常认为,在这一阶段,土壤水分和土壤种子库是主要制约因素。分别对流动沙丘迎风坡与丘间低地过渡带的出土幼苗密度与土壤种子库密度和土壤水分进行二元相关分析。结果表明,生长季的出土幼苗密度与土壤种子库密度的相关性未达到显著水平（P>0.05）;出土幼苗密度与土壤水分呈显著正相关（P<0.05）,而且,幼苗密度随土壤水分呈对数增加。这说明,在植被入侵流动沙丘迎风坡与丘间低地过渡带裸沙的过程中,土壤水分是主要的制约因素,而土壤种子库的制约作用则没有表现出来,植被自然恢复更多地依赖于从沙丘附近植物群落传播来的种子。     

新疆喀拉库姆沙漠新月形沙丘不同部位粒度特征

对新疆叶尔羌河流域绿洲边缘喀拉库姆沙漠高度在3～12 m的新月形沙丘进行了粒度分析。结果表明:表层和下层沉积物均以细砂和极细砂为主,二者含量达82%以上。表层沉积物较下层稍粗,平均粒径分别为2.09 Φ和2.16 Φ。下层沉积物较表层分选性好,σ均值分别为0.48和0.62。表层和下层沉积物偏度均为正偏,SK均值分别为0.21和0.24。峰态均为尖窄,Kg均值分别为1.18和1.11。表层和下层沉积物平均粒径均表现为丘顶最粗,背风坡坡脚最细,由两侧坡脚至丘顶平均粒径变粗,平均粒径与其他粒度特征参数之间均存在良好的相关性。分析表明,喀拉库姆沙漠沙丘沉积物粒度特征除受物源这一背景制约外,还与区域构造、沙漠地貌、植被、气候和较为复杂的风沙动力学过程等众多因素有关。     

基于MATLAB平台的遥感影像沙丘脊线提取与地貌格局表征参数计算

随着现代科学技术的发展,遥感影像为区域风沙地貌形态的研究提供了可靠的资料。近年来,有地貌学者提出了沙丘地貌格局分析法,通过在遥感影像上绘制沙丘脊线,量测和计算得到沙丘地貌格局表征参数,分析沙丘概率分布和空间变化规律、影响因素及形成时间。本文选取腾格里沙漠典型横向沙丘区域为研究对象,发展基于MATLAB平台的遥感影像沙丘脊线提取方法,利用沙丘迎风坡与落沙坡在遥感影像中成像的灰度差异, 对沙丘的沙脊线进行提取, 继而获得沙丘脊线长度、沙丘间距、走向、缺陷密度等沙丘地貌格局表征参数。结果表明,该方法快捷、可靠,为沙丘脊线的绘制提供了一种新方法。     

Cold events of Holocene indicated by primary elements distribution of the high-resolution sand dunes in the Salawusu River Valley

The components of the primary elements in the dune sands for the MGS1 subsec-tion of the Milanggouwan section in the Salawusu River valley, compared with those of mod-ern dune sands, show that they were caused by East Asian winter monsoon in the Mu Us desert during Holocene. The examined ages for the 11 layers of dune sands, based on the average sedimentary rate, are: 0 to 960, 1350–2240, 2470 to 3530, 4000 to 4180, 4290 to 4350, 4380 to 4760, 5040 to 5920, 6570 to 8270, 9020 to 9700, 9880 to 10160 and 10580 to 11080 a BP, respectively. The climatic events indicated by these dune sands are consistent with those records in the Huguangyan volcanic lake, Zoige peat bog, Hulu cave and Dunde ice core, particularly with the climatic fluctuations of the North Atlantic since 11 000 a BP. Among them, patterns from B0 to B8 correspond to the peak values of 0MD, 2D, 4D, 6D+8D+10D, 12D, 14D, 16D, 18D and 20D respectively. It might be caused by the North Atlantic ice age induced by the heat circulation, which strengthened the polar high pressure and Siberian-Mongolian high pressure and further led to the dominance of the winter mon-soon over China’s desert area.     

Sedimentary characteristics of paleo-aeolian dune sands of Salawusu Formation in the Salawusu River Valley

The Salawusu Formation of Milanggouwan section in Salawusu River Valley in-cludes 7 layers of paleo-mobile dune sands, and 4 layers of paleo-fixed and semi-fixed dune sands. Their structures have been observed and their grain size, surface textural features and several main chemical elements have been analyzed. The results showed that: 1) Some of the aeolian structural characteristics of these dune sands are similar to that of the recent dune sands. 2) They are also similar to the recent dune sands in grain size components, and parameters of Mz, σ, Sk and Kg, as well as in several main chemical components. 3) The scattergrams of Mz-σ and SiO2–Al2O3+TOFE and the probability curves of grain size showed that these paleo-dune sands are different from paleosols and fluvio-lacustrine facies, but are consistency with recent dune sands. 4) Quartz sands have well roundness and surface textural features such as dish-shaped pits, crescent-shaped pits, pockmarked pits, upturned cleavage plates, siliceous precipitates and siliceous crevasses, indicating that they had been carried for a long time by the wind. As the 11 layers of paleo-dune sands possess the aeolian characteristics in structure, grain size, surface textural features and chemical elements, the origin of their formation should be attributed to eolation.     

Topographic changes of a supply‐limited inland parabolic sand dune during the incipient phase of stabilization

Topographic surveys on an inland parabolic sand dune over a six‐year period provide insight into the effects of diminishing local sand supply on dune stabilization. During the interval (2003–2009) sparse vegetation cover (Psoralea lanceolata) increased despite drier than normal moisture conditions and steady wind power during the growing season. Whereas these climatic conditions are typically ascribed to sustaining or increasing dune activity, here they coincide with stabilization. Through the use of geographic information system (GIS) analysis of volumetric changes it is shown that the increase of P. lanceolata can be attributed to the reduction of local sand supply from two blowouts along the arms of the parabolic dune during the six‐year period. These results show that climate is not the only control on dune activity in vegetated inland dunefields. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Coastal dune rock development and Holocene climate changes in South China

Coastal dune rocks in China are eolian sands cemented by calcium carbonate under subaerial conditions, widely distributing on the tropical and subtropical coasts of South China. Particular temperature and precipitation as well as local wave and landform conditions are required for the formation of the dune rocks. A correspondence was found between Holocene environmental changes and coastal dune rock development by comparing the features of the sea-level and climate changes in the Holocene period with the ages, scales, and cementation of the dune rocks on the South China coasts. The findings provide well grounded explanation for some problems unresolved in the past researches on the coastal dune rock in South China: (1) There were no dune rocks with ages older than 6000 years in South China because the dune rocks formed before 6000 a BP were covered by the sea water that rose in the later period; (2) the dune rocks with ages of around 3000 a BP were widely found in South China today because the coastal dunes were cumulated on a large scale at that time as a result of temperature falling after the end of Megathermal; (3) Medieval Warm Period was the main period for the eolian dunes to be cemented into the coastal dune rocks in South China; (4) lack of dune rocks of younger than 1000 a BP was accounted for by that the climate conditions in recent one thousand years were not suitable for the cementation.     

库布齐沙漠南缘沙丘固定与活化过程中的形态演变

以1998-2014年5期库布齐沙漠南缘的遥感影像为主要数据源,结合野外调查分析了沙丘固定与活化过程中的形态演变,探讨了区域风况和降水等气象要素对沙丘固定与活化及形态演变的影响。结果表明：研究区沙丘随降水量的年际波动经历了固定-活化-再固定3个阶段。监测初期的片状流动沙丘演变为大型抛物线形沙丘并得以固定,固定的抛物线形沙丘以发育风蚀坑形式活化,进而形成多个抛物线形沙丘,最后这些沙丘又被植被固定,沙丘形态趋于更加复杂。但在此过程中,风的作用并不显著.研究区抛物线形沙丘既可起源于新月形沙丘或片状流沙,也可由风蚀坑发育而成,其中植被作为沙丘的重要组成部分,起着重要作用。同时发现在抛物线形沙丘移动过程中,当背风坡发育滑落面时,沙丘的移动最快。