Saline dust storms and their ecological impacts in arid regions

In many arid and semiarid regions,saline playas represent a significant source of unconsoli-dated sediments available for aeolian transport,and severe saline dust storms occur frequently due to human disturbance.In this study,saline dust storms are reviewed systematically from the aspects of con-cept,general characteristics,conditions of occurrence,distribution and ecological impact.Our researches showed that saline dust storms are a kind of chemical dust storm originating in dry lake beds in arid and semiarid regions;large areas of unconsolidated saline playa sediments and frequent strong winds are the basic factors to saline dust storm occurrence;there are differentiation characteristics in deposition flux and chemical composition with wind-blown distance during saline dust storm diffusion;and saline dust storm diffusion to some extent increases glacier melt and results in soil salinization in arid regions.An under-standing of saline dust storms is important to guide disaster prevention and ecological rehabilitation.

Sand mining impact on Poyang Lake: a case study based on high-resolution bathymetry and sub-bottom data

Poyang Lake in the Changjiang(Yangtze)River catchment has undergone frequent spring drought since 2003,and some researchers attributed this phenomenon to sand mining and the lakebed deformation in the outlet channel linking the lake with Changjiang River main channel.However,there is still a lack of high-resolution subaqueous geomorphological evidence of how sand mining led to lakebed deformation in the outlet channel.We examined the bed morphology and sub-bottom sedimentary structure of the outlet channel,using a multibeam echo sounder and sub-bottom profi ler in Poyang Lake.We found that:(1)the subaqueous micro-topography types of the outlet channel are characterized by sand mining disturbance,natural erosional topography,and fl at bed and dunes,accounting for 44.9%,21.4%,28.6%,and 5.1%of the channel area,respectively;and(2)sand mining activity aff ects the local bed topography extensively and signifi cantly.The depth of sandpits caused by sand mining varied from 1.4 m to 12 m deeper than the surrounding bed surface,with 4.41 m of depth increase on average.Hence,the large-scale high-intensity sand mining activities and their signifi cant geomorphic eff ects demand for an improved assessment for future management and longer-term sustainability.Because of the large-scale and ongoing high-intensity sand mining activities in the Poyang Lake outlet channel,these eff ects should raise caution in the future and contribute to monitoring eff orts that are essential to implement sustainable management solutions.The present study and techniques implemented can serve as a scientifi c reference for dam construction and sand mining within the Poyang Lake basin.

Soil chronosequence and biosequence on old lake sediments of the Burdur Lake in Turkey

The Burdur Lake is located in the southwest of Turkey,and its area has decreased by 40% from 211 km^(2) in 1975 to 126 km^(2) in 2019.In this study,we investigated how the soil has changed in the lacustrine material.Three soil profiles were sampled from the former lakebed(chronosequence profiles:P1,2007;P2,1994;and P3,1975),and three soil profiles under different land use types(biosequence profiles:P4,native forest vegetation;P5,agriculture;and P6,lakebed)were sampled.The chronosequence and biosequence soil profiles represented various distances from the Burdur Lake and showed different stages of lacustrine evolution.Soil electrical conductivity(EC;18.1 to 0.4 dS m^(-1)),exchangeable Na^(+)(34.7 to 1.4 cmol kg^(-1))and K^(+)(0.61 to 0.56 cmol kg^(-1)),and water-soluble Cl^(-)(70.3 to 2.1 cmol L^(-1))and SO_(4)^(2-)(275.9 to 25.0 cmol L^(-1))decreased with increasing distance from the Burdur Lake,whereas the A horizon thickness(10 to 48 cm),structure formation(0 to 48 cm),gleization-oxidation depth(0 to 79 cm),and montmorillonite and organic matter(OM;25.9 to 46.0 g kg^(-1))contents increased in the chronosequence soil profiles.The formation of P3 in the chronosequence and P5 in the biosequence soil profiles increased due to longer exposure to pedogenic processes(time,land use,vegetation,etc.).Changes in EC,exchangeable cation(Na^(+) and K^(+))and water-soluble anion(Cl^(-) and SO_(4)^(2-))concentrations of the salt-enriched horizon,OM,gleization-oxidation depth,A horizon thickness,and structure formation of the chronosequence and biosequence soil profiles(especially the topsoil horizon)were highly related to the distance from the Burdur Lake,time,and land use.