Shrub species are considered the dominant plants in arid desert ecosystems, unlike in semiarid steppe zones or in grassland ecosystems. On the Alxa Plateau, northern China, sparse vegetation with cover ranging from 15...Shrub species are considered the dominant plants in arid desert ecosystems, unlike in semiarid steppe zones or in grassland ecosystems. On the Alxa Plateau, northern China, sparse vegetation with cover ranging from 15% to 30% is characterized mainly by mu展开更多
Field investigations including lake shoreline measurement and 14 C chronology have been carried out on the Alxa Plateau to better understand the formation and evolution of the high lake levels in northwest China durin...Field investigations including lake shoreline measurement and 14 C chronology have been carried out on the Alxa Plateau to better understand the formation and evolution of the high lake levels in northwest China during the late Pleistocene.Comprehensive field investigations show that there are at least ten shorelines at different elevations at Juyan Lake,at least four on the northwest side of the Jilantai Salt Lake,and nine shorelines and one terrace on the northeast margin of Zhuye Lake.Stratigraphic correlations and chronological evidence indicate that the paleo-lakes have the highest lake levels in Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3.Though the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) results which have been reported by some scholars do not support this view,the fact that the paleo-lakes have the highest lake levels in MIS 3 can not be denied.Differences between OSL and 14 C results from this work might indicate that high lake levels existed on the Alxa Plateau during two different periods.It also suggests that the high lake levels may exist in both MIS 5 and early MIS 3.This paper also provides the basic hydrological information for further water resources research in this arid region.展开更多
For geological and environmental research in an arid area, a unique advantage of radar remote sensing is that radar wave can penetrate a certain layer of dry sand (a few centimeters to meters thick) to reach the burie...For geological and environmental research in an arid area, a unique advantage of radar remote sensing is that radar wave can penetrate a certain layer of dry sand (a few centimeters to meters thick) to reach the buried bedrock. The penetration capability is able to reveal the subsur-face geological structure and old drainage paths. Based on the analysis of SIR-A, SIR-B, SIR-C, Radarsat ScanSAR, Landsat MSS and Landsat TM images acquired on different dates and the investigations made in several field trips in Alxa Plateau of Inner Mongolia, a number of old river valley and lake basins buried by wind-blown sand were recognized. Two parallel old drainage systems in the north and middle of the study area are delineated. The study suggests that the moving sand belts mainly follow the old drainage courses. This study also establishes a preliminary drain-age evolution model for an area of about 300 000 km2 since the Tertiary, and finds that the Alxa Plateau was once an area with many rivers and lakes with a warm and humid climate. The relief reversion caused by neotectonic movement since “Qinghai-Tibet movement” is also analyzed.展开更多
基金Supported by National Key Technology R & D Program (Grant Nos. 2007BAD46B03, 2006BAD26B0201)National Natural Science Foundation of China (Gant No. 40825001)
文摘Shrub species are considered the dominant plants in arid desert ecosystems, unlike in semiarid steppe zones or in grassland ecosystems. On the Alxa Plateau, northern China, sparse vegetation with cover ranging from 15% to 30% is characterized mainly by mu
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (50879033,41001116 and 40901021)the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (SRFD,20090211110025 and 200807301031)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (lzujbky-2010-221)
文摘Field investigations including lake shoreline measurement and 14 C chronology have been carried out on the Alxa Plateau to better understand the formation and evolution of the high lake levels in northwest China during the late Pleistocene.Comprehensive field investigations show that there are at least ten shorelines at different elevations at Juyan Lake,at least four on the northwest side of the Jilantai Salt Lake,and nine shorelines and one terrace on the northeast margin of Zhuye Lake.Stratigraphic correlations and chronological evidence indicate that the paleo-lakes have the highest lake levels in Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3.Though the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) results which have been reported by some scholars do not support this view,the fact that the paleo-lakes have the highest lake levels in MIS 3 can not be denied.Differences between OSL and 14 C results from this work might indicate that high lake levels existed on the Alxa Plateau during two different periods.It also suggests that the high lake levels may exist in both MIS 5 and early MIS 3.This paper also provides the basic hydrological information for further water resources research in this arid region.
文摘For geological and environmental research in an arid area, a unique advantage of radar remote sensing is that radar wave can penetrate a certain layer of dry sand (a few centimeters to meters thick) to reach the buried bedrock. The penetration capability is able to reveal the subsur-face geological structure and old drainage paths. Based on the analysis of SIR-A, SIR-B, SIR-C, Radarsat ScanSAR, Landsat MSS and Landsat TM images acquired on different dates and the investigations made in several field trips in Alxa Plateau of Inner Mongolia, a number of old river valley and lake basins buried by wind-blown sand were recognized. Two parallel old drainage systems in the north and middle of the study area are delineated. The study suggests that the moving sand belts mainly follow the old drainage courses. This study also establishes a preliminary drain-age evolution model for an area of about 300 000 km2 since the Tertiary, and finds that the Alxa Plateau was once an area with many rivers and lakes with a warm and humid climate. The relief reversion caused by neotectonic movement since “Qinghai-Tibet movement” is also analyzed.
