The western coast of Hainan Island exhibits a savanna landscape. Many types of sand dunes, including transverse dune ridges, longitudinal dune ridges, elliptical dunes, coppice dunes, and climbing dunes, are widely di...The western coast of Hainan Island exhibits a savanna landscape. Many types of sand dunes, including transverse dune ridges, longitudinal dune ridges, elliptical dunes, coppice dunes, and climbing dunes, are widely distributed in the coastal zone. In winter, high-frequency and high-energy NE winds （dominant winds） are prevalent, with a resultant drift direction （RDD） of S35.6°W. In spring, low-frequency and low-energy SW secondary winds prevail, with a RDD of N25.1°E. Wind tunnel simulations revealed that the airflow over the dune surface is the main factor controlling the erosion and deposition patterns of dune surfaces and the morphological development of dunes. In the region＇s bidirectional wind environment, with two seasonally distinct energy levels, the airflow over the surface of elliptical dunes, barchan dunes, and transverse dune ridges will exhibit a transverse pattern, whereas the airflow over longitudinal dunes ridges exhibits a lateral pattern and that over climbing dunes exhibits a climbing-circumfluent pattern. These patterns represent different dynamic processes. The coastal dunes on the western coast of Hainan Island are influenced by factors such as onshore winds, sand sources, coastal slopes, rivers, and forest shelter belts. The source of the sand that supplements these dunes particularly influences the development pattern： when there is more sand, the pattern shows positive equilibrium deposition between dune ridges and dunes; otherwise, it shows negative equilibrium deposition. The presence or absence of forest shelter belts also influences deposition and dune development patterns and transformation of dune forms. Coastal dunes and inland desert dunes experience similar dynamic processes, but the former have more diversified shapes and more complex formation mechanisms.展开更多
This paper studies the evolution of crescent-shaped dune under the influence of injected flux. A scaling law and a wind tunnel experiment are carried out for comparison. The experiment incorporates a novel image proce...This paper studies the evolution of crescent-shaped dune under the influence of injected flux. A scaling law and a wind tunnel experiment are carried out for comparison. The experiment incorporates a novel image processing algorithm to recover the evolutionary process. The theoretical and experimental results agree well in the middle stage of dune evolution, but deviate from each other in the initial and final stages, suggesting that the crescent-shaped dune evolution is intrinsically scale-variant and that the crescent shape breaks down under unsaturated condition.展开更多
Aeolian processes have been studied extensively at low elevations,but have been relatively little studied at high elevations.Aeolian sediments are widely distributed in the Yarlung Zangbo River basin,southern Tibetan ...Aeolian processes have been studied extensively at low elevations,but have been relatively little studied at high elevations.Aeolian sediments are widely distributed in the Yarlung Zangbo River basin,southern Tibetan Plateau,which is characterized by low pressure and low temperature.Here,we comprehensively analyzed the wind regime using data since 1980 from 11 meteorological stations in the study area,and examined the interaction between the near-surface wind and aeolian environment.The wind environment exhibited significant spatial and temporal variation,and mean wind speed has generally decreased on both annual and seasonal bases since 1980,at an average of 0.181 m/(s•10a).This decrease resulted from the reduced contribution of maximum wind speed,and depended strongly on variations of the frequency of sand-driving winds.The drift potential and related parameters also showed obvious spatial and temporal variation,with similar driving forces for the wind environment.The strength of the wind regime affected the formation and development of the aeolian geomorphological pattern,but with variation caused by local topography and sediment sources.The drift potential and resultant drift direction were two key parameters,as they quantify the dynamic conditions and depositional orientation of the aeolian sediments.Wind affected the spatial variation in sediment grain size,but the source material and complex topographic effects on the near-surface wind were the underlying causes for the grain size distribution of aeolian sands.These results will support efforts to control aeolian desertification in the basin and improve our understanding of aeolian processes in high-elevation environments.展开更多
The formation and development of dunes depend on wind-blown sand movement which is affected by the characteristics of sand material, topography, wind regimes and other factors. In this paper, we investigated two sand ...The formation and development of dunes depend on wind-blown sand movement which is affected by the characteristics of sand material, topography, wind regimes and other factors. In this paper, we investigated two sand shadow dune groups in Shigatse and Za＇gya Zangbo of Tibet and an individual dune in Da Qaidam of Qinghai, and analyzed their topographies and morphologies, and the physical characteristics of the sand, wind regime and sand transport. Formed under harsh conditions behind hills, these mature sand shadow dunes are hundreds of meters long, have significant ridges and crescent dunes downwind, and have a hill pass on one or both sides. Wind tunnel experiments revealed that the hill gap and wind velocity are important factors in the formation of these dunes Sand shadow dunes formed only when the gap spacing is two-thirds of the hill height. When wind velocities are 20 m/s, the sand body is divided into two parts. The hill pass allows the transport of sand by wind, creating a ＂nar- row-pipe effect＂, which causes the transported material to gradually accumulate in the center of the shadow zone. We observed that the following are needed for sand shadow dunes to form： （1） strong winds, sufficient sand, suitable obstacles and a dry climate; （2） one or both sides of the obstacle forming the shadow zone must have a hill pass; and （3） the windward side of the obstacle must have a wide, flat area, providing adequate spacing for wind flow and transport of material and the leeward side must have a sufficiently broad, flat area to allow the release of the transported material. Research results on these newly discovered dunes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau could contribute to the understanding of dune geomorphology.展开更多
The migration of a downsized crescent-shaped dune was investigated in a wind tunnel experiment.Quantified upwind influx and vertical oscillation of the sand bed were introduced to modulate the saturation level of the ...The migration of a downsized crescent-shaped dune was investigated in a wind tunnel experiment.Quantified upwind influx and vertical oscillation of the sand bed were introduced to modulate the saturation level of the sand flux above the dune surface to affect dune evolution.The evolution was recorded by top-view photography and then abstracted as the evolution of self-defined characteristic quantities using a digital image processing algorithm.The results showed that,in contrast to the case for spanwise quantities,the evolution of streamwise quantities corresponds to a linear increase in the modulation magnitude more positively and in a monotonic and convergent manner.In contrast with quantities on the windward face,the changes in quantities with respect to the horns were nonmonotonic with time and almost uncorrelated with the variation in modulation strength,which reveals the distinctiveness of leeside evolution.展开更多
The pyramid dune was named after its morphology similar to pyramids on the banks of the Nile River. They are also called star dunes as their plane figures are similar to multi-angular stars. In recent decades there st...The pyramid dune was named after its morphology similar to pyramids on the banks of the Nile River. They are also called star dunes as their plane figures are similar to multi-angular stars. In recent decades there still remained considerable arguments on the formation mechanism of the pyramid dunes although scientists have conducted a lot of work in the field of eolian sand geomorphology.展开更多
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.40671186 No.40271012
文摘The western coast of Hainan Island exhibits a savanna landscape. Many types of sand dunes, including transverse dune ridges, longitudinal dune ridges, elliptical dunes, coppice dunes, and climbing dunes, are widely distributed in the coastal zone. In winter, high-frequency and high-energy NE winds （dominant winds） are prevalent, with a resultant drift direction （RDD） of S35.6°W. In spring, low-frequency and low-energy SW secondary winds prevail, with a RDD of N25.1°E. Wind tunnel simulations revealed that the airflow over the dune surface is the main factor controlling the erosion and deposition patterns of dune surfaces and the morphological development of dunes. In the region＇s bidirectional wind environment, with two seasonally distinct energy levels, the airflow over the surface of elliptical dunes, barchan dunes, and transverse dune ridges will exhibit a transverse pattern, whereas the airflow over longitudinal dunes ridges exhibits a lateral pattern and that over climbing dunes exhibits a climbing-circumfluent pattern. These patterns represent different dynamic processes. The coastal dunes on the western coast of Hainan Island are influenced by factors such as onshore winds, sand sources, coastal slopes, rivers, and forest shelter belts. The source of the sand that supplements these dunes particularly influences the development pattern： when there is more sand, the pattern shows positive equilibrium deposition between dune ridges and dunes; otherwise, it shows negative equilibrium deposition. The presence or absence of forest shelter belts also influences deposition and dune development patterns and transformation of dune forms. Coastal dunes and inland desert dunes experience similar dynamic processes, but the former have more diversified shapes and more complex formation mechanisms.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(11402190)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2014M552443)the Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province(2013JQ2001)
文摘This paper studies the evolution of crescent-shaped dune under the influence of injected flux. A scaling law and a wind tunnel experiment are carried out for comparison. The experiment incorporates a novel image processing algorithm to recover the evolutionary process. The theoretical and experimental results agree well in the middle stage of dune evolution, but deviate from each other in the initial and final stages, suggesting that the crescent-shaped dune evolution is intrinsically scale-variant and that the crescent shape breaks down under unsaturated condition.
基金the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(STEP)(2019QZKK0602)the Open Foundation of MOE Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental System,Lanzhou University and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(lzujbky-2020-kb01)。
文摘Aeolian processes have been studied extensively at low elevations,but have been relatively little studied at high elevations.Aeolian sediments are widely distributed in the Yarlung Zangbo River basin,southern Tibetan Plateau,which is characterized by low pressure and low temperature.Here,we comprehensively analyzed the wind regime using data since 1980 from 11 meteorological stations in the study area,and examined the interaction between the near-surface wind and aeolian environment.The wind environment exhibited significant spatial and temporal variation,and mean wind speed has generally decreased on both annual and seasonal bases since 1980,at an average of 0.181 m/(s•10a).This decrease resulted from the reduced contribution of maximum wind speed,and depended strongly on variations of the frequency of sand-driving winds.The drift potential and related parameters also showed obvious spatial and temporal variation,with similar driving forces for the wind environment.The strength of the wind regime affected the formation and development of the aeolian geomorphological pattern,but with variation caused by local topography and sediment sources.The drift potential and resultant drift direction were two key parameters,as they quantify the dynamic conditions and depositional orientation of the aeolian sediments.Wind affected the spatial variation in sediment grain size,but the source material and complex topographic effects on the near-surface wind were the underlying causes for the grain size distribution of aeolian sands.These results will support efforts to control aeolian desertification in the basin and improve our understanding of aeolian processes in high-elevation environments.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (40930741)National Basic Research Program of China (2012CB026105)
文摘The formation and development of dunes depend on wind-blown sand movement which is affected by the characteristics of sand material, topography, wind regimes and other factors. In this paper, we investigated two sand shadow dune groups in Shigatse and Za＇gya Zangbo of Tibet and an individual dune in Da Qaidam of Qinghai, and analyzed their topographies and morphologies, and the physical characteristics of the sand, wind regime and sand transport. Formed under harsh conditions behind hills, these mature sand shadow dunes are hundreds of meters long, have significant ridges and crescent dunes downwind, and have a hill pass on one or both sides. Wind tunnel experiments revealed that the hill gap and wind velocity are important factors in the formation of these dunes Sand shadow dunes formed only when the gap spacing is two-thirds of the hill height. When wind velocities are 20 m/s, the sand body is divided into two parts. The hill pass allows the transport of sand by wind, creating a ＂nar- row-pipe effect＂, which causes the transported material to gradually accumulate in the center of the shadow zone. We observed that the following are needed for sand shadow dunes to form： （1） strong winds, sufficient sand, suitable obstacles and a dry climate; （2） one or both sides of the obstacle forming the shadow zone must have a hill pass; and （3） the windward side of the obstacle must have a wide, flat area, providing adequate spacing for wind flow and transport of material and the leeward side must have a sufficiently broad, flat area to allow the release of the transported material. Research results on these newly discovered dunes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau could contribute to the understanding of dune geomorphology.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.11272252 and 11102153)
文摘The migration of a downsized crescent-shaped dune was investigated in a wind tunnel experiment.Quantified upwind influx and vertical oscillation of the sand bed were introduced to modulate the saturation level of the sand flux above the dune surface to affect dune evolution.The evolution was recorded by top-view photography and then abstracted as the evolution of self-defined characteristic quantities using a digital image processing algorithm.The results showed that,in contrast to the case for spanwise quantities,the evolution of streamwise quantities corresponds to a linear increase in the modulation magnitude more positively and in a monotonic and convergent manner.In contrast with quantities on the windward face,the changes in quantities with respect to the horns were nonmonotonic with time and almost uncorrelated with the variation in modulation strength,which reveals the distinctiveness of leeside evolution.
文摘The pyramid dune was named after its morphology similar to pyramids on the banks of the Nile River. They are also called star dunes as their plane figures are similar to multi-angular stars. In recent decades there still remained considerable arguments on the formation mechanism of the pyramid dunes although scientists have conducted a lot of work in the field of eolian sand geomorphology.
