Impact factors of soil wind erosion in the center of Taklimakan Desert

The development and progress of soil wind erosion are influenced by the factors of climate, terrain, soil and vegetation, etc. This paper, taking Tazhong region, a town in the centre of the Taklimakan Desert, as an example and using comparative and quantitative methods, discussed the effects of climate, surface roughness （including vegetation cover） and surface soil properties on soil wind erosion. The results showed that the climate factor index C of annual wind erosion is 28.3, while the maximum of C is 13.9 in summer and it is only 0.7 in winter. The value of C has a very good exponential relationship with the wind speed. In Tazhong region, the surface roughness height is relatively small with a mean of 6.32 x 10 Sm, which is in favor of soil wind erosion. The wind erosion is further enhanced by its sandy soil types, soil particle size, lacking of vegetation and low soil moisture content. The present situation of soil wind erosion is the result of concurrent effects of climate, vegetation and surface soil properties.

Application of a new wind driving force model in soil wind erosion area of northern China

The shear stress generated by the wind on the land surface is the driving force that results in the wind erosion of the soil.It is an independent factor influencing soil wind erosion.The factors related to wind erosivity,known as submodels,mainly include the weather factor(WF)in revised wind erosion equation(RWEQ),the erosion submodel(ES)in wind erosion prediction system(WEPS),as well as the drift potential(DP)in wind energy environmental assessment.However,the essential factors of WF and ES contain wind,soil characteristics and surface coverings,which therefore results in the interdependence between WF or ES and other factors(e.g.,soil erodible factor)in soil erosion models.Considering that DP is a relative indicator of the wind energy environment and does not have the value of expressing wind to induce shear stress on the surface.Therefore,a new factor is needed to express accurately wind erosivity.Based on the theoretical basis that the soil loss by wind erosion(Q)is proportional to the shear stress of the wind on the soil surface,a new model of wind driving force(WDF)was established,which expresses the potential capacity of wind to drive soil mass in per unit area and a period of time.Through the calculations in the typical area,the WDF,WF and DP are compared and analyzed from the theoretical basis,construction goal,problem-solving ability and typical area application;the spatial distribution of soil wind erosion intensity was concurrently compared with the spatial distributions of the WDF,WF and DP values in the typical area.The results indicate that the WDF is better to reflect the potential capacity of wind erosivity than WF and DP,and that the WDF model is a good model with universal applicability and can be logically incorporated into the soil wind erosion models.

Vertical distribution of soil moisture and surface sandy soil wind erosion for different types of sand dune on the southeastern margin of the Mu Us Sandy Land,China

Soil moisture is a critical state affecting a variety of land surface and subsurface processes. We report investigation results of the factors controlling vertical variation of soil moisture and sand transport rate of three types of dunes on the south- eastern margin of the Mu Us Sandy Land. Samples were taken from holes drilled to a depth of 4 m at different topographic sites on the dunes, and were analyzed for soil moisture, grain-size distribution and surface sediment discharge. The results show that： （1） The average soil moisture varies in different types of dunes, with the following sequences ordered from highest to lowest： in the shrubs-covered dunes and the trees-covered dunes the sequence is from inter-dunes lowland to windward slope to leeward slope. The average moisture in the bare-migratory sand dunes is sequenced from inter-dunes lowland to leeward slope to windward slope. （2） Vegetation form and surface coverage affect the range of soil moisture of different types of dunes in the same topographic position. The coefficient of variation of soil moisture for shrubs-covered dunes is higher than that of other types of dune. （3） The effect of shrubs on dune soil moisture is explained in terms of the greater ability of shrubs to trap fine-grained atmospheric dust and hold moisture. （4） The estimated sand transport rates over sand dunes with sparse shrubs are less than those over bare-migratory dunes or sand dunes with sparse trees, indicating that shrubs are more effective in inhibiting wind erosion in the sandy land area.

An estimation method of soil wind erosion in Inner Mongolia of China based on geographic information system and remote sensing

Studies of wind erosion based on Geographic Information System（GIS） and Remote Sensing（RS） have not attracted sufficient attention because they are limited by natural and scientific factors.Few studies have been conducted to estimate the intensity of large-scale wind erosion in Inner Mongolia,China.In the present study,a new model based on five factors including the number of snow cover days,soil erodibility,aridity,vegetation index and wind field intensity was developed to quantitatively estimate the amount of wind erosion.The results showed that wind erosion widely existed in Inner Mongolia.It covers an area of approximately 90×104 km2,accounting for 80% of the study region.During 1985–2011,wind erosion has aggravated over the entire region of Inner Mongolia,which was indicated by enlarged zones of erosion at severe,intensive and mild levels.In Inner Mongolia,a distinct spatial differentiation of wind erosion intensity was noted.The distribution of change intensity exhibited a downward trend that decreased from severe increase in the southwest to mild decrease in the northeast of the region.Zones occupied by barren land or sparse vegetation showed the most severe erosion,followed by land occupied by open shrubbery.Grasslands would have the most dramatic potential for changes in the future because these areas showed the largest fluctuation range of change intensity.In addition,a significantly negative relation was noted between change intensity and land slope.The relation between soil type and change intensity differed with the content of Ca CO3 and the surface composition of sandy,loamy and clayey soils with particle sizes of 0–1 cm.The results have certain significance for understanding the mechanism and change process of wind erosion that has occurred during the study period.Therefore,the present study can provide a scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of wind erosion in Inner Mongolia.

Spatial distribution of wind erosion and its driving factors in China

Based on remote sensing and geographic information system, the spatial distribution of nation-wide wind erosion is studied, and the 1∶100 000 national map of soil erosion by wind in China is made. Wind speed, soil dryness,NDVI, soil texture and the slope of land surface are the key factors to wind erosion. The relations between wind erosion and each factor are discussed. The method of principal component is used to pick up the information included in the five factors, and the wind erosion dynamic index (WEDI) is established. Its comparison with theRS/GIS derived data shows thatWEDI can reflect the potential capacity of soil erosion by wind. The dynamic process of the wind erosion is studied to reveal the distribution of the most intense wind erosion regions and the dominant factors in these regions. All these studies may greatly help the mitigation of wind erosion of soil.

An experimental study on the influences of wind erosion on water erosion

In semi-arid regions, complex erosion resulted from a combination of wind and water actions has led to a massive soil loss and a comprehensive understanding of its mechanism is the first step toward prevention of the erosion. However, the mutual influences between wind erosion and water erosion have not been fully understood. This research used a wind tunnel and two rainfall simulators and simulated two rounds of alternations between wind erosion and water erosion（i.e., 1^（st） wind erosion–1^（st） water erosion and 2^（nd） wind erosion–2^（nd） water erosion） on three slopes（5°, 10°, and 15°） with six wind speeds（0, 9, 11, 13, 15, and 20 m/s） and five rainfall intensities（0, 30, 45, 60, and 75 mm/h）. The objective was to analyze the influences of wind erosion on succeeding water erosion. Results showed that the effects of wind erosion on water erosion were not the same in the two rounds of tests. In the 1^（st） round of tests, wind erosion first restrained and then intensified water erosion mostly because the blocking effect of wind-sculpted micro-topography on surface flow was weakened with the increase in slope. In the 2^（nd） round of tests, wind erosion intensified water erosion on beds with no rills at gentle slopes and low rainfall intensities or with large-size rills at steep slopes and high rainfall intensities. Wind erosion restrained water erosion on beds with small rills at moderate slopes and moderate rainfall intensities. The effects were mainly related to the fine grain layer, rills and slope of the original bed in the 2^（nd） round of tests. The findings can deepen our understanding of complex erosion resulted from a combination of wind and water actions and provide scientific references to regional soil and water conservation.

An over review of desertification in Xinjiang,Northwest China

Desertification research in arid and semi-arid regions has always been actively pursued.In China,the problem of desertification in Xinjiang has also received extensive attention.Due to its unique geography,many scholars have conducted corresponding research on the desertification status of Xinjiang.In this paper,we comprehensively reviewed desertification in Xinjiang,and compared the underlying mechanisms of desertification and the status of desertification conditions after the implementation of ecological control projects.On a larger scale,desertification in Xinjiang can be divided into soil salinization inside oases and sandy desertification on the edges of oases.Human activities are considered the main cause of desertification,but natural factors also contribute to varying degrees.Research on the mechanisms of desertification has effectively curbed the development of desertification,but unreasonable use of land resources accelerates the risk of desertification.For desertification control,there are several key points.First,desertification monitoring and the early warning of desertification expansion should be strengthened.Second,monitoring and reversing soil salinization also play an important role in the interruption of desertification process.It is very effective to control soil salinization through biological and chemical methods.Third,the management of water resources is also essential,because unreasonable utilization of water resources is one of the main reasons for the expansion of desertification in Xinjiang.Due to the unreasonable utilization of water resources,the lower reaches of the Tarim River are cut off,which leads to a series of vicious cycles,such as the deterioration of ecological environment on both sides of the river and the worsening of desertification.However,in recent years,various desertification control projects implemented in Xinjiang according to the conditions of different regions have achieved remarkable results.For future studies,research on the stability of desert-oasis transition zone is also significantly essential,because such investigations can help to assess the risk of degradation and control desertification on a relatively large scale.

基于WEQ方法的蒙古土壤风蚀空间评价（英文）

Wind erosion is a major contributor to land degradation and desertification. Ac- cording to the Global Assessment of Human Induced Soil Degradation, the dryland territories of Mongolia are significantly affected by wind erosion. We used the wind erosion equation model in an ArcGIS environment to evaluate wind erosion across Mongolia. The individual factors of the wind erosion equation were parameterized using the following datasets： （a） monthly climatic data from 45 meteorological stations; （b） 16-day composites of MODIS Normalized Difference Vegetation Index data; （c） a SRTM DEM with a 90 m spatial resolution; and （d） the soil map of Mongolia. The results revealed the significant influence of aridity on wind erosion. The desert and semi-desert ecosystems were more vulnerable to wind erosion, hence more affected. The map of wind erosion revealed three major wind erosion regions where the maximum soil loss of 15-27 t/（hm2.a） was observed. In general, the wind erosion potentials for the entire country of Mongolia are 15-27 t/（hm2.a） in the deserts and semi-deserts, 10-15 t/（hm2.a） in the dry steppes and 5-10 t/（hm2.a） in the steppe regions.