Utilizing sediment grain size characteristics to assess the effectiveness of clay–sand barriers in reducing aeolian erosion in Minqin desert area,China

The clay–sand barriers in Minqin desert area,China,represent a pioneering windbreak and sand fixation project with a venerable history of 60 a.However,studies on evaluating the long-term effectiveness of clay–sand barriers against aeolian erosion,particularly from the perspective of surface sediment grain size,are limited and thus insufficient to ascertain the protective impact of these barriers on regional aeolian activities.This study focused on the surface sediments(topsoil of 0–3 cm depth)of clay–sand barriers in Minqin desert area to explain their erosion resistance from the perspective of surface sediment grain size.In March 2023,six clay–sand barrier sampling plots with clay–sand barriers of different deployment durations(1,5,10,20,40,and 60 a)were selected as experimental plots,and one control sampling plot was set in an adjacent mobile sandy area without sand barriers.Surface sediment samples were collected from the topsoil of each sampling plot in the study area in April 2023 and sediment grain size characteristics were analyzed.Results indicated a predominance of fine and medium sands in the surface sediments of the study area.The deployment of clay–sand barriers cultivated a fine quality in grain size composition of the regional surface sediments,increasing the average contents of very fine sand,silt,and clay by 30.82%,417.38%,and 381.52%,respectively.This trend became markedly pronounced a decade after the deployment of clay–sand barriers.The effectiveness of clay–sand barriers in erosion resistance was manifested through reduced wind velocity,the interception of sand flow,and the promotion of fine surface sediment particles.Coarser particles such as medium,coarse,and very coarse sands predominantly accumulated on the external side of the barriers,while finer particles such as fine and very fine sands concentrated in the upwind(northwest)region of the barriers.By contrast,the contents of finest particles such as silt and clay were higher in the downwind(southeast)region of the sampling plots.For the study area,the deployment of clay–sand barriers remains one of the most cost-effective engineering solutions for aeolian erosion control,with sediment grain size parameters serving as quantitative indicators for the assessment of these barriers in combating desertification.The results of this study provide a theoretical foundation for the construction of windbreak and sand fixation systems and the optimization of artificial sand control projects in arid desert areas.

Evolution and Governance of the Structure of Marine Economic Networks in China’s Coastal Areas: Based on Sea-related A-share Listed Companies

Data on discrete,isolated attributes of the marine economy are often used in traditional marine economic research.However,as the focus of urban research shifts from internal static attributes to external dynamic linkages,the importance of marine economic net-work research is beginning to emerge.The construction of the marine economic network in China’s coastal areas is necessary to change the flow of land and sea resources and optimize regional marine economic development.Employing data from headquarters and branches of sea-related A-share listed enterprises to construct the marine economic network in China,we use social network analysis(SNA)to discuss the characteristics of its evolution as of 2010,2015,and 2020 and its governance.The following results were obtained.1)In terms of topological characteristics,the scale of the marine economic network in China’s coastal areas has accelerated and expan-ded,and the connections have become increasingly close;thus,this development has complex network characteristics.2)In terms of spatial structure,the intensity of the connection fluctuates and does not form stable development support;the group structure gradually becomes clear,but the overall pattern is fragmented;there are spatial differences in marine economic agglomeration radiation;the radi-ation effect of the eastern marine economic circle is obvious;and the polarization effect of northern and southern marine economic circles is significant.On this basis,we construct a framework for the governance of a marine economic network with the market,the government,and industry as the three governing bodies.By clarifying the driving factors and building objectives of marine economic network construction,this study aims to foster the high-quality development of China’s marine economy.

Distribution Characteristics of Soil Total Nitrogen in Low-efficiency Forest Land in the Northern Windy Desert Area of Jingbian County

[Objectives]The paper was to investigate the distribution characteristics of soil total nitrogen in low-efficiency forest land in the northern windy desert area of Jingbian County.[Methods]The distribution of soil total nitrogen in the 0-40 cm soil layer of 5 towns in the northern windy desert area of Jingbian County was studied through field sampling and laboratory detection.[Results]The average soil total nitrogen contents of Hongdunjie Town,Haizetan Town,Huanghaojie Town,Ningtiaoliang Town,Dongkeng Town and windy desert area in the 0-20 cm soil layer were 0.259,0.224,0.242,0.248,0.431 and 0.275 g/kg,respectively.The soil total nitrogen content in Dongkeng Town was higher than those in other towns,while there was little difference among other regions.The average total nitrogen contents in the 20-40 cm soil layer were 0.239,0.285,0.113,0.262,0.349 and 0.241 g/kg,respectively.The soil total nitrogen content in Huanghaojie Town was slightly lower than those in other towns,while that in Dongkeng town was higher.The variation coefficient of soil total nitrogen content in the survey area was greater than 30%,and there was great difference in spatial distribution.With the increase of soil depth,there was little change in soil total nitrogen content,namely the soil total nitrogen contents in 5 towns and windy desert area were not statistically different in the 0-40 cm soil layer.According to the nutrient grading standard of the second national soil survey,the soil total nitrogen content in the survey area was in the deficiency grade.[Conclusions]The research will provide a scientific guidance for the healthy and sustainable development of vegetation in arid regions.

Lake Area Changes and the main causes in the hinterland of Badain Jaran Desert during 1973–2010,China

Lake area information in the Badain Jaran Desert in 1973, 1990, 2000, and 2010 was obtained by visual interpretation and water index analysis of remote sensing images, based on the spatial and temporal characteristics of lake area changes during 37 years. Results indicated that the nttmber of lakes declined from 94 to 82 and the total surface area was reduced by 3.69 km2 during 1973-2010. The desert lake area reduced by different degrees in different periods, but this occurred most rapidly during 1973-1990. According to the statistics of lake area changes, lake area decreases mainly occurred in the lakes with areas less than 0.2 km2, while the areas of lakes greater than 0.9 km2 only fluctuated. The changes of lake areas were probably due to changes in the quantity of underground water supplies rather than the effects of local climate change or human factors.

Geochemical Stream Sediment Survey in the Wadi Umm Rilan Area,South Eastern Desert,Egypt:A New Occurrence for Gold Mineralization

The present paper investigates the stream sediment geochemistry, behavior of gold and associated elements, delineates Au-anomalous sites and defines related sources in the Wadi Umm Rilan area. Fifty three major and trace elements were analyzed using ICP-MS and treated applying various statistical and mapping techniques. The results showed a significant difference of mean and median Au and most chemical elements in the three portions of the area, and higher values were recorded in the western portion. Furthermore, Au-anomalous sites appeared in upper and lower parts of the Wadi Umm Rilan, along the tributaries of metavolcanic unit and near granitoid contacts. This indicates the main source of Au mineralization is related to emplacement of granitoid plutons and accompanying hydrothermal solutions. There are significant indications for the presence of more than one mineralization event forming a probable single major episode of mineralization in the area, involving Au, Pb and U mineralizations. Geology, geomorphologic aspects and weathering processes could control stream sediment geochemistry, anomalies of Au and associated elements, elemental association and their dispersion patterns. Therefore, the area is fruitful and regarded as a promising target for Au exploration, using Ag, As, Sb, Cd, Cs, and TI as pathfinder elements.

Rehabilitation and Sustainable Use Pattern of Rocky-desertified Land in Southwest China’s Poverty-stricken Karst Mountainous Areas——A Case Study in Benggu Township, Xichou County, Yunnan, China

The rocky desert in a karst area directly causes the lack of soil, water and forest, hence leading to the poverty there. In 1990, the villagers from the Muzhe Village in Benggu Township, Xichou County, Yunnan declared a war against rocky desert in an attempt to ask the fields for more yields. They invented a distinctive land rehabilitation and sustainable use pattern called “transforming heavenand earth” that had been practiced in Southwest China’s karst areas. The key mechanism of the pattern was to develop terraced fields with well conserved soil, water and fertility by exploding rocks in the fields, building stone walls, gathering more soil, and improving soil quality and productivity for the fields in combination with building of irrigation facilities and roads, as well as with forestation and agriculture structure adjustment. The purpose of the pattern was to alleviate poverty in the karst areas by improving soil productivity and promoting agriculturaldevelopment. A typical area was studied with the help of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and the pattern was carried out there for fifteen years, have produced excellent ecological benefits and good economic benefits. Its application in the area approved that it was a sustainable land use pattern for rocky desert areas.

Optimization of desert lake information extraction from remote sensing images using cellular automata

Desert lakes are important wetland resources in the blown-sand area of western China and play a significant role in maintain-ing the regional ecological environment.However,large-scale coal mining in recent years has considerably impacted the deposition condition of several lakes.Rapid and accurate extraction of lake information based on satellite images is crucial for developing protective measures against desertification.However,the spatial resolution of these images often leads to mixed pixels near water boundaries,affecting extraction precision.Traditional pixel unmixing methods mainly obtain water coverage information in a mixed pixel,making it difficult to accurately describe the spatial distribution.In this paper,the cellular automata(CA)model was adopted in order to realize lake information extraction at a sub-pixel level.A mining area in Shenmu City,Shaanxi Province,China is selected as the research region,using the image of Sentinel-2 as the data source and the high spatial resolution UAV image as the reference.First,water coverage of mixed pixels in the Sentinel-2 image was calculated with the dimidiate pixel model and the fully constrained least squares(FCLS)method.Second,the mixed pixels were subdivided to form the cellular space at a sub-pixel level and the transition rules are constructed based on the water coverage information and spatial correlation.Lastly,the process was implemented using Python and IDL,with the ArcGIS and ENVI software being used for validation.The experiments show that the CA model can improve the sub-pixel positioning accuracy for lake bodies in mixed pixel image and improve classification accuracy.The FCLS-CA model has a higher accuracy and is able to identify most water bodies in the study area,and is therefore suitable for desert lake monitor-ing in mining areas.

Probabilistic modeling of soil moisture dynamics in a revegetated desert area

Soil moisture is the key link between land hydrological and ecological processes which plays an important role in the terrestrial water cycle. As extreme weather events have increased in recent years, the stochastic simulation of soil moisture has gradually become the focus of ecohydrology research. Based on continuous monitoring of soil moisture data from 2008 to 2011, and histor- ical precipitation data from 199l to 2011, combined with the Rodriguez-Iturbe soil moisture dynamic stochastic model, soil mois- ture dynamics and its probability density fimction in a revegetated desert area was simulated. Results show that annual soil mois- ture dynamic changes of the revegetated desert area during the growing season complied with rainfall distribution; soil moisture probability presents a single-peak distribution in the plant rhizosphere layer （0-60 cm）. The peak width in the 20 cm topsoil was wider than in other soils, and the distribution presented the strong fluctuations and multiple aggregates. The peak widths of 40 cm and 60 cm soil moisture probability distribution were small, which are in accordance with simulated results of the Rodri- guez-lturbe model. This confrms that the Rodriguez-Imrbe model has good applicability and can well simulate the statistical characteristics of soil moisture in an arid revegetated desert area.

Environmental Conditions of Barchan Dune and Barchan Chain-A Case Study from the Hexi Desert Area of Gansu

[Objective] The paper was to discuss why the top of tall barchan dunes and barchan chains widespread in single prevailing wind area had not been leveled by wind erosion. [Method] Based on the preliminary survey of distribution status,the morphological characteristics and environmental conditions of barchan dunes and barchan chains in Hexi desert area of Gansu were investigated in details. The significance of difference between samples and significance of correlation between indicators were examined via variance test. [Result] Barchan dunes and barchan chains in Hexi desert area of Gansu distributed at the leeward direction of desert fringe,generally in patch distribution. The distribution area was gravelly beach or cohesive gravel beach,with broader dune slack; winds in distribution area of barchan dunes and barchan chains blew obviously from one direction,while winds at other directions were light or occasionally strong but with low frequency;the barchan dune in the desert fringe of Hexi desert area of Gansu was relatively tall,while barchan chain was even more taller and larger. Coincidence or separation of the dune peak and the sand ridge might be related to distribution frequency of dominant prevailing wind or wind at opposite direction and the observation seasons.[Conclusion]Studying top stability of barchan dune has an important academic value in revealing blowing sand movement rule at desert fringe,invasion of sand flow,and expansion of desert.

Comparisons between Movement Speed of Main Types of Dunes:A Case Study of Desert Areas in Hexi Region of Gansu Province

In desert areas in Hexi region,11 barchan dunes,6 chains of barchan dunes,6 pyramid dunes,6 parabolic dunes and 6 accumulated sand-belts were chosen to study their movement speed based on images obtained by Google Earth in various periods.The results show that among the dunes,the movement of the barchan dunes was the fastest,followed by the chains of barchan dunes,and only the tops of the pyramid dunes swayed,while the parabolic dunes and accumulated sand-belts hardly moved forward.The higher the barchan dunes(or the chains of barchan dunes) were,the slower the movement was.On the contrary,the higher the pyramid dunes were,the faster the swing was.There was a positive correlation between the movement speed of the barchan dunes and the average wind speed of sandstorms.

Study on the Resistance Indexes of Four Kinds of Desert Plants in Qinghai Lake Area

[Objective] The research aimed to study the resistance of four kinds of desert plants in Qinhai Lake area.[Method] By contrasting the resistance indexes of four kinds of plants which included Ephedra intermedia,Stellera chamaejasme,Achnatherum splendens and Xanthopappus subacaulis,the resistance of four kinds of plants in Qinghai Lake area was analyzed.The resistance indexes included the soluble protein,MDA,free Pro content and the activities of SOD,POD,CAT.Moreover,the resistance of four kinds of plants was evaluated comprehensively by using Fuzzy membership function method.[Result] Under the low-temperature and arid adversity in Qinghai Lake area,SOD activity presented as Stellera chamaejasme>Xanthopappus subacaulis>Ephedra intermedia>Achnatherum splendens,and CAT activity presented as Stellera chamaejasme>Xanthopappus subacaulis>Achnatherum splendens>Ephedra intermedia.Under the same high-salt environment,CAT activity of Stellera chamaejasme was eight times higher than that of Ephedra intermedia.It illustrated that the salt resistance of Stellera chamaejasme was stronger than that of Ephedra intermedia.The free Pro content showed as Xanthopappus subacaulis>Ephedra intermedia>Stellera chamaejasme>Achnatherum splendens.Under the same adversity,Pro content of Ephedra intermedia was 2.83 times of Stellera chamaejasme.It was because that MDA content in Stellera chamaejasme was the lowest,and the membranous peroxide harm was the smallest.It caused that Pro content (stress penetration material) was low.It also illustrated that the resistance of Stellera chamaejasme was stronger than that of Ephedra intermedia.The comprehensive evaluation of Fuzzy membership function showed that the resistance presented as Xanthopappus subacaulis>Stellera chamaejasme>Ephedra intermedia>Achnatherum splendens.[Conclusion] The research provided the theory basis for the breeding of drought-resistance new variety and the development of good germ plasm resource in Qinghai Lake area.

基于S-CAD方法的四川省单元式乡村国土空间规划政策评价与优化研究

国土空间规划改革以来,各地开展了探索与实践,2021年四川在全省推行以片区为单元编制乡村国土空间规划,是全国第一个在全省范围开展单元式乡村国土空间规划的省域。通过运用S-CAD方法和政策工具分析法对其政策体系进行分析,并结合规划编制成果对政策进行综合评价,发现其存在以下不足:一是政策体系不完善,主要出台了规划编制相关政策,而在规划实施和监督方面缺乏专门政策;二是政策价值观和政策预期结果超出了政策目标和政策手段所能够实现的范围,政策元素之间具有不一致性;三是政策工具结构不平衡,在规划区域衔接、对上衔接等方面非常薄弱。因此,需要进一步完善政策体系、调适政策元素关系、优化政策工具结构。通过这一研究,以期为深化乡村国土空间规划探索提供借鉴。

Effects of vibration in desert area caused by moving trains

The ballast layer, filled with fine particles like blown sand, is one of the important problems of ballasted railway tracks in desert areas. Blown sand, as a contaminator of ballast layer, increases track stiffness and may cause serious damage to sleepers, pads, rails, and vehicles. In this paper, the effects of increasing track stiffness due to windy sands in the ballast layer and the train induced vibrations due to this phenomenon were studied. Based on field studies in a desert area in Iran, a two-dimensional finite/infinite element model for a railway track with plane strain condition was analyzed using the software ABAQUS, and the track vibrations were examined by changing the values of stiffness of ballast layer. Vibrations caused by the load of train at different distances from the cross-section of track were inves- tigated, and the values of vertical vibration displacement, velocity, and acceleration were calculated. Results show that acceleration values of vertical vibration increase with the increasing of ballast layer stiffness caused by the filling of sand, while the vertical vibration velocity of track and the induced ground displacement decrease. The farther the distance from the source of vibration, the less the displacement, velocity, and acceleration. In addition, the methods for reducing train-induced vibrations were introduced.

Studying surface structure in desert areas using multiple kinds of surface wave data

Shallow surface wave methods are mostly used for investigation of the surface velocity structure in environmental and engineering geophysics in non-desert areas. For the special geological features of the Takelamagan Desert area, we use the multi-channel analysis of surface wave （MASW） method to process multi-channel shallow surface wave records to determine the near surface velocity structure in the desert area. We also process, analyze, and compare the surface waves in many-trace records extracted from the oil exploration shot gathers in the area. We show that the MASW method can determine detailed shallow velocity structure in desert areas and the many-trace records can be used to get detailed deep geological structure. The combination of the two different datasets can obtain the exact velocity structure upper 60 m depth in the survey area.

基于PI方法的华北2019年以来3次M_(S)≥5.0地震回溯性预测研究

本文应用图像信息(PI)方法对2023年山东平原M_(S)5.5地震、2021年江苏大丰海域M_(S)5.0地震和2020年河北古冶M_(S)5.1地震进行了回溯性预测研究。以华北局部(32°N~42°N,114°E~122°E)为研究区域,在网格尺度分别为0.5°×0.5°和1.0°×1.0°且预测窗长为5 a的两组参数模型下,获取2019—2027年逐年滑动的预测窗热点演化图像。结果显示,当网格尺度为1.0°×1.0°时,PI热点效果优于0.5°×0.5°网格,且对平原地震和大丰海域地震的发震位置指示作用较好。当时间窗长和归一化阈值绝对值同时增大,个别窗口存在古冶地震的有效热点,但未找到热点能同时覆盖3个地震震中所在网格的参数模型。不同参数模型下的PI热点显示,未来3~4 a郯庐断裂带渤海段存在发生M_(S)≥5.0地震的风险。本文研究结果对于华北局部地区M_(S)≥5.0地震危险性分析具有一定的参考意义。

A Study of Siliceous Pneumoconiosis in a Desert Area of Sunan County,Gansu Province,China

Three hundred and ninety five residents in a desert area were examined with chest radiographs and 28 cases with siliceous pneumoconiosis were found. The prevalence of siliceous pneumoconiosis was 7.09%, and that over 40 years of age was 21%. The histological findings of lungs from a camel living in that area for 20 years also confirmed to have siliceous pneumoconiosis.

Spatiotemporal change of beneficiary area from wind erosion prevention service in the Ulan Buh Desert in 2008 and 2018

The Ulan Buh Desert is one of the eight deserts in China that provides wind erosion prevention service(i.e.,the ecosystem;vegetation,production,and construction activities that promote sand fixation).It is significant for the construction of the national ecological barrier,and the protection of the ecological security in the Yellow River and North China.In this study,we selected two representative years(2008 and 2018)and quantified wind erosion prevention service from the Ulan Buh Desert using the RWEQ model.Meanwhile,the HYSPLIT model was used to simulate the spatial flow process from the service supply area to the beneficiary area and to determine its scope.The specific dust reduction amount in the beneficiary area was then calculated.The energy and the time-space relation of wind erosion prevention service in the areas that receive benefits from Ulan Buh Desert were compared before and after implementing environmental restoration measures.The results showed that:(1)the total amount of wind erosion prevention in the Ulan Buh Desert in 2018 was 2.12×10^(10)kg,which was 5.17 times higher than that in 2008;(2)in 2018,the distribution density of the flow path of wind erosion prevention service was lower than that in 2008,and the flow paths in each year were concentrated in the beneficiary areas with the path distribution frequency of less than 10%;(3)the total dust reduction in the downwind area of the Ulan Buh Desert in 2018 was higher than that in 2008,totaling 15.54 million tons.Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Shanxi Province had the most significant amount of dust reduction.

通州—三河地区沉积层高分辨率三维S波速度结构和径向各向异性

北京大都市区位于冀中凹陷与太行山隆起和燕山褶皱带的交汇区,区内被第四系松软沉积层覆盖,历史和现今的地震活动性表明,其面临潜在的巨震风险.地震风险评估和强地面运动模拟依赖准确的沉积层三维S波速度模型.本文基于布设在通州—三河地区前所未有的密集台阵数据,构建了该区域高分辨率三维S波速度结构和径向各向异性模型.首先将919个台站组成的密集台阵划分为若干子台阵,利用修正的背景噪声聚束分析方法,提取各个子台阵的Love波频散曲线,通过深度反演构建了通州—三河地区三维SH波速度模型.结合由基阶和一阶Rayleigh波模式反演构建的三维SV波速度模型,获得了台阵下方的径向各向异性模型.模型显示,大兴断裂在穿过牛堡屯之后,继续向北东向延伸约20 km.大兴凸起以大兴断裂为界,表现出明显不同的构造特征和沉积过程.断裂的北西侧第四系沉积层较浅,推测约为100~400 m;断裂的南东侧第四系沉积层厚度横向变化较大,发育夏垫凹陷和甘棠凹陷.沉积盆地径向各向异性的幅度可达±20%,地表约0~60 m范围有一较强的负径向各向异性(VSH<VSV)覆盖层,推测与该地区垂直地裂缝发育有关.正的径向各向异性(VSH>VSV)是沉积作用造成的水平层序排列的沉积分层的反映.

Molecular Identification of Isolated Bacteria from Soils in Likouala Peat Bog Area, Republic of Congo

This study aimed to the molecular identification of isolated bacteria from the soils of Likouala (Congo-Brazzaville) peat bog area. Counting and isolation were carried out on Mossel and TSB media enriched with petroleum and vegetable oil;the amplification and sequencing of 16S RNA genes by PCR and Artic Oxford Nanopore Technology. The results showed bacterial loads of (5.81 ± 1.08) × 104;(6.64 ± 1.94) × 104 et (8.56 ± 1.19) × 103 CFU/g on Mossel respectively for samples 1, 2 and 3 against (2.12 ± 4.1) × 108 et (8.15 ± 10.1) × 107 CFU/g respectively on TSB enriched with petroleum and vegetable oil exclusively with sample 2. The analysis of the 16S rRNA of the isolates gene made it possible, after PCR, agarose gel electrophoresis, sequencing and bioinformatics analysis, to identify eight (08) strains with similarities of 99 to 100% whose sequences genes placed in GenBank have made it possible to obtain accession numbers corresponding to: Bacillus thuringiensis strain (ON303633);Bacillus cereus strain (ON350770);Bacillus thuringiensis strain (ON350771);Bacillus thuringiensis strain (ON738723);Priestia megaterium strain (ON738719);Bacillus anthracis strain (ON738720);Bacillus subtilis (ON738721);Enterobacter sp (ON738722). The phylogenetic classification of strains was done and revealed two genuses which are Bacillus and Enterobacteriaceae.

Comparative Analysis of Wind break and Sand fixation Functions of Several Main Forage Plants in Minqin Desert Area

[Objective] The paper was to study wind-break and sand-fixation functions of forage plants in desert area. [Method]Based on the survey data of four major wind-break and sand-fixation plants( Haloxylon ammondendron,Artemisia arenaria,Nitraria tangutorum and Ephedra przewalskii) in Minqin desert area,the longitudinal section area and the sandpile volume of an individual plant and per unit area were calculated. The wind-break and sand-fixation functions of four major plant communities were comparatively analyzed. [Result] The wind-break functions of an individual plant( cluster) successively were N. tangutorum > H. ammondendron > A. arenaria and E. przewalskii; the sand-fixation functions of an individual plant( cluster) successively were N. tangutorum > E. przewalskii; the wind-break functions per unit area successively were A. arenaria > H. ammondendron > N. tangutorum > E. przewalskii; the sand-fixation functions per unit area were N. tangutorum > E. przewalskii; the wind-break and sand-fixation function per unit area were N. tangutorum > A. arenaria > H. ammondendron >E. przewalskii.[Conclusion]A. arenaria can be selected for only wind-break,and N. tangutorum can be chosen for only sand-fixation. If given consideration to both,N. tangutorum and A. arenaria must be selected.