Wind regime features and their impacts on the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River on the Tibetan Plateau, China

The wide valley of the Yarlung Zangbo River is one of the most intense areas in terms of aeolian activity on the Tibetan Plateau,China.In the past,the evaluation of the intensity of aeolian activity in the Quxu–Sangri section of the Yarlung Zangbo River Valley was mainly based on data from the old meteorological stations,especially in non-sandy areas.In 2020,six new meteorological stations,which are closest to the new meteorological stations,were built in the wind erosion source regions(i.e.,sandy areas)in the Quxu–Sangri section.In this study,based on mathematical statistics and empirical orthogonal function(EOF)decomposition analysis,we compared the difference of the wind regime between new meteorological stations and old meteorological stations from December 2020 to November 2021,and discussed the reasons for the discrepancy.The results showed that sandy and non-sandy areas differed significantly regarding the mean velocity(8.3(±0.3)versus 7.7(±0.3)m/s,respectively),frequency(12.9%(±6.2%)versus 2.9%(±1.9%),respectively),and dominant direction(nearly east or west versus nearly north or south,respectively)of sand-driving winds,drift potential(168.1(±77.3)versus 24.0(±17.9)VU(where VU is the vector unit),respectively),resultant drift potential(92.3(±78.5)versus 8.7(±9.2)VU,respectively),and resultant drift direction(nearly westward or eastward versus nearly southward or northward,respectively).This indicated an obvious spatial variation in the wind regime between sandy and non-sandy areas and suggested that there exist problems when using wind velocity data from non-sandy areas to evaluate the wind regime in sandy areas.The wind regime between sandy and non-sandy areas differed due to the differences in topography,heat flows,and their coupling with underlying surface,thereby affecting the local atmospheric circulation.Affected by large-scale circulations(westerly jet and Indian monsoon systems),both sandy and non-sandy areas showed similar seasonal variations in their respective wind regime.These findings provide a credible reference for re-understanding the wind regime and scientific wind-sand control in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River Valley.

WIND REGIME IN URBAN PLANNING AND INDUSTRIAL DISTRIBUTION

The function of wind regime in urban planning and general layout of industrial enter-prise is discussed. It is pointed out that if only the dominant wind direction is taken intoconsideration in urban planning and industrial distribution, undesirable layout may result.In regard to this some characteristics of the wind directions in monsoonal China are ana-lysed, a geographical regionalization is proposed and the patterns of urban land-use accord-ing to wind direction are discussed. Finally a new pollution coefficient is suggested.

Near-surface wind environment in the Yarlung Zangbo River basin,southern Tibetan Plateau

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.

Aeolian activity in the southern Gurbantunggut Desert of China during the last 900 years

The mineral dust emitted from Central Asia has a significant influence on the global climate system.However,the history and mechanisms of aeolian activity in Central Asia remain unclear,due to the lack of well-dated records of aeolian activity and the intense wind erosion in some of the dust source areas(e.g.,deserts).Here,we present the records of aeolian activity from a sedimentary sequence in the southern Gurbantunggut Desert of China using grain size analysis and optically stimulated luminescence(OSL)dating,based on field sampling in 2019.Specifically,we used eight OSL dates to construct chronological frameworks and applied the end-member(EM)analysis for the grain size data to extract the information of aeolian activity in the southern Gurbantunggut Desert during the last 900 a.The results show that the grain size dataset can be subdivided into three EMs(EM1,EM2,and EM3).The primary modal sizes of these EMs(EM1,EM2,and EM3)are 126.00,178.00,and 283.00μm,respectively.EM1 represents a mixture of the suspension components and saltation dust,while EM2 and EM3 show saltation dust transported over a shorter distance via strengthened near-surface winds,which can be used to trace aeolian activity.Combined with the OSL chronology,our results demonstrate that during the last 900 a,more intensive and frequent aeolian activity occurred during 450-100 a BP(Before Present)(i.e.,the Little Ice Age(LIA)),which was reflected by a higher proportion of the coarse-grained components(EM2+EM3).Aeolian activity decreased during 900-450 a BP(i.e.,the Medieval Warm Period(MWP))and 100 a BP-present(i.e.,the Current Warm Period(CWP)).Intensified aeolian activity was associated with the strengthening of the Siberian High and cooling events at high northern latitudes.We propose that the Siberian High,under the influence of temperature changes at high northern latitudes,controlled the frequency and intensity of aeolian activity in Central Asia.Cooling at high northern latitudes would have significantly enhanced the Siberian High,causing its position to shift southward.Subsequently,the incursion of cold air masses from high northern latitudes resulted in stronger wind regimes and increased dust emissions from the southern Gurbantunggut Desert.It is possible that aeolian activity may be weakened in Central Asia under future global warming scenarios,but the impact of human activities on this region must also be considered.