Influence of salinity and moisture on the threshold shear velocity of saline sand in the Qarhan Desert, Qaidam Basin of China: A wind tunnel experiment

Li, Chao; Dong, Zhibao; Shuyan, Yin; Chen, Guoxiang; Yang, Junhuai

doi:10.1007/s40333-019-0058-x

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 58 publications

(72 reference statements)

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“…Consequently, plants are generally weaker in saline conditions and have smaller leaves than plants in non-saline and normal conditions. In most studies, such as Wang et al (2016) and Li et al (2019), desert salinity has reduced the EC of the soil; nonetheless, the results of the present study do not indicate this issue and are consistent with the results of studies by Rouhi Moghaddam et al (2018), Ladenburger (2006) and Feng et al (2018). The increase in salinity is mainly due to the increase in Na + and Clin the soil (Feng et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Investigation on biological activities for combating desertification in the western shores of Lake Urmia, Northwest Iran

et al. 2023

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Lake Urmia, Northwest Iran, has confronted a drying procedure in recent years with losing 90% of its water body. The authorities concerned about desertification processes and possible dust events throughout the region. In this regard, the Iranian Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization has taken ecological measures to plant vegetation using salt cedar (Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb.) shrubs to combat desertification. This study aimed to investigate the vegetation and soil characteristics of natural and plantation stands of salt cedar on the western shores of Lake Urmia. To this end, 7 transects were randomly selected with 15 shrubs in natural stands, and 7 transects were randomly selected with 15 shrubs in the plantation parts along the planting rows. Then, vegetative characteristics were examined. Also, soil samples were taken from the vicinity of the shrubs. The results indicated that there was no significant difference between the mean diameter at breast height (DBH) of salt cedar in natural sites. There was a significant difference between the mean number of sprouts per sprout-clumps, mean crown diameter, collar diameter, total height, and also between mean crown diameter and freshness of shrubs among different sites (P<0.05). It was also found that soil variables, such as clay content, organic matter, electrical conductivity (EC), Na + , specific absorption rate (SAR), Cl -, SO 2-4 , Na + , K + , and PO 2-4 are the most significant variable parameters between studied sites. As the results shown, the values of EC, SAR, Na + , and Clare 6 times higher in the planted stands than in the natural stands of T. ramosissima. Also, the colonization of T. ramosissima in the planted stands is unsuccessful by dramatic drop in the total height and average diameter. Considering the role of soil characteristics in explaining the variance of data and site separation, it seems that these indicators can be applied in executive plans as important indicators to identify suitable planting sites for combating desertification.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Investigation on biological activities for combating desertification in the western shores of Lake Urmia, Northwest Iran

et al. 2023

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“…Therefore, the results have shown that the terrain sources have been located in the strongly saline (>10 3 mS/cm) terrain and consequently the sand dunes are also saline (>10 2 mS/cm). Also, research in the Qarhan Desert, China, showed that cohesion of saline sand when water was present increased the threshold shear velocity (Li et al 2019). Drying of Urmia Lake over the past decade has created new, salty terrains on the exposed bed allowing fine particles of salt to be carried by the wind causing the sand dunes to become salty.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of New-Emerging Lands on Sources of Aeolian Sand Deposits Driven by Shrinking of the Urmia Salt Lake

Samani

Biabani

Fathabadi

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Urmia Lake, the largest saline lake in Iran and the Middle East, is located in the northwest of Iran, has shrunk over the past decades. The reduced water level has increased the area of dry land around the lake allowing new environmental hazard such as sand dunes encroachment, particularly on the western side of the lake. There are five terrain types that could contribute sediment to the dunes, and it is the main aim of this research to identify the contributions to the dunes of each terrain type. Fifteen surface samples were collected from the five most erodible terrain types and eight samples were collected from the dunes both in downwind and upwind directions from the lake, and major element components were measured using X-ray fluorescence (XRF). According to the Besler classification, all samples are in the saline class. Also, the chemical index of alteration (CIA) values in all samples were less than 50, indicating weak weathering. Based on multivariate statistical analysis, suitable tracers were selected and were imported to the sourcing equations. Quantification of uncertainty and the creation of two new fingerprinting models for aeolian sediments based on both Bayesian and GLUE procedures were used. The highest proportion comes from the salty and puffy lands (44.2%) followed by salty polygon land (23.5%), clay-salty areas, puffy-flaky lands (7.01%), the terminus of the fine sandy alluvial fan (13.2%), and clay-salty abandoned lands (12.1%). It is concluded that if land managers use these results, they can more efficiently decrease the hazards posed by dune reactivation and migration though implementation of soil conservation on the affected lands around the dried lake.

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“…The precipitation is mainly concentrated in May-September, which accounts for more than 80% of annual rainfall (Zhang et al, 2012). The soil type in the Qarhan Salt Lake is saline sand, with a mean particle size of 164.50-186.08 µm (Li et al, 2019b). The naturally dominant plants in the Qaidam Basin are shrub/semi-shrub desert vegetation, including Haloxylon ammodendron, Salsola spp., Ceratoides lateens, Ephedra przewalskii, Tamarix spp., Calligonum spp., Nitraria spp., and Artemisia spp.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation of soil physical-chemical characteristics in salt-affected soil in the Qarhan Salt Lake, Qaidam Basin

Rong

Tan

et al. 2022

J. Arid Land

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Soil salinization has adverse effects on the soil physical-chemical characteristics. However, little is known about the changes in soil salt ion concentrations and other soil physical-chemical characteristics within the Qarhan Salt Lake and at different soil depths in the surrounding areas. Here, we selected five sampling sites (S1, S2, S3, S4, and S5) alongside the Qarhan Salt Lake and in the Xidatan segment of the Kunlun Mountains to investigate the relationship among soil salt ion concentrations, soil physical-chemical characteristics, and environmental variables in April 2019. The results indicated that most sites had strongly saline and very strongly saline conditions. The main salt ions present in the soil were Na + , K + , and Cl -. Soil nutrients and soil microbial biomass (SMB) were significantly affected by the salinity (P<0.05). Moreover, soil salt ions (Na + , K + , Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Cl -, CO 3 2-, SO 4 2-, and HCO 3 -) were positively correlated with electrical conductivity (EC) and soil water content (SWC), but negatively related to altitude and soil depth. Unlike soil salt ions, soil nutrients and SMB were positively correlated with altitude, but negatively related to EC and SWC. Moreover, soil nutrients and SMB were negatively correlated with soil salt ions. In conclusion, soil nutrients and SMB were mainly influenced by salinity, and were related to altitude, soil depth, and SWC in the areas from the Qarhan Salt Lake to the Xidatan segment. These results imply that the soil quality (mainly evaluated by soil physical-chemical characteristics) is mainly influenced by soil salt ions in the areas surrounding the Qarhan Salt Lake. Our results provide an accurate prediction of how the soil salt ions, soil nutrients, and SMB respond to the changes along a salt gradient. The underlying mechanisms controlling the soil salt ion distribution, soil nutrients, and SMB in an extremely arid desert climate playa should be studied in greater detail in the future.

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Influence of salinity and moisture on the threshold shear velocity of saline sand in the Qarhan Desert, Qaidam Basin of China: A wind tunnel experiment

Cited by 7 publications

References 58 publications

Investigation on biological activities for combating desertification in the western shores of Lake Urmia, Northwest Iran

Investigation on biological activities for combating desertification in the western shores of Lake Urmia, Northwest Iran

The Role of New-Emerging Lands on Sources of Aeolian Sand Deposits Driven by Shrinking of the Urmia Salt Lake

Variation of soil physical-chemical characteristics in salt-affected soil in the Qarhan Salt Lake, Qaidam Basin

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