Wind energy environments and dunefield activity in the Chinese deserts

Wang, Xunming; Dong, Zhibao; Yan, Ping; Zhang, Jiawu; Qian, Guangqiang

doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2004.06.009

Cited by 84 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 19 publications

(35 reference statements)

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“…The total drift potential DP was calculated using the formula DP = ∑ 16 i=1 DP i , while the resultant drift potential RDP was obtained from RDP = ∑ 16 i=1 |DP i e i |, where e i is the unit vector pointing in the direction i. Although this approach makes a number of interpretative simplifications and assumptions [10,11], previous studies of the wind energy environments of global sand seas have demonstrated its value [10][11][12][13][14][15]. More detailed descriptions of these methods can be found in [14,15].…”

Section: Wind Regimementioning

confidence: 99%

Migration and Morphology of Asymmetric Barchans in the Central Hexi Corridor of Northwest China

Zhang

Dong

et al. 2018

Geosciences

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Crescent-shaped barchan dunes often display an asymmetric shape, with one limb longer than the other. As shown in previous studies, asymmetric bimodal winds constitute one major cause of barchan asymmetry, but the heterogeneous conditions of sand availability or flux, as well as topographic influences, may be also important. Understanding the morphology and dynamics of asymmetric barchans may have an impact in a broad range of areas, particularly as these dunes may serve as a proxy for planetary wind regimes and soil conditions in extraterrestrial environments. However, in addition to the existing theories and numerical models that explain barchan asymmetry, direct measurements of migration rates and morphologic changes of real asymmetric barchans over a time span of several years would be beneficial. Therefore, here we report such measurements, which we have acquired by investigating asymmetric barchans in the Hexi Corridor, northwest of China. We have found that dune interactions and asymmetric influx conditions are the most important causes of barchan asymmetry in this field. Particle size distributions in the Hexi Corridor display strong variations over different parts of the asymmetric barchans, as well as over different dunes, with gravel particles being incorporated from the substrate as the dunes migrate. Our observations have shown that upwind sediment sources are important for dune formation in the Hexi Corridor, and that interdune interactions affect dune shape in different ways, depending on their offset. The asymmetric barchans in the Hexi Corridor are active, with an average migration rate (MR) between 8 and 53 m year −1 , in spite of the different asymmetric shapes. Our data for dune migration rates can be described well by a scaling of MR = A/(W + W0), where W is the barchan cross-wind width, A ≈ 2835 m 2 s −1 , and W0 ≈ 44 m. A similar scaling fits very well the migration rate as a function of dune along-wind width L, (i.e., MR = B/(L + L0), with B ≈ 1722 m 2 s −1 and L0 ≈ 13 m). Linear relations are also found between both dune widths and the average limb and windward side lengths, thus indicating that the morphometric relations that are predicted from models for steady-state, symmetric crescent-shaped dunes can be applied to different transitional morphologies of interacting, asymmetric barchans.

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Section: Wind Regimementioning

confidence: 99%

Migration and Morphology of Asymmetric Barchans in the Central Hexi Corridor of Northwest China

Zhang

Dong

et al. 2018

Geosciences

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“…1), the regional climate is arid, and is dominantly controlled by the Westerlies (Wang et al, 2005). The area has a mean annual precipitation of 64 mm and a mean annual evaporation of 3110 mm (Yao et al, 2007).…”

Section: Geological and Geomorphological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optical dating of sediments from manas lake in northwestern china: Paleoenvironmental and neotectonic implications

Tse

2017

Geochronometria

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Manas Lake is a closed lake basin in northern Xinjiang Province of China, with its current lake bed at 244 m a.s.l. Sediments from the lake area provide valuable information about the paleoenvironmental changes in the Westerlies-dominated arid region. To obtain a chronological constraint on the past changes, optically stimulated luminescence dating was conducted on sediments from the lake beaches. The results show that lacustrine episodes dated at ~80-73 ka ago were recorded in northwestern side of the lake at 270 m a.s.l., while paleoshoreline to near-shore environments during ~80-90 ka ago were recorded in the opposite side of the lake at 262 m a.s.l. The ~80 ka old sedimentary layers are overlain by paleoshoreline sediments formed within the last ~1 ka, separated by a large age gap. From this study and the results from previous studies, it is concluded that breaks in sedimentary records are common in the lake area at elevation > 260 m a.s.l. When comparing sedimentary environments at different times from different sites in this study and previous studies, it is suggested that a small amount of uplift of the northwestern side of Manas Lake relative to the southeastern side may have occurred in the last 80 ka.

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“…1), is in a semiarid and continental climate zone. This area is characterized by dry and windy weather during spring, which can cause severe wind erosion and frequent dust storm events that occur at a rate of 8-13 days per year (Wang et al 2005b).…”

Section: Study Area and Remote Sensing Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This suggests that desertification in the Yulin area is probably still increasing and is potentially quite serious. There are debates on the causes and driving forces of desertification in the region (Wang et al 2005b(Wang et al , 2006; most desert areas with vegetated dune systems in arid and semiarid northern China, however, are used for farming or grazing (Mason et al 2008). Activities such as overreclamation, over-grazing, and over-cutting Wang and Zhu 2001;Wu 2001;Runnström 2003;Ci 1998, 2002;Zha et al 2008;Zhang et al 2008;D'Odorico et al 2013) could thus significantly affect land cover and lead to desertification in the area.…”

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confidence: 99%

The measurement of wind erosion through field survey and remote sensing: a case study of the Mu Us Desert, China

et al. 2015

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The measurement of wind erosion is not only important to understand wind erosion itself, but also an important scientific step in efforts to reverse the process of desertification. This study develops a model that predicts sand transport flux at pixel level based on the quantitative relationship between remotely sensed vegetation coverage and observed sand transport rate data. The data were collected from field surveys in the sandy area of Yuyang County, which is located in the Mu Us Desert. The study found that the sand transport flux was 9,643 kilograms per meter annually (kga -1 m -1 ) for a mobile dune, 6,394 kga -1 m -1 for a semi-mobile dune, 2,634.5 kga -1 m -1 for bare cultivated land, and 127.7 kga -1 m -1 for a semi-fixed dune. Using the sand flux derived by our model, the wind erosion modulus in the Yuyang sandy area was found to be 1 123Nat Hazards (2015) 76:1497-1514 DOI 10.1007/s11069-014-1516 increased in the region, while decreasing in some areas, and that the vegetation coverage incensement failed to reduce the quantity of regional wind erosion. This sand flux retrieval method has the potential for successful application in other, similar areas.

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Wind energy environments and dunefield activity in the Chinese deserts

Cited by 84 publications

References 19 publications

Migration and Morphology of Asymmetric Barchans in the Central Hexi Corridor of Northwest China

Migration and Morphology of Asymmetric Barchans in the Central Hexi Corridor of Northwest China

Optical dating of sediments from manas lake in northwestern china: Paleoenvironmental and neotectonic implications

The measurement of wind erosion through field survey and remote sensing: a case study of the Mu Us Desert, China

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