Approximately 331 million ha, one-third of China＇s total land, is prone to desertification processes, leading to natural disasters and economic losses. In this study, the situation, tendency, their influences and the...Approximately 331 million ha, one-third of China＇s total land, is prone to desertification processes, leading to natural disasters and economic losses. In this study, the situation, tendency, their influences and their risk governance of desertification and blown sand disaster in China were examined using satellite images, field photographs, field data and a literature review. The desiccated areas in Lop Nor and the lower Heihe River fluvial plain covered about 50,000 km2 and 40,000 km2, respectively. In Ejina, about 100 species of vegetation became extinct. The rate of wind erosion in China was between 1,000 tons/km2/year and 2,000 tons/km2/year. There were 12 sand deserts and sandy lands, occupying a total of 710,000 km2. Salinized soils occurred across 99.1 million ha. The two main sand and dust storm-prone areas in China were the Tarim Basin and its surroundings, and the Alxa Plateau and its surroundings. From 1981 to 2007, the annual average frequency of sand and dust storms varied from 1 d to 37 d with a general increase from southeast to northwest. Since 1978, China has implemented a number of ecological construction projects that have reduced desertification from 1999 to 2004 and from 2005 to 2009, and the number of dust and sand storm days from 9.3 d between 1954 and 1959 to 4.4 d between 2000 and 2007. The results could improve understanding of desertification and blown sand disasters in China and provide valuable experiences for global desertification control.展开更多
The Tarim Desert Highway in Xinjiang, China, the longest one in the world, has a lengthof 562 km, about 80% of which runs across, from north to south, the Taklimakan Desert. Obviously,the main problem of the road main...The Tarim Desert Highway in Xinjiang, China, the longest one in the world, has a lengthof 562 km, about 80% of which runs across, from north to south, the Taklimakan Desert. Obviously,the main problem of the road maintenance is the blown sand disaster. The research resultsshowed: (1) the physical environment along thedesert highway is characterized by strong winds,fine and loose ground materials, different dunes and so on, which provides the dynamical conditionand material source for the formation of blown sand disaster to the road and its shelter system.Meanwhile, the trend and cross-section of the road and the structure of the shelter system, asdamage objects, play important roles in the formation process of blown sand disaster; (2) theblown sand disaster to the shelter system is original from the intrusion of the drift sands and mobiledunes outside the shelter system, and the wind erosion and sand deposit caused by the air streamchanges on the ground in the shelter system. The main damage object in the Tarim Desert High-way is the shelter system presently. The damage forms include wind erosion, sand burying anddune covering; and (3) the damaged length of the blocking sand fences is 83.7%, 88.4%, 72.4%,72.8% and 40.3% and the damaged area of the straw checkerboard belts is 73.1%, 58.2%, 44.5%,35.4% and 36.6%, in turn, in 5 different landform units from north to south, and, the disasters tofences and the straw checkerboard belts are 79.5% and 57.6% in the compound dunes while theyare 64.6% and 37.7% in the interdunes respectively.展开更多
文摘Approximately 331 million ha, one-third of China＇s total land, is prone to desertification processes, leading to natural disasters and economic losses. In this study, the situation, tendency, their influences and their risk governance of desertification and blown sand disaster in China were examined using satellite images, field photographs, field data and a literature review. The desiccated areas in Lop Nor and the lower Heihe River fluvial plain covered about 50,000 km2 and 40,000 km2, respectively. In Ejina, about 100 species of vegetation became extinct. The rate of wind erosion in China was between 1,000 tons/km2/year and 2,000 tons/km2/year. There were 12 sand deserts and sandy lands, occupying a total of 710,000 km2. Salinized soils occurred across 99.1 million ha. The two main sand and dust storm-prone areas in China were the Tarim Basin and its surroundings, and the Alxa Plateau and its surroundings. From 1981 to 2007, the annual average frequency of sand and dust storms varied from 1 d to 37 d with a general increase from southeast to northwest. Since 1978, China has implemented a number of ecological construction projects that have reduced desertification from 1999 to 2004 and from 2005 to 2009, and the number of dust and sand storm days from 9.3 d between 1954 and 1959 to 4.4 d between 2000 and 2007. The results could improve understanding of desertification and blown sand disasters in China and provide valuable experiences for global desertification control.
文摘The Tarim Desert Highway in Xinjiang, China, the longest one in the world, has a lengthof 562 km, about 80% of which runs across, from north to south, the Taklimakan Desert. Obviously,the main problem of the road maintenance is the blown sand disaster. The research resultsshowed: (1) the physical environment along thedesert highway is characterized by strong winds,fine and loose ground materials, different dunes and so on, which provides the dynamical conditionand material source for the formation of blown sand disaster to the road and its shelter system.Meanwhile, the trend and cross-section of the road and the structure of the shelter system, asdamage objects, play important roles in the formation process of blown sand disaster; (2) theblown sand disaster to the shelter system is original from the intrusion of the drift sands and mobiledunes outside the shelter system, and the wind erosion and sand deposit caused by the air streamchanges on the ground in the shelter system. The main damage object in the Tarim Desert High-way is the shelter system presently. The damage forms include wind erosion, sand burying anddune covering; and (3) the damaged length of the blocking sand fences is 83.7%, 88.4%, 72.4%,72.8% and 40.3% and the damaged area of the straw checkerboard belts is 73.1%, 58.2%, 44.5%,35.4% and 36.6%, in turn, in 5 different landform units from north to south, and, the disasters tofences and the straw checkerboard belts are 79.5% and 57.6% in the compound dunes while theyare 64.6% and 37.7% in the interdunes respectively.
