To study the changes of soil fertility of the shelter-forest land along the Tarim Desert Highway, soils from the forest land were collected at the layers of 0―10 cm, 10―20 cm, 20―30 cm. Different soil fertility par...To study the changes of soil fertility of the shelter-forest land along the Tarim Desert Highway, soils from the forest land were collected at the layers of 0―10 cm, 10―20 cm, 20―30 cm. Different soil fertility parameters were measured, and quantitative evaluation of soil fertility was performed by the soil integrated fertility index (IFI). The main results show that the construction of the shelter forest along the Tarim Desert Highway improved the soil physical structure, increased soil porosity and enhanced wa- ter-holding capacity. With the increase of plantation time of the shelter forest, soil microbial biomass C, N, P and the activities of six types of enzyme were enhanced, which promoted the accumulation and transformation of soil nutrients of the forest land. Consequently, the soil nutrients in 12-year-old forest land were much higher than in the newer ones and drifting sand. However, soil salt content of the older forest land was higher owing to the drip-irrigation with salt water. Through the comprehensive evalua- tion, we found that soil fertility index in the forest land was enhanced with the forest age, and it had close correlations with the growth indices of the forest trees. In summary, construction of the shelterforest along the Tarim Desert Highway accelerated the improvement of aeolian soil in the forest land, and the soil fertility improved year by year. We conclude that the forest trees grow normally under the stress of the present drip-irrigation with salt water.展开更多
Through the systematic field survey and observations, the factor quantification as well as setting the criteria, the sand disaster-forming environment along the Tarim Desert Highway can be divided into four grades by ...Through the systematic field survey and observations, the factor quantification as well as setting the criteria, the sand disaster-forming environment along the Tarim Desert Highway can be divided into four grades by the classification and regionalization based on fuzzy mathematics. The length of the regions with significant sand disaster accounted for 37.1% of the total highway length. Particularly, the area along the Tarim Desert Highway, based on the sand disaster-forming environment classification as well as the difference in the five basic landform units along the highway, combined with the difference of wind regime, can be divided into five regions, in which the length of the regions suffering severe sand damage occupied 64.3% of the total highway length. In addition, the index of disaster formation grade along the highway decreased from north to south, showing a repeated spatial pattern in small length scales.展开更多
Site types of the afforestation region of the shelter-forest ecological project along the Tarim Desert Highway were classified based on the natural conditions and windblown sand damages. The extremely severe environme...Site types of the afforestation region of the shelter-forest ecological project along the Tarim Desert Highway were classified based on the natural conditions and windblown sand damages. The extremely severe environment, the irrigation with saline water, and large-scale linear project makes this classification of site types most unique and significant. It adopted a three-level classification system integrating the dominant factors and restrictive factors in regard to their impacts on plant survival and growth as well as on the protective property. Six site type districts were classified based on the medium-scale geomorphic unit, the windblown sand damages, and the major production facilities; 21 site type groups were obtained according to the small-scale geomorphic type, terrain, and wind regime; 36 site types were further classified based on the salt contents of the underground water and soil types. Especially, in this study, spatial distribution of the six site type districts along the desert highway is continuous, which is unique and different from that of most other classifications. In addition, the salt-stress tolerance threshold of the main afforestation plant species to underground water have been set to 8 g/L and 15 g/L according to selective breeding tests and the salinity spatial distribution of the underground water. Thus, the underground water with salinity lower than 8 g/L is defined as light saline water in this area.展开更多
In this work, a groundwater monitor section along the Tarim Desert Highway was set up, and the groundwater level data were recorded. The temporal and spatial fluctuations of the groundwater level were analyzed based o...In this work, a groundwater monitor section along the Tarim Desert Highway was set up, and the groundwater level data were recorded. The temporal and spatial fluctuations of the groundwater level were analyzed based on the groundwater level measurements, hydrologic data, the groundwater/surface water interconversion theory and the groundwater dynamics. The spatial distribution of groundwater is mostly affected by sand dune height and landform variation. The four primary temporal influence factors of groundwater level can be ordered in decreasing significance as: shelterbelt pumping > vertical leakage > river flow change > runoff replenishment. The runoff replenishment has the biggest influence range, and the shelterbelt pumping has the smallest influence range. The groundwater level fluctuates annually in a natural pattern.展开更多
The plant water consumption and irrigation management are the core issue of the sustainable growing of the Tarim Desert Highway shelterbelt in the hyperaride Taklimakan Desert. The stem sap flow, water status and wate...The plant water consumption and irrigation management are the core issue of the sustainable growing of the Tarim Desert Highway shelterbelt in the hyperaride Taklimakan Desert. The stem sap flow, water status and water consumption of shelterbelt plants were studied, then, the issue of the water save in the process of shelterbelt irrigation management was discussed by measuring the sap flow of shelterbelt plants with a stem sap flow gauge. The stem sap flow exhibited a distinct diurnal course with maximum values between 10:00 and 15:00, and minimum values between 00:00 and 03:00. Generally, sap flow was lower at night than during the day. The daily average stem sap flow of Calligonum arborescens, Tamarix ramosissima and Haloxylon ammodendron (diameter 1.9―2.0 cm) was 67.2 g·h-1, 77.05 g·h-1 and 61.54 g·h-1 respectively. The sap flow was influenced by environmental factors, and the solar radiation, wind velocity, temperature and relative humidity were significantly correlative with plant stem sap flow. The annual water consumption of 8-a Calligonum arborescens, Tamarix ramosissima and Haloxylon ammodendron was 1937.80 kg, 1253.39 kg and 1026.96 kg, while daily average water consumption was 9.69 kg, 6.27 kg and 5.13 kg respectively. Under drip irrigation, soil moisture content of the shelterbelt in different months indicated no obvious fluctuation, and soil moisture was adequate. The predawn and midday plant water potential reflected that the plant water status was in good conditions. There is still some water-saving space if optimizing the present water management, integrating water resources conservation and protection performance.展开更多
To study the effects of sand protection project on modern aeolian landform, the types, distribution, and intensity of topographical changes of the ground surface affected by the shelterbelt along the Tarim Desert High...To study the effects of sand protection project on modern aeolian landform, the types, distribution, and intensity of topographical changes of the ground surface affected by the shelterbelt along the Tarim Desert Highway were determined by measuring the deflation and deposition of sand surface in the Tazhong area located in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert. The results showed that (1) the newly-formed landform in sand protection systems is dominated by aeolian deposition including the small-scale Nabkha Dunes, the medium-scale sheet-like sand deposition and the large-scale ridge-like sand deposition. To some degree, aeolian deflation landform can also be formed in the open space in the shelterbelt. Furthermore, it is difficult for aeolian deflation landform to develop in a large scale in the interdunes. However, aeolian deflation landform can be developed in a large-scale on the windward slope of secondary dunes in longitudinal complex sand ridges; (2) on the windward side of the sand protection systems, both the morphology and strike of dwarf mobile dunes in the interdunes are changed by the sand-obstructing forest belts and the ridge-like sand deposition around it. The wind- ward slope of the ridge-like deposition around the sand-obstructing forest belt forms a stable ground surface. After being damaged by forward-moving dunes in a short period, the ground surface is re- covered gradually; (3) on the leeward side of the sand protection systems, aeolian deflations are formed widely. Particularly, the deflation depression is formed in the interdunes. In addition, the dunes in the region with highly topographic relief are cut flat by aeolian deflations; thereafter its relief of to- pography is reduced. The above analysis indicates that shelterbelts have obvious effects on the windward wind-sand flux in terms of dissipating energy and intercepting sand. With the recovery of wind velocity on the leeward side of the sand protection systems, the wind-sand flux gradually tends to be unsaturated; therefore the sand surface deflation is formed.展开更多
We studied the variation of soil moisture as well as its regularity over the irrigation cycle at shelterbelts along the Tarim Desert Highway at different site types and different planting years. The results show that:...We studied the variation of soil moisture as well as its regularity over the irrigation cycle at shelterbelts along the Tarim Desert Highway at different site types and different planting years. The results show that: (1) There is an obvious temporal variation of soil moisture within a typical irrigation period in shelterbelts along the Tarim Desert Highway, and the soil water storage varied linearly with the number of days after irrigation. Along the direction perpendicular to the soil top, the soil profile can be divided into four layers and each shows different dynamics of soil moisture variation, including the quickly changing layer (0—20 cm), the active layer (20—60 cm), the weakly layer (60—100 cm), and the regulated layer (under 100 cm). (2) Both the soil moisture and soil water content decreased gradually with the number of planting year, while the soil water deficit increased. It indicates that shelterbelts along the Tarim Desert Highway can retain the water accumulated from previous years. (3) The soil water storage of harden sand is the maximum among all types of sites. Specifically, it is about 1.58 times higher than that of longitudinal dune, 1.15 times higher than clay, and 1.43 times higher than flat sand. Its soil water deficit was over 900 mm.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
The Tarim Desert Highway shelterbelt, located in hinterland of Taklimakan Desert, is irrigated by underground saline water, with three to thirty gram per litter mineral degrees. The sustain-ability and stability are a...The Tarim Desert Highway shelterbelt, located in hinterland of Taklimakan Desert, is irrigated by underground saline water, with three to thirty gram per litter mineral degrees. The sustain-ability and stability are affected by multifarious stress. The structural and functional characteristics of shelterbelt are studied to probe into correlation between environment and shelterbelt. On basis, decision analysis is applied to study ecological stability of the Tarim Desert Highway shelterbelt, to screen out limited factors, to establish general index system, and to evaluate the stability of the shelterbelt nowadays. Finally, the concept of ecological stability is utilized to manage the artificial ecosystem. The results show that the artificial ecosystem is relatively flimsy, whose stability can be increased by adjusting stand structure and improving the nutrient cycle.展开更多
The study subjects“Tarim Desert Highway Engineering Project”are divided into seven special subjects and 30 sub-subjects.T he special subjects.-are:route selection,sands protection and control,building materials of r...The study subjects“Tarim Desert Highway Engineering Project”are divided into seven special subjects and 30 sub-subjects.T he special subjects.-are:route selection,sands protection and control,building materials of road,surface structure and surface stabilization,construction and ma1ntena nce,engineering geology and hydrogeology,hydrogeo-logical analysis of the bridge on Tarim River and its protection facilities,and environmental assessment.展开更多
Desertification is one of the most serious environmental problems in the world,especially in the arid desert regions.Combating desertification,therefore,is an urgent task on a regional or even global scale.The Taklima...Desertification is one of the most serious environmental problems in the world,especially in the arid desert regions.Combating desertification,therefore,is an urgent task on a regional or even global scale.The Taklimakan Desert in China is the second largest mobile desert in the world and has been called the''Dead Sea''due to few organisms can exist in such a harsh environment.The Taklimakan Desert Highway,the longest desert highway(a total length of 446 km)across the mobile desert in the world,was built in the 1990s within the Taklimakan Desert.It has an important strategic significance regarding oil and gas resources exploration and plays a vital role in the socio-economic development of southern Xinjiang,China.However,wind-blow sand seriously damages the smoothness of the desert highway and,in this case,mechanical sand control system(including sand barrier fences and straw checkerboards)was used early in the life of the desert highway to protect the road.Unfortunately,more than 70%of the sand barrier fences and straw checkerboards have lost their functions,and the desert highway has often been buried and frequently blocked since 1999.To solve this problem,a long artificial shelterbelt with the length of 437 km was built along the desert highway since 2000.However,some potential problems still exist for the sustainable development of the desert highway,such as water shortage,strong sandstorms,extreme environmental characteristics and large maintenance costs.The study aims to provide an overview of the damages caused by wind-blown sand and the effects of sand control measures along the Taklimakan Desert Highway.Ultimately,we provide some suggestions for the biological sand control system to ensure the sustainable development of the Taklimakan Desert Highway,such as screening drought-resistant species to reduce the irrigation requirement and ensure the sound development of groundwater,screening halophytes to restore vegetation in the case of soil salinization,and planting cash crops,such as Cistanche,Wolfberry,Apocynum and other cash crops to decrease the high cost of maintenance on highways and shelterbelts.展开更多
Guardrail,an important highway traffic safety facility,is mainly used to prevent vehicles from accidentally driving off the road and to ensure driving safety.Desert highway guardrails hinder the movement of wind-blown...Guardrail,an important highway traffic safety facility,is mainly used to prevent vehicles from accidentally driving off the road and to ensure driving safety.Desert highway guardrails hinder the movement of wind-blown sand,resulting in the decline of sand transportation by the pavement and the deposition of sand gains on the pavement,and endangering traffic safety.To reveal the influence of guardrails on sand transportation of desert highway pavement,we tested the flow field and sand transport volume distribution around the concrete,W-beam,and cable guardrails under different wind velocities through wind tunnel simulation.Wind velocity attenuation coefficients,sand transportation quantity,and sand transportation efficiency are used to measure sand transportation of highway pavement.The results show that the sand transportation of highway pavement was closely related to the zoning characteristics of flow field and variation of wind velocity around the guardrails.The flow field of the concrete guardrail was divided into deceleration,acceleration,and vortex zones.The interaction between the W-beam guardrail and wind-blown sand was similar to that of lower wind deflector.Behind and under the plates,there were the vortex zone and acceleration zone,respectively.The acceleration zone was conducive to transporting sand on the pavement.The cable guardrail only caused wind velocity variability within the height range of guardrail,and there was no sand deposition on the highway pavement.When the cable,W-beam,and concrete guardrails were used,the total transportation quantities on the highway pavement were 423.53,415.74,and 136.53 g/min,respectively,and sand transportation efficiencies were 99.31%,91.25%,and 12.84%,respectively.From the perspective of effective sand transportation on the pavement,the cable guardrail should be preferred as a desert highway guardrail,followed by the W-beam guardrail,and the concrete guardrail is unsuitable.The study results provide theoretical basis for the optimal design of desert highway guardrails and the prevention of wind-blown sand disasters on the highway pavement.展开更多
Due to interference of vegetation by experiment in wind tunnel and observation in field,the boundary layer is divided into 2 sublayers approximately at the vegetation height.As for the vertical wind gradient,it change...Due to interference of vegetation by experiment in wind tunnel and observation in field,the boundary layer is divided into 2 sublayers approximately at the vegetation height.As for the vertical wind gradient,it changes disorderly in rough sublayer of the lower and changes regularly in inertial sublayer of the upper varying with vegetation characteristics.Erosion rate increases exponentially with vegetation coverage reduction.The establishment of shrub shelterbelt along Tarim Desert Highway made obvious effects not only on wind preventing and sand binding,but also on microclimate.Compared with mobile dune,air temperature is higher in summer and lower in autumn,while relative moisture is higher,and evaporation and soil temperature lower in the shrub shelterbelt.展开更多
基金Supported by Major Orientation Foundation of the CAS Innovation Program (Grant No. KZCX3-SW-342)CAS Action-Plan for West Development (Grant No. KZCX2- XB2-13)+2 种基金Major Scientific and Technological Special of Xinjiang Uygur Autono-mous Region (Grant No. 200733144-3)the research projects of the Tarim Branch of PetroChina Company Limited (Grant Nos. 971008090016 and 971008090017)CAS Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography "Dr. Talent" Project of Oasis Scholars Training Plan
文摘To study the changes of soil fertility of the shelter-forest land along the Tarim Desert Highway, soils from the forest land were collected at the layers of 0―10 cm, 10―20 cm, 20―30 cm. Different soil fertility parameters were measured, and quantitative evaluation of soil fertility was performed by the soil integrated fertility index (IFI). The main results show that the construction of the shelter forest along the Tarim Desert Highway improved the soil physical structure, increased soil porosity and enhanced wa- ter-holding capacity. With the increase of plantation time of the shelter forest, soil microbial biomass C, N, P and the activities of six types of enzyme were enhanced, which promoted the accumulation and transformation of soil nutrients of the forest land. Consequently, the soil nutrients in 12-year-old forest land were much higher than in the newer ones and drifting sand. However, soil salt content of the older forest land was higher owing to the drip-irrigation with salt water. Through the comprehensive evalua- tion, we found that soil fertility index in the forest land was enhanced with the forest age, and it had close correlations with the growth indices of the forest trees. In summary, construction of the shelterforest along the Tarim Desert Highway accelerated the improvement of aeolian soil in the forest land, and the soil fertility improved year by year. We conclude that the forest trees grow normally under the stress of the present drip-irrigation with salt water.
基金Supported by Major Orientation Foundation of the CAS Innovation Program (Grant No. KZCX3-SW-342)CAS Action-Plan for West Development (Grant No. KZCX2-XB2-13)+3 种基金Major Scientific and Technological Special of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (Grant No. 200733144-3)National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40701019)the research projects of the Tarim Branch of Petro-China Company Limited (Grant Nos. 971008090016 and 971008090017)the Western Light of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No.20052118)
文摘Through the systematic field survey and observations, the factor quantification as well as setting the criteria, the sand disaster-forming environment along the Tarim Desert Highway can be divided into four grades by the classification and regionalization based on fuzzy mathematics. The length of the regions with significant sand disaster accounted for 37.1% of the total highway length. Particularly, the area along the Tarim Desert Highway, based on the sand disaster-forming environment classification as well as the difference in the five basic landform units along the highway, combined with the difference of wind regime, can be divided into five regions, in which the length of the regions suffering severe sand damage occupied 64.3% of the total highway length. In addition, the index of disaster formation grade along the highway decreased from north to south, showing a repeated spatial pattern in small length scales.
基金Supported by Major Orientation Foundation of the CAS Innovation Program (Grant No. KZCX3-SW-342)CAS Action-Plan for West Development (Grant No. KZCX2-XB2- 13)+3 种基金Major Scientific and Technological Special of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (Grant No. 200733144-3)National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40701019)the research projects of the Tarim Branch of PetroChina Company Limited (Grant Nos. 971008090016 and 971008090017)the Western Light of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. 20052118)
文摘Site types of the afforestation region of the shelter-forest ecological project along the Tarim Desert Highway were classified based on the natural conditions and windblown sand damages. The extremely severe environment, the irrigation with saline water, and large-scale linear project makes this classification of site types most unique and significant. It adopted a three-level classification system integrating the dominant factors and restrictive factors in regard to their impacts on plant survival and growth as well as on the protective property. Six site type districts were classified based on the medium-scale geomorphic unit, the windblown sand damages, and the major production facilities; 21 site type groups were obtained according to the small-scale geomorphic type, terrain, and wind regime; 36 site types were further classified based on the salt contents of the underground water and soil types. Especially, in this study, spatial distribution of the six site type districts along the desert highway is continuous, which is unique and different from that of most other classifications. In addition, the salt-stress tolerance threshold of the main afforestation plant species to underground water have been set to 8 g/L and 15 g/L according to selective breeding tests and the salinity spatial distribution of the underground water. Thus, the underground water with salinity lower than 8 g/L is defined as light saline water in this area.
基金Supported by Major Orientation Foundation of the CAS Innovation Program (Grant No. KZCX3-SW-342)CAS Action-Plan for West Development (Grant No. KZCX2-XB2-13)+1 种基金the Major Scientific and Technological Special of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (Grant No. 200733144-3)the research projects of the Tarim Branch of PetroChina Company Limited (Grant Nos. 971008090016 and 971008090017)
文摘In this work, a groundwater monitor section along the Tarim Desert Highway was set up, and the groundwater level data were recorded. The temporal and spatial fluctuations of the groundwater level were analyzed based on the groundwater level measurements, hydrologic data, the groundwater/surface water interconversion theory and the groundwater dynamics. The spatial distribution of groundwater is mostly affected by sand dune height and landform variation. The four primary temporal influence factors of groundwater level can be ordered in decreasing significance as: shelterbelt pumping > vertical leakage > river flow change > runoff replenishment. The runoff replenishment has the biggest influence range, and the shelterbelt pumping has the smallest influence range. The groundwater level fluctuates annually in a natural pattern.
基金Supported by Knowledge Innovation Project of Chinese Academy of Science (Grant No. KZCX3-SW-342-02)Key Project of the "West China Science and Technology Development Action" by Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No. 2004BA901A21-1)
文摘The plant water consumption and irrigation management are the core issue of the sustainable growing of the Tarim Desert Highway shelterbelt in the hyperaride Taklimakan Desert. The stem sap flow, water status and water consumption of shelterbelt plants were studied, then, the issue of the water save in the process of shelterbelt irrigation management was discussed by measuring the sap flow of shelterbelt plants with a stem sap flow gauge. The stem sap flow exhibited a distinct diurnal course with maximum values between 10:00 and 15:00, and minimum values between 00:00 and 03:00. Generally, sap flow was lower at night than during the day. The daily average stem sap flow of Calligonum arborescens, Tamarix ramosissima and Haloxylon ammodendron (diameter 1.9―2.0 cm) was 67.2 g·h-1, 77.05 g·h-1 and 61.54 g·h-1 respectively. The sap flow was influenced by environmental factors, and the solar radiation, wind velocity, temperature and relative humidity were significantly correlative with plant stem sap flow. The annual water consumption of 8-a Calligonum arborescens, Tamarix ramosissima and Haloxylon ammodendron was 1937.80 kg, 1253.39 kg and 1026.96 kg, while daily average water consumption was 9.69 kg, 6.27 kg and 5.13 kg respectively. Under drip irrigation, soil moisture content of the shelterbelt in different months indicated no obvious fluctuation, and soil moisture was adequate. The predawn and midday plant water potential reflected that the plant water status was in good conditions. There is still some water-saving space if optimizing the present water management, integrating water resources conservation and protection performance.
基金Supported by Major Orientation Foundation of the CAS Innovation Program (Grant No. KZCX3-SW-342)CAS Action-Plan for West Development (Grant No. KZCX2-XB2-13)+3 种基金Major Scientific and Technological Special of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (Grant No. 200733144-3)National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40701019)the research projects of the Tarim Branch of Petro-China Company Limited (Grant Nos. 971008090016 and 971008090017)the Western Light of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. 20052118)
文摘To study the effects of sand protection project on modern aeolian landform, the types, distribution, and intensity of topographical changes of the ground surface affected by the shelterbelt along the Tarim Desert Highway were determined by measuring the deflation and deposition of sand surface in the Tazhong area located in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert. The results showed that (1) the newly-formed landform in sand protection systems is dominated by aeolian deposition including the small-scale Nabkha Dunes, the medium-scale sheet-like sand deposition and the large-scale ridge-like sand deposition. To some degree, aeolian deflation landform can also be formed in the open space in the shelterbelt. Furthermore, it is difficult for aeolian deflation landform to develop in a large scale in the interdunes. However, aeolian deflation landform can be developed in a large-scale on the windward slope of secondary dunes in longitudinal complex sand ridges; (2) on the windward side of the sand protection systems, both the morphology and strike of dwarf mobile dunes in the interdunes are changed by the sand-obstructing forest belts and the ridge-like sand deposition around it. The wind- ward slope of the ridge-like deposition around the sand-obstructing forest belt forms a stable ground surface. After being damaged by forward-moving dunes in a short period, the ground surface is re- covered gradually; (3) on the leeward side of the sand protection systems, aeolian deflations are formed widely. Particularly, the deflation depression is formed in the interdunes. In addition, the dunes in the region with highly topographic relief are cut flat by aeolian deflations; thereafter its relief of to- pography is reduced. The above analysis indicates that shelterbelts have obvious effects on the windward wind-sand flux in terms of dissipating energy and intercepting sand. With the recovery of wind velocity on the leeward side of the sand protection systems, the wind-sand flux gradually tends to be unsaturated; therefore the sand surface deflation is formed.
基金Supported by Major Orientation Foundation of the CAS Innovation Program (Grant No. KZCX3-SW-342)CAS Action-Plan for West Development (Grant No. KZCX2- XB2-13)+2 种基金Major Scientific and Technological Special of Xinjiang Uygur Autono-mous Region (Grant No. 200733144-3)National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40701098)the research projects of the Tarim Branch of Pet-roChina Company Limited (Grant Nos. 971008090016 and 971008090017)
文摘We studied the variation of soil moisture as well as its regularity over the irrigation cycle at shelterbelts along the Tarim Desert Highway at different site types and different planting years. The results show that: (1) There is an obvious temporal variation of soil moisture within a typical irrigation period in shelterbelts along the Tarim Desert Highway, and the soil water storage varied linearly with the number of days after irrigation. Along the direction perpendicular to the soil top, the soil profile can be divided into four layers and each shows different dynamics of soil moisture variation, including the quickly changing layer (0—20 cm), the active layer (20—60 cm), the weakly layer (60—100 cm), and the regulated layer (under 100 cm). (2) Both the soil moisture and soil water content decreased gradually with the number of planting year, while the soil water deficit increased. It indicates that shelterbelts along the Tarim Desert Highway can retain the water accumulated from previous years. (3) The soil water storage of harden sand is the maximum among all types of sites. Specifically, it is about 1.58 times higher than that of longitudinal dune, 1.15 times higher than clay, and 1.43 times higher than flat sand. Its soil water deficit was over 900 mm.
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.
文摘The Tarim Desert Highway shelterbelt, located in hinterland of Taklimakan Desert, is irrigated by underground saline water, with three to thirty gram per litter mineral degrees. The sustain-ability and stability are affected by multifarious stress. The structural and functional characteristics of shelterbelt are studied to probe into correlation between environment and shelterbelt. On basis, decision analysis is applied to study ecological stability of the Tarim Desert Highway shelterbelt, to screen out limited factors, to establish general index system, and to evaluate the stability of the shelterbelt nowadays. Finally, the concept of ecological stability is utilized to manage the artificial ecosystem. The results show that the artificial ecosystem is relatively flimsy, whose stability can be increased by adjusting stand structure and improving the nutrient cycle.
文摘The study subjects“Tarim Desert Highway Engineering Project”are divided into seven special subjects and 30 sub-subjects.T he special subjects.-are:route selection,sands protection and control,building materials of road,surface structure and surface stabilization,construction and ma1ntena nce,engineering geology and hydrogeology,hydrogeo-logical analysis of the bridge on Tarim River and its protection facilities,and environmental assessment.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31971731,41771121)the Xinjiang National Key Research and Development Program(2019B00005)+1 种基金the National Key Research and Development Program(2017YFC0506705)the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of Chinese Academy of Sciences(2017476).
文摘Desertification is one of the most serious environmental problems in the world,especially in the arid desert regions.Combating desertification,therefore,is an urgent task on a regional or even global scale.The Taklimakan Desert in China is the second largest mobile desert in the world and has been called the''Dead Sea''due to few organisms can exist in such a harsh environment.The Taklimakan Desert Highway,the longest desert highway(a total length of 446 km)across the mobile desert in the world,was built in the 1990s within the Taklimakan Desert.It has an important strategic significance regarding oil and gas resources exploration and plays a vital role in the socio-economic development of southern Xinjiang,China.However,wind-blow sand seriously damages the smoothness of the desert highway and,in this case,mechanical sand control system(including sand barrier fences and straw checkerboards)was used early in the life of the desert highway to protect the road.Unfortunately,more than 70%of the sand barrier fences and straw checkerboards have lost their functions,and the desert highway has often been buried and frequently blocked since 1999.To solve this problem,a long artificial shelterbelt with the length of 437 km was built along the desert highway since 2000.However,some potential problems still exist for the sustainable development of the desert highway,such as water shortage,strong sandstorms,extreme environmental characteristics and large maintenance costs.The study aims to provide an overview of the damages caused by wind-blown sand and the effects of sand control measures along the Taklimakan Desert Highway.Ultimately,we provide some suggestions for the biological sand control system to ensure the sustainable development of the Taklimakan Desert Highway,such as screening drought-resistant species to reduce the irrigation requirement and ensure the sound development of groundwater,screening halophytes to restore vegetation in the case of soil salinization,and planting cash crops,such as Cistanche,Wolfberry,Apocynum and other cash crops to decrease the high cost of maintenance on highways and shelterbelts.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52168065)。
文摘Guardrail,an important highway traffic safety facility,is mainly used to prevent vehicles from accidentally driving off the road and to ensure driving safety.Desert highway guardrails hinder the movement of wind-blown sand,resulting in the decline of sand transportation by the pavement and the deposition of sand gains on the pavement,and endangering traffic safety.To reveal the influence of guardrails on sand transportation of desert highway pavement,we tested the flow field and sand transport volume distribution around the concrete,W-beam,and cable guardrails under different wind velocities through wind tunnel simulation.Wind velocity attenuation coefficients,sand transportation quantity,and sand transportation efficiency are used to measure sand transportation of highway pavement.The results show that the sand transportation of highway pavement was closely related to the zoning characteristics of flow field and variation of wind velocity around the guardrails.The flow field of the concrete guardrail was divided into deceleration,acceleration,and vortex zones.The interaction between the W-beam guardrail and wind-blown sand was similar to that of lower wind deflector.Behind and under the plates,there were the vortex zone and acceleration zone,respectively.The acceleration zone was conducive to transporting sand on the pavement.The cable guardrail only caused wind velocity variability within the height range of guardrail,and there was no sand deposition on the highway pavement.When the cable,W-beam,and concrete guardrails were used,the total transportation quantities on the highway pavement were 423.53,415.74,and 136.53 g/min,respectively,and sand transportation efficiencies were 99.31%,91.25%,and 12.84%,respectively.From the perspective of effective sand transportation on the pavement,the cable guardrail should be preferred as a desert highway guardrail,followed by the W-beam guardrail,and the concrete guardrail is unsuitable.The study results provide theoretical basis for the optimal design of desert highway guardrails and the prevention of wind-blown sand disasters on the highway pavement.
文摘Due to interference of vegetation by experiment in wind tunnel and observation in field,the boundary layer is divided into 2 sublayers approximately at the vegetation height.As for the vertical wind gradient,it changes disorderly in rough sublayer of the lower and changes regularly in inertial sublayer of the upper varying with vegetation characteristics.Erosion rate increases exponentially with vegetation coverage reduction.The establishment of shrub shelterbelt along Tarim Desert Highway made obvious effects not only on wind preventing and sand binding,but also on microclimate.Compared with mobile dune,air temperature is higher in summer and lower in autumn,while relative moisture is higher,and evaporation and soil temperature lower in the shrub shelterbelt.
