Wind and water erosion are among the most important causes of soil loss, and understanding their interactions is important for estimating soil quality and environmental impacts in regions where both types of erosion occur. We used a wind tunnel and simulated rainfall to study sediment yield, particle-size distribution and the fractal dimension of the sediment particles under wind and water erosion. The experiment was conducted with wind erosion firstly and water erosion thereafter, under three wind speeds(0, 11 and 14 m/s) and three rainfall intensities(60, 80 and 100 mm/h). The results showed that the sediment yield was positively correlated with wind speed and rainfall intensity(P0.05). The fractal dimension of the sediment particles was significantly different under different intensities of water erosion(P<0.05), but no significant difference was found under wind and water erosion. The findings reported in this study implicated that both water and wind erosion should be controlled to reduce their intensifying effects, and the controlling of wind erosion could significantly reduce water erosion in this wind-water erosion crisscross region.
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