Experimental investigation of the height profile of sand-dust fluxes in the 0-50-m layer and the effects of vegetation on dust reduction

摘要

The height profile of sand-dust flux at 0-2.0-m has been well studied. However, there have been very few experimental studies in the 0-50-m layer. In this study, the height profile of sand-dust flux at 0-50-m was observed by using three sandstorm observation towers (50 m in height) in 2006. The towers were located at three sites with different vegetation conditions (desert, edge of an oasis, and oasis) in the Minqin region, a typical desert-oasis area in China. At the same time, the features of the underlying vegetation were investigated. Results indicated that in the 0-50-m layer, sand-dust flux decreased rapidly as height rose at the desert and the edge of oasis sites, whereas it increased slightly as height rose in the oasis site. At the three sites sand-dust fluxes at each height increased with wind velocity, and there was a fairly good exponential relationship among them. In 2006, a total of 19 sandstorms occurred. The annual sand-dust that passed through a 1-m-wide, 50-m-high section was 9,169 kg at the desert site, 5,318 kg at the edge of oasis site, and 2,345 kg at the oasis site. Compared with the desert site, the annual sand flux was lower by 42% at the edge of oasis site and 74% at the oasis site. Vegetation had a significant effect in reducing the sand-dust flux.