Research On Soil Wind Erosion In An Arid Region In China.

Sand and dust storm, wind erosion and land desertification are common major problems in arid areas, particularly in Xinjiang, located in the center of Eurasia, northwestern China. Xinjiang has 1/6 of total land area of China, desert accounts for 22% of its total area and 63% of total desert area of China, only 5% is oasis. The average annual precipitation is only 20-50 mm and potential evaporation is as high as 2000 mm in the south. Highly erodible wind erosion in Xinjiang accounts for 82% of the total erodible area in China. Wind erosion is extremely high in the southeastern Xinjiang where the largest desert in China, Taklimakan desert is located. Dust storms occur for 20 to 59 days every year in the Tarim basin. However, little efforts were taken to study soil wind erosion in southern Xinjiang. Therefore, intensive field investigation was conducted to quantify soil wind erosion in three ecological zones: desert, transition zone and oasis around Taklimakan desert. Horizontal and vertical flux of soil and profile of wind speed and temperature were measured. As results, total soil loss and suspended particulates were determined in each zone. Major factors and erosion process of wind erosion were characterized. These results will be reported in the presentation.