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Wind Erosion Changes in a Semi-Arid Sandy Area, Inner Mongolia, China

Author

Listed:
  • Hanbing Zhang

    (College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Land Qualify, Monitoring and Control, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing 100193, China)

  • Yang Gao

    (College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Land Qualify, Monitoring and Control, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing 100193, China)

  • Danfeng Sun

    (College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Land Qualify, Monitoring and Control, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing 100193, China)

  • Lulu Liu

    (College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Land Qualify, Monitoring and Control, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing 100193, China)

  • Yanzhi Cui

    (Sino-Japan Friendship Center for Environmental Protection, Beijing 100029, China)

  • Wenjie Zhu

    (College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Land Qualify, Monitoring and Control, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing 100193, China)

Abstract

Wind erosion is one of the major environmental problems in drylands. Identifying the dominant natural factors of wind erosion and using targeted treatment measures are the key steps in wind erosion control. Using Horqin Left Back Banner in China as a case study, we applied the revised wind erosion equation to simulate the spatial distribution of wind erosion in the semi-arid sandy area. Contribution assessment and constraint line analysis were used to investigate the contributions of driving forces to wind erosion changes. The results showed that the wind erosion in the whole area was reduced by 0.35 t/hm 2 ·a from 2005 to 2016. The wind factor and vegetation coverage factor had dominant contributions to the wind erosion modulus and accounted for the erosion in 49.87% and 50.13% of the total area, respectively. In addition, the average wind speed exceeding the threshold and the number of occurrences exhibited significant correlations with the wind erosion severity. Meanwhile, the mitigation effects of vegetation coverage on wind erosion decreased with the increase in wind speed. The temporal mismatch between the wind speed and vegetation coverage was the main reason for the frequent severe wind erosion in spring. Reducing the spring wind speed through adding windbreaks would be an effective method for decreasing wind erosion in semi-arid areas.

Suggested Citation

  • Hanbing Zhang & Yang Gao & Danfeng Sun & Lulu Liu & Yanzhi Cui & Wenjie Zhu, 2019. "Wind Erosion Changes in a Semi-Arid Sandy Area, Inner Mongolia, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-19, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:1:p:188-:d:194335
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    Cited by:

    1. Chao Song & Qiyin Yu & Ruixia Wang & Guofa Cui, 2021. "Radiating Benefit of Windbreak and Sand Fixation in the Baijitan Nature Reserve of Lingwu, Ningxia, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-22, March.

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