Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions ›› 2015, Vol. 7 ›› Issue (6): 675-686.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1226.2015.00675

• ARTICLES • Previous Articles    

Vertical distribution of soil moisture and surface sandy soil wind erosion for different types of sand dune on the southeastern margin of the Mu Us Sandy Land, China

ChaoFeng Fu1,2, JingBo Zhao2, FanMin Mei3, TianJie Shao2, Jun Zuo1   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Western Mineral Resources and Geological Engineering, Ministry of Education of China & Chang'an University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710054, China;
    2. College of Tourism and Environment Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710062, China;
    3. Environmental and Chemical Engineering College, Xi'an Polytechnic University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710048, China
  • Received:2015-04-17 Revised:2015-07-09 Published:2018-11-23
  • Contact: ChaoFeng Fu E-mail:fucf@chd.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    The research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41140028, 41340043), and the Central University Research Foundation, Chang'an University (310827152014) and the State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology (SKLLQG).

Abstract: Soil moisture is a critical state affecting a variety of land surface and subsurface processes. We report investigation results of the factors controlling vertical variation of soil moisture and sand transport rate of three types of dunes on the southeastern margin of the Mu Us Sandy Land. Samples were taken from holes drilled to a depth of 4 m at different topographic sites on the dunes, and were analyzed for soil moisture, grain-size distribution and surface sediment discharge. The results show that: (1) The average soil moisture varies in different types of dunes, with the following sequences ordered from highest to lowest: in the shrubs-covered dunes and the trees-covered dunes the sequence is from inter-dunes lowland to windward slope to leeward slope. The average moisture in the bare-migratory sand dunes is sequenced from inter-dunes lowland to leeward slope to windward slope. (2) Vegetation form and surface coverage affect the range of soil moisture of different types of dunes in the same topographic position. The coefficient of variation of soil moisture for shrubs-covered dunes is higher than that of other types of dune. (3) The effect of shrubs on dune soil moisture is explained in terms of the greater ability of shrubs to trap fine-grained atmospheric dust and hold moisture. (4) The estimated sand transport rates over sand dunes with sparse shrubs are less than those over bare-migratory dunes or sand dunes with sparse trees, indicating that shrubs are more effective in inhibiting wind erosion in the sandy land area.

Key words: soil moisture, surface sandy soil wind erosion, vegetation form, micro-geomorphology, sand dunes, desertification control

Alfaro SC, Gomes L, 2001. Modeling mineral aerosol production by wind erosion: Emission intensities and aerosol size distributions in source areas. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (1984-2012), 106: 18075-18084. DOI: 10.1029/2000JD900339.
Beckett P, Webster R, 1971. Soil variability: a review. Soils and Fertilizers, 34: 1-15.
Bergkamp G, 1998. A hierarchical view of the interactions of runoff and infiltration with vegetation and microtopography in semiarid shrublands. Catena, 33: 201-220. DOI: 10.1016/S0341-8162(98)00092-7.
Berndtsson R, Nodomi K, Yasuda H, et al., 1996. Soil water and temperature patterns in an arid desert dune sand. Journal of Hydrology, 185: 221-240. DOI: 10.1016/0022-1694(95)02987-7.
Breshears DD, Barnes FJ, 1999. Interrelationships between plant functional types and soil moisture heterogeneity for semiarid landscapes within the grassland/forest continuum: a unified conceptual model. Landscape Ecology, 14: 465-478. DOI: 10.1023/A:1008040327508.
Bromley J, Brouwer J, Barker A, et al., 1997. The role of surface water redistribution in an area of patterned vegetation in a semi-arid environment, south-west Niger. Journal of Hydrology, 198: 1-29. DOI: 10.1016/S0022-1694(96)03322-7.
Burt T, Butcher D, 1985. Topographic controls of soil moisture distributions. Journal of Soil Science, 36: 469-486. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2389.1985.tb00351.x.
Canton Y, Sole-Benet A, Domingo F, 2004. Temporal and spatial patterns of soil moisture in semiarid badlands of SE Spain. Journal of Hydrology, 285: 199-214. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2003.08.018.
English NB, Weltzin JF, Fravolini A, et al., 2005. The influence of soil texture and vegetation on soil moisture under rainout shelters in a semi-desert grassland. Journal of Arid Environments, 63: 324-343. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2005.03.013.
Famiglietti J, Rudnicki J, Rodell M, 1998. Variability in surface moisture content along a hillslope transect: Rattlesnake Hill, Texas. Journal of Hydrology, 210: 259-281. DOI: 10.1016/S0022-1694(98)00187-5.
Feng Q, Cheng G, 1999. Moisture distribution and movement in sandy lands of China. Acta Pedologica Sinica, 36: 225-236.
Fu BJ, Chen LD, Ma KM, et al., 2000. The relationships between land use and soil conditions in the hilly area of the loess plateau in northern Shaanxi, China. Catena, 39: 69-78. DOI: 10.1016/S0341-8162(99)00084-3.
Gómez-Plaza A, Martinez-Mena M, Albaladejo J, et al., 2001. Factors regulating spatial distribution of soil water content in small semiarid catchments. Journal of Hydrology, 253: 211-226. DOI: 10.1016/S0022-1694(01)00483-8.
Gao XD, Wu PT, Zhao XN, et al., 2011. Soil moisture variability along transects over a well-developed gully in the Loess Plateau, China. Catena, 87: 357-367. DOI: 10.1016/j.catena.2011.07.004.
Gomes L, Bergametti G, Dulac F, et al., 1990. Assessing the actual size distribution of atmospheric aerosols collected with a cascade impactor. Journal of Aerosol Science, 21: 47-59. DOI: 10.1016/0021-8502(90)90022-P.
Guo K, Dong X, Liu Z, 2000. Characteristics of soil moisture content on sand dunes in Mu Us sandy grassland: why Artemisia ordosica declines on old fixed sand dunes. Acta Phytoecologica Sinica, 24: 275-279.
Han D, Yang W, Yang M, 1996. Relations and Applications on the Shrub (arbor) Water Dynamic in Arid and Semi-arid Sandy. Land China Science &Technology, Beijing.
Hawley ME, Jackson TJ, McCuen RH, 1983. Surface soil moisture variation on small agricultural watersheds. Journal of Hydrology, 62: 179-200. DOI: 10.1016/0022-1694(83)90102-6.
Hebrard O, Voltz M, Andrieux P, et al., 2006. Spatio-temporal distribution of soil surface moisture in a heterogeneously farmed Mediterranean catchment. Journal of Hydrology, 329: 110-121. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2006.02.012.
Huang Z, Ouyang Z, Li F, et al., 2009. Spatial and temporal dynamics in soil water storage under different use types of sloping fields: a case study in a highland region of southern China. Acta Ecologyica Sinice, 29: 3136-3146.
Jia B, Ci L, Cai T, et al., 2002. Preliminsry research on changing soil water characters at ecotone between oasis and desert. Acta Phytoecologica Sinica, 26: 203-208.
Li H, Dong Z, Wang L, 2006. Research on temporal and spatial variety of soil moistures of shifting sand dune and four main plant communities on Otindag Sandy Land. Journal of Arid Land Resources and Environment, 20: 169-174.
Loik ME, Breshears DD, Lauenroth WK, et al., 2004. A multi-scale perspective of water pulses in dryland ecosystems: climatology and ecohydrology of the western USA. Oecologia, 141: 269-281. DOI: 10.1007/s00442-004-1570-y.
Ludwig JA, Wilcox BP, Breshears DD, et al., 2005. Vegetation patches and runoff-erosion as interacting ecohydrological processes in semiarid landscapes. Ecology, 86: 288-297. DOI: 10.1890/03-0569.
Lv Y, Hu K, Li B, 2006. The spatiotemporal variability of soil water in sand dunes in Mowusu desert. Acta Pedologica Sinica, 43: 152-154.
Marticorena B, Bergametti G, 1995. Modeling the atmospheric dust cycle: 1. Design of a soil-derived dust emission scheme. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (1984-2012), 100: 16415-16430. DOI: 10.1029/95JD00690.
Marticorena B, Bergametti G, Aumont B, et al., 1997. Modeling the atmospheric dust cycle: 2. Simulation of Saharan dust sources. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (1984-2012), 102: 4387-4404. DOI: 10.1029/96JD02964.
Pan YX, Wang XP, Jia RL, et al., 2008. Spatial variability of surface soil moisture content in a re-vegetated desert area in Shapotou, Northern China. Journal of Arid Environments, 72: 1675-1683. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2008.03.010.
Petrone RM, Price J, Carey S, et al., 2004. Statistical characterization of the spatial variability of soil moisture in a cutover peatland. Hydrological Processes, 18: 41-52. DOI: 10.1002/hyp.1309.
Qiu Y, Fu BJ, Wang J, et al., 2001a. Spatial variability of soil moisture content and its relation to environmental indices in a semi-arid gully catchment of the Loess Plateau, China. Journal of Arid Environments, 49: 723-750. DOI: 10.1006/jare.2001.0828.
Qiu Y, Fu BJ, Wang J, et al., 2001b. Soil moisture variation in relation to topography and land use in a hillslope catchment of the Loess Plateau, China. Journal of Hydrology, 240: 243-263. DOI: 10.1016/S0022-1694(00)00362-0.
Reynolds JF, Kemp PR, Ogle K, et al., 2004. Modifying the‘pulse-reserve' paradigm for deserts of North America: precipitation pulses, soil water, and plant responses. Oecologia, 141: 194-210. DOI: 10.1007/s00442-004-1524-4.
Robinson DA, Campbell CS, Hopmans JW, et al., 2008. Soil moisture measurement for ecological and hydrological watershed-scale observatories: A review. Vadose Zone Journal, 7: 358-389. DOI: 10.2136/vzj2007.0143.
Rodriguez-Iturbe I, D'odorico P, Porporato A, et al., 1999. On the spatial and temporal links between vegetation, climate, and soil moisture. Water Resources Research, 35: 3709-3722. DOI: 10.1029/1999WR900255.
Seghieri J, Galle S, Rajot JL, et al., 1997. Relationships between soil moisture and growth of herbaceous plants in a natural vegetation mosaic in Niger. Journal of Arid Environments, 36: 87-102. DOI: 10.1006/jare.1996.0195.
Shapotou Desert Science Station, Institue of Desert Research, CAS, 1991. Principle and Method on Sand-fixing at the Shapotou Part, Baotou-Lanhou Railway. Ningxia People Press, Yinchuan.
Sveditchnyi AA, Plotnitskiy SV, Stepovaya OY, 2003. Spatial distribution of soil moisture content within catchments and its modelling on the basis of topographic data. Journal of Hydrology, 277: 50-60. DOI: 10.1016/S0022-1694(03)00083-0.
Wang M, Guan S, Wang Y, 2002. Soil moisture regimen and application for plants in Maowusu transition zone from sand land to desert. Journal of Arid Land Resources and Environment, 16: 37-44.
Wang Z, Wang L, Liu L, et al., 2006. Preliminary study on soil moisture content in dried layer of sand dunes in the Mu Us sandland. Arid Zone Research, 23: 89-92.
Wang Z, Wang L, Liu L, et al., 2007. Preliminary study on the spatiotemporal distribution of moisture content in sand dunes in the southern marginal zone of the Mu Us Desert. Arid Zone Research, 24: 61-65.
Western AW, Grayson RB, Blöschl G, et al., 1999. Observed spatial organization of soil moisture and its relation to terrain indices. Water Resources Research, 35: 797-810. DOI: 10.1029/1998WR900065.
Xiao C, Zhou G, Ma F, 2002a. Effect of water supply change on morphology and growth of dominant plants in Maowusu sandland. Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology, 26: 69-76.
Xiao J, Nakamura T, Lu H, et al., 2002b. Holocene climate changes over the desert/loess transition of north-central China. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 197: 11-18. DOI: 10.1016/S0012-821X(02)00463-6.
Yair A, Danin A, 1980. Spatial variations in vegetation as related to the soil moisture regime over an arid limestone hillside, northern Negev, Israel. Oecologia, 47: 83-88. DOI: 10.1007/BF00541779.
Yamanaka T, Yonetani T, 1999. Dynamics of the evaporation zone in dry sandy soils. Journal of Hydrology, 217: 135-148. DOI: 10.1016/S0022-1694(99)00021-9.
Yamanaka T, Takeda A, Shimada J, 1998. Evaporation beneath the soil surface: some observational evidence and numerical experiments. Hydrological Processes, 12: 2193-2203. DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1085(19981030)12:13/14<2193::AID-HYP729>3.0.CO;2-P.
Zhang T, Berndtsson R, 1988. Temporal patterns and spatial scale of soil water variability in a small humid catchment. Journal of Hydrology, 104: 111-128. DOI: 10.1016/0022-1694(88)90160-6.
Zhang Y, Liu J, Xu X, et al., 2010. The response of soil moisture content to rainfall events in semi-arid area of Inner Mongolia. Procedia Environmental Sciences, 2: 1970-1978. DOI: 10.1016/j.proenv.2010.10.211.
Zhou Z, Zhang H, 1999. A study of a land production system in semi-arid area in the northern Shaanxi Province. Acta Prataculturae Sinica, 8: 21-26.
[1] JunZhan Wang, JianJun Qu, LiHai Tan, KeCun Zhang. A method to obtain soil-moisture estimates over bare agricultural fields in arid areas by using multi-angle RADARSAT-2 data [J]. Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions, 2018, 10(2): 145-150.
[2] HongYan Bao, Kai Yang, ChengHai Wang. Characteristics of GLDAS soil-moisture data on the Tibet Plateau [J]. Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions, 2017, 9(2): 127-141.
[3] JunJun Yang, ZhiBin He, WeiJun Zhao, Jun Du, LongFei Chen, Xi Zhu. Assessing artificial neural networks coupled with wavelet analysis for multi-layer soil moisture dynamics prediction [J]. Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions, 2016, 8(2): 116-124.
[4] GuangSheng Liu, GenXu Wang. Influence of short-term experimental warming on heat-water processes of the active layer in a swamp meadow ecosystem of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau [J]. Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions, 2016, 8(2): 125-134.
Viewed
Full text


Abstract

Cited

  Shared   
  Discussed   
No Suggested Reading articles found!