Study on Soil Erosion by Wind Tunnel Experiment of Semi-Arid Steppe in Inner Mongolia

Abstract:

The characteristics of soil erosion of steppe in Inner Mongolia were studied in wind-tunnel tests. The results indicated that the soil in this region consists primarily of sand and coarse silt, with particle sizes mainly between 0.02 and 1mm, and it is defined as erodible sandy soil. The eroded sediments are mainly concentrated at heights of 0~24cm, and the extreme value of particle size is clearly in the range 100~300μm. Average particle size increased with increasing wind speed, and it decreased exponentially in the vertical direction, reflecting the characteristics of sand transport by wind. The relationship between wind erosion rate and wind speed assumes a power function with correlation coefficients greater than 0.9. A wind speed of 15m/s is a significance point above which wind erosion in this region becomes very large. Soil erosion rate decreases logarithmically as soil moisture content and vegetation coverage increase, and the 5% level of moisture content is a turning point.

• Periodical: Advanced Materials Research (Volumes 518-523)
• Pages: 4766-4770
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.518-523.4766
• Online since: May 2012
• Authors: Lan Gao, Yu Jun Qiu, Xue Yong Zou, Ren De Wang, Na Zhou
• Keywords: Particle Size, Semi-Arid Steppe Region, Soil Erosion, Wind Tunnel

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