Nebkhas,which play a fundamental role in stabilizing ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions,are currently threatened by global warming and anthropogenic activities.This study focuses on a tamarisk-nebkha profile sit...Nebkhas,which play a fundamental role in stabilizing ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions,are currently threatened by global warming and anthropogenic activities.This study focuses on a tamarisk-nebkha profile situated in the lower reaches of the Shule River Basin,an arid region in northwestern China.Using radioactive dating and the physicochemical properties of sediments,this study reconstructed changes in the nebkha’s hydro-ecological conditions over the past decades.The results revealed a significant decline in fine particle fraction,carbonate content,and low-frequency magnetic susceptibility,along with a notable increase in the Si_(2)O_(3)/Al_(2)O_(3) ratio,since the 1990s.These findings indicate the intensification of the desertification process and the degradation of hydrological conditions within the nebkha.Primary factors contributing to these transformations include the steadily rising temperature,which leads to an increased evaporation rate,and a substantial rise in human water consumption.These indicate an elevated risk of future nebkha reactivation.This reactivation,in turn,could potentially accelerate the process of regional desertification and lead to an ecological crisis.展开更多
Environments in arid and semiarid regions are extremely sensitive to climate changes. High wind activity in these regions has resulted in an extensively developed arid geomorphology, but past environmental changes are...Environments in arid and semiarid regions are extremely sensitive to climate changes. High wind activity in these regions has resulted in an extensively developed arid geomorphology, but past environmental changes are poorly understood because of the absence of relatively high-resolution proxies. The accumulation characteristics of nebkhas, which have developed extensively in these regions, can be used as a method of reconstructing environmental changes. Here we summarized recent advances in research on the formation, development, and sediment characteristics of nebkhas and their significance to environmental changes in arid and semiarid regions. Based on the studies of our colleagues, we suggested that research on nebkha formation can provide distinct clues about environmental changes in arid and semiarid regions; however, continued studies are needed.展开更多
Nebkhas are often extensively distributed in arid and semi-arid areas, and play an important role in the stabilization of ecological environment in these areas. This paper reviews the following aspects, including form...Nebkhas are often extensively distributed in arid and semi-arid areas, and play an important role in the stabilization of ecological environment in these areas. This paper reviews the following aspects, including formation and succession, spatial distribution, shape and surface airflow characteristics, balance between erosion and deposition, ecological and physiological characteristics of vegetation, response to precipitation and groundwater, soil properties as well as the protection measures. We found that nebkhas were studied without differentiation of succession periods, and shape characteristics, surface airflow, soil proper- ties as well as vegetation dynamics in different succession periods were not fully understood, which made it difficult to explain the succession dynamics of nebkhas and its affecting factors. Previous studies of nebkhas were over-emphasized for its role as an indicator of land deg- radation, while its ecological functions in degraded ecosystems were neglected, which was unfavorable for the ecological restorations in arid and semi-arid areas. Future studies should pay more attention to the variation of vegetation, soil as well as hydrological process in the succession of nebkhas and its interaction between different influencing factors. In addition, positive role of nebkhas in degraded ecosystems in arid and semi-arid areas should be fully discussed. According to the data got from the above, effective protection measures of nebkhas should be explored.展开更多
Abstract： Soil water repellency （WR） is an important physical characteristic of soil surface. It is capable of largely influencing the hydrological and geomorphological processes of soil, as well as affecting the e...Abstract： Soil water repellency （WR） is an important physical characteristic of soil surface. It is capable of largely influencing the hydrological and geomorphological processes of soil, as well as affecting the ecological processes of plants, such as growth and seed germination, and has thus been a hot topic in recent research around the world. In this paper, the capillary rise method was used to study the soil WR characteristics of Nitraria tangutorun nebkhas. Soil water repellencies at different succession stages of Nitraria tangutorun were investigated, and the relationships between soil WR and soil organic matter, total N, and total P, soil texture, pH, and concentrations of CO32, HCO3-, CI, SO42-, Na~, K~, Ca2~ and Mg2＋ were discussed. Soil WR may be demonstrated at the following nebkhas dune evolvement stages： extremely degraded〉degraded〉stabilized〉well developed〉newly developed〉quick sand. Apart from some soil at the bottom, the WR of other soils （crest and slope of dune） was found to be largest at the topsoil, and decreased as the soil depth increased. The results showed that multiple factors affected soil WR characteristics e.g. WR increased significantly as the contents of soil organic matter and total N increased, but did not change as the total P content increased. Soil texture was a key factor affecting soil WR; soil WR increased significantly as clay content increased, and decreased significantly as sand content increased. Low pH was shown to be more suitable for the occurrence of soil WR. Four cations （Ca2＋, Mg2＋, K＋ and Na＋） and two anions （CI and SO42） enhanced soil WR, while CO32-decreased it. HCO3- did not show any observable effect. Finally, we established a best-fit general linear model （GLM） between soil-air-water contact angle （CA） and influencing factors （CA=5.606 sand＋6.496 （clay and silt）-2.353 pH＋470.089 CQ2＋11.346 Na＋-407.707 Cl--14.245 SO42-＋0.734 total N-519.521 ）. It was concluded that all soils contain subcritical WR （0°〈CA〈90°）. The development and succession of Nitraria tangutorun nebkhas may improve the formation of soil subcritical WR. There exist significant relationships between soils subcritical WR and soil physical or chemical properties.展开更多
Phytogenic mounds(nebkhas)formed by shrubs are a common phenomenon in arid and semiarid areas.The formation of nebkhas is accompanied by the appearance of the fertile island effect.Quantitative evaluation of the shrub...Phytogenic mounds(nebkhas)formed by shrubs are a common phenomenon in arid and semiarid areas.The formation of nebkhas is accompanied by the appearance of the fertile island effect.Quantitative evaluation of the shrub sand compost island effect is a key link in preventing soil erosion and nutrient loss.This study took the typical shrub Tetraena mongolica in desert areas as the research object and quantified the sand-trapping capacity of the shrub.We revealed the influence of sediment texture and volumetric soil water content on fertile islands during the development of T.mongolica nebkhas.The results showed that(1)the single shrub intercepted large amounts of sediments due to the high density of branches of T.mongolica,forming nebkhas that were positively correlated with the shrub size.(2)The overall soil nutrient content below the shrub was greater than the soil nutrient content outside the shrub,forming a typical fertile island effect.The soil organic carbon(SOC),alkaline hydrolytic nitrogen(AHN),available phosphorus(AP),and available K(AK)content all increased gradually with increasing nebkha volume.Compared with the deep soil of nebkhas,the nutrient content of the surface soil was generally higher.(3)There was a positive correlation between the volumetric water content and nutrient content in nebkhas.(4)The semi-ellipsoid shape of T.mongolica enabled it to intercept large amounts of coarse-grained material.Fine sand(100–250μm)was the main particle size in the sediment aggregates inside the nebkhas.The fine sand content generally increased with increasing shrub size.Redundancy analysis(RDA)revealed that the fine sand content of the nebkha sediments had a strong positive correlation with the soil nutrient content.This paper provides an example for evaluating the fertile island effect during the deposition process of nebkhas in the desert transition zone.展开更多
Based on statistical analysis on morphological data of nebkhas surveyed in the Hotan River Basin,Xinjiang, the changing regularity and characters of nebkhas’ morphology in different development stageshave been discus...Based on statistical analysis on morphological data of nebkhas surveyed in the Hotan River Basin,Xinjiang, the changing regularity and characters of nebkhas’ morphology in different development stageshave been discussed. Results indicate that there exist better correlation among length, width and altitudeof all kinds of nebkhas, but there are certain various shape characters in different nebkhas and the sametype of nebkhas in differential development stages. On account of analysis on mathematical imitation ofnebkhas’ shape characters, regional ecological environmental and aeolian characters, the development ofthe nebkha can be divided into a growing stage, a stabilizing stage and a declining stage.展开更多
Nebkhas, developed by the trapping of sand within the body of a plant, were studied in the Médanos Grandes system, arid central Argentina, during the springs of 2009-2010. The dynamics of nebkhas was studied in t...Nebkhas, developed by the trapping of sand within the body of a plant, were studied in the Médanos Grandes system, arid central Argentina, during the springs of 2009-2010. The dynamics of nebkhas was studied in three draas (megadunes), and considering both orientations: leeward and windward. The Drift Potential (DP) for the study area was 42, evidencing the inactivity of the sand dunes or the scarce activity only in crests. Dominant sand movement is in south-southeast direction, with deflation processes at the southern side of the nebkhas. All nebkhas showed uniformity in the morphometry. Tricomaria usillo is the dominant plant species in the nebkha formation process;and results showed a significant positive relationship between nebkha and canopy volumes.展开更多
Nebkhas, discrete mounds of sand and vegetation, are a common landscape feature critical to the stability of desert ecosystems and supported by limited precipitation. Nebkha morphology and spatial pattern vary in land...Nebkhas, discrete mounds of sand and vegetation, are a common landscape feature critical to the stability of desert ecosystems and supported by limited precipitation. Nebkha morphology and spatial pattern vary in landscapes, but it is unclear how they change along precipitation gradients in arid and semi-arid regions. In this study we determined morphology and soil nutrient patterns of nebkha from different regions of northwestern China. The objective of this study was to understand zonal differences among nebkhas and how morphological characteristics and soil nutrient patterns of nebkha change along a precipitation gradient in northwestern China. Our results shows that mean annual precipitation(MAP) had significant effects on morphological characteristics of nebkhas such as height, area, and volume which significantly decreased with an increase in MAP. MAP had significant positive effects on shrub cover and species richness of nebkha. Soil nutrients such as soil organic matter(SOM), total carbon(TC), total nitrogen(TN), and total phosphorus(TP) in the 0-10 cm layer increased with an increase of MAP, and soil nutrient content within nebkhas was higher than in inter-nebkha areas.We concluded that nebkhas are "fertile islands" with an important role in ecosystem dynamics in study regions. Further,MAP is a key factor which determined zonal differences, morphological, and soil nutrients patterns of nebkhas. However,disturbance, such as animal grazing, and planted sand-stabilizing vegetation accelerated the degeneration of nebkha landscapes. We recommend implementation of protective measures for nebkhas in arid and semi-arid areas of China.展开更多
Nitraria sphaerocarpa Maxim., a typical desert plant which often appears in nebkha form, is widely distributed along the periph- ery of oasis in arid regions of Northwest China, and plays an important role in desertif...Nitraria sphaerocarpa Maxim., a typical desert plant which often appears in nebkha form, is widely distributed along the periph- ery of oasis in arid regions of Northwest China, and plays an important role in desertification control around oases. In this paper, the characteristics and distribution patterns ofN. sphaerocarpa nebkhas were investigated in a Gobi environment outside an oasis. Results shows that about 200 N. sphaerocarpa nebkhas per hectare was recorded and total sand sediments was 25 m3/ha. Nebkhas vary in size, and the mean height （H） and horizontal composition （L） were 15 cm and 80 cm, respectively. There exists a signifi- cant linear relationship between H and L, suggesting that the investigated nebkhas are mostly in the growth stage. The numbers, height and sand deposit ofnebkhas decreased with increasing distance away from the oasis. Grain-size analysis indicates that the mean grain size of sediments at the crests of nebkhas increased with increasing nebkha height. Organic C and total N concentra- tions were related to the mean grain size. It was concluded that N. sphaerocarpa shrubs are efficient horizontal sand traps for wind-driven sediments. A better understanding of the development of nebkha can provide information for the design of biological sand control measures around oases in add regions.展开更多
Nebkhas are isolated mounds vegetated with burial-tolerant desert plants that trap windborne sediment within their canopies.Nebkhas are critical to desertification control and biodiversity protection of oases in arid ...Nebkhas are isolated mounds vegetated with burial-tolerant desert plants that trap windborne sediment within their canopies.Nebkhas are critical to desertification control and biodiversity protection of oases in arid and semi-arid regions of China,as they(ⅰ)trap windborne sediments and ensure oasis security;(ⅱ)as“fertile islands,”nebkhas can trap and provide a suitable micro-environment for seeds,birds,and small soil animals,and increase biodiversity;(ⅲ)increase the soil surface roughness and significantly reduce soil erosion following heavy rain.However,the establishment of sand-fixing vegetation and over-grazing significantly limits the development and accelerate the degradation of nebkhas,threatening oasis ecosystems.We provide background and recommendations for protective measures for nebkha landscapes in arid and semi-arid areas of China to aid managers in oasis protection.展开更多
基金National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaNo.41401005,No.42307555+3 种基金Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences Basal Research FundNo.JKYQN202418,No.YK202405Project of the China Geological SurveyNo.DD20230459。
文摘Nebkhas,which play a fundamental role in stabilizing ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions,are currently threatened by global warming and anthropogenic activities.This study focuses on a tamarisk-nebkha profile situated in the lower reaches of the Shule River Basin,an arid region in northwestern China.Using radioactive dating and the physicochemical properties of sediments,this study reconstructed changes in the nebkha’s hydro-ecological conditions over the past decades.The results revealed a significant decline in fine particle fraction,carbonate content,and low-frequency magnetic susceptibility,along with a notable increase in the Si_(2)O_(3)/Al_(2)O_(3) ratio,since the 1990s.These findings indicate the intensification of the desertification process and the degradation of hydrological conditions within the nebkha.Primary factors contributing to these transformations include the steadily rising temperature,which leads to an increased evaporation rate,and a substantial rise in human water consumption.These indicate an elevated risk of future nebkha reactivation.This reactivation,in turn,could potentially accelerate the process of regional desertification and lead to an ecological crisis.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.41071008
文摘Environments in arid and semiarid regions are extremely sensitive to climate changes. High wind activity in these regions has resulted in an extensively developed arid geomorphology, but past environmental changes are poorly understood because of the absence of relatively high-resolution proxies. The accumulation characteristics of nebkhas, which have developed extensively in these regions, can be used as a method of reconstructing environmental changes. Here we summarized recent advances in research on the formation, development, and sediment characteristics of nebkhas and their significance to environmental changes in arid and semiarid regions. Based on the studies of our colleagues, we suggested that research on nebkha formation can provide distinct clues about environmental changes in arid and semiarid regions; however, continued studies are needed.
基金State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology,No.2008-ZZ-02Open Fund Program by Gansu Key Laboratory of Desertification Combating,No.KD200602Financial Supporting Plan of Initial Study for Young Teacher in 2009 in Sun Yat-Sen University,No.37000-3126171
文摘Nebkhas are often extensively distributed in arid and semi-arid areas, and play an important role in the stabilization of ecological environment in these areas. This paper reviews the following aspects, including formation and succession, spatial distribution, shape and surface airflow characteristics, balance between erosion and deposition, ecological and physiological characteristics of vegetation, response to precipitation and groundwater, soil properties as well as the protection measures. We found that nebkhas were studied without differentiation of succession periods, and shape characteristics, surface airflow, soil proper- ties as well as vegetation dynamics in different succession periods were not fully understood, which made it difficult to explain the succession dynamics of nebkhas and its affecting factors. Previous studies of nebkhas were over-emphasized for its role as an indicator of land deg- radation, while its ecological functions in degraded ecosystems were neglected, which was unfavorable for the ecological restorations in arid and semi-arid areas. Future studies should pay more attention to the variation of vegetation, soil as well as hydrological process in the succession of nebkhas and its interaction between different influencing factors. In addition, positive role of nebkhas in degraded ecosystems in arid and semi-arid areas should be fully discussed. According to the data got from the above, effective protection measures of nebkhas should be explored.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2009CB421303)the Strategic Priority Re- search Program–Climate Change: Carbon Budget and Relevant Issues of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA05050406-1)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (40930636, 41240003, 41271061)
文摘Abstract： Soil water repellency （WR） is an important physical characteristic of soil surface. It is capable of largely influencing the hydrological and geomorphological processes of soil, as well as affecting the ecological processes of plants, such as growth and seed germination, and has thus been a hot topic in recent research around the world. In this paper, the capillary rise method was used to study the soil WR characteristics of Nitraria tangutorun nebkhas. Soil water repellencies at different succession stages of Nitraria tangutorun were investigated, and the relationships between soil WR and soil organic matter, total N, and total P, soil texture, pH, and concentrations of CO32, HCO3-, CI, SO42-, Na~, K~, Ca2~ and Mg2＋ were discussed. Soil WR may be demonstrated at the following nebkhas dune evolvement stages： extremely degraded〉degraded〉stabilized〉well developed〉newly developed〉quick sand. Apart from some soil at the bottom, the WR of other soils （crest and slope of dune） was found to be largest at the topsoil, and decreased as the soil depth increased. The results showed that multiple factors affected soil WR characteristics e.g. WR increased significantly as the contents of soil organic matter and total N increased, but did not change as the total P content increased. Soil texture was a key factor affecting soil WR; soil WR increased significantly as clay content increased, and decreased significantly as sand content increased. Low pH was shown to be more suitable for the occurrence of soil WR. Four cations （Ca2＋, Mg2＋, K＋ and Na＋） and two anions （CI and SO42） enhanced soil WR, while CO32-decreased it. HCO3- did not show any observable effect. Finally, we established a best-fit general linear model （GLM） between soil-air-water contact angle （CA） and influencing factors （CA=5.606 sand＋6.496 （clay and silt）-2.353 pH＋470.089 CQ2＋11.346 Na＋-407.707 Cl--14.245 SO42-＋0.734 total N-519.521 ）. It was concluded that all soils contain subcritical WR （0°〈CA〈90°）. The development and succession of Nitraria tangutorun nebkhas may improve the formation of soil subcritical WR. There exist significant relationships between soils subcritical WR and soil physical or chemical properties.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.41967009)the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Talent Development Fund(Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Human Resources and Social Security Office issued[2020]98)。
文摘Phytogenic mounds(nebkhas)formed by shrubs are a common phenomenon in arid and semiarid areas.The formation of nebkhas is accompanied by the appearance of the fertile island effect.Quantitative evaluation of the shrub sand compost island effect is a key link in preventing soil erosion and nutrient loss.This study took the typical shrub Tetraena mongolica in desert areas as the research object and quantified the sand-trapping capacity of the shrub.We revealed the influence of sediment texture and volumetric soil water content on fertile islands during the development of T.mongolica nebkhas.The results showed that(1)the single shrub intercepted large amounts of sediments due to the high density of branches of T.mongolica,forming nebkhas that were positively correlated with the shrub size.(2)The overall soil nutrient content below the shrub was greater than the soil nutrient content outside the shrub,forming a typical fertile island effect.The soil organic carbon(SOC),alkaline hydrolytic nitrogen(AHN),available phosphorus(AP),and available K(AK)content all increased gradually with increasing nebkha volume.Compared with the deep soil of nebkhas,the nutrient content of the surface soil was generally higher.(3)There was a positive correlation between the volumetric water content and nutrient content in nebkhas.(4)The semi-ellipsoid shape of T.mongolica enabled it to intercept large amounts of coarse-grained material.Fine sand(100–250μm)was the main particle size in the sediment aggregates inside the nebkhas.The fine sand content generally increased with increasing shrub size.Redundancy analysis(RDA)revealed that the fine sand content of the nebkha sediments had a strong positive correlation with the soil nutrient content.This paper provides an example for evaluating the fertile island effect during the deposition process of nebkhas in the desert transition zone.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science of China (No.40461002,40861008)the Key Project of the Ministry of Education (No. 209141 )Doctoral Scientific and Technological Initial Funds of Xinjiang Normal University.
文摘Based on statistical analysis on morphological data of nebkhas surveyed in the Hotan River Basin,Xinjiang, the changing regularity and characters of nebkhas’ morphology in different development stageshave been discussed. Results indicate that there exist better correlation among length, width and altitudeof all kinds of nebkhas, but there are certain various shape characters in different nebkhas and the sametype of nebkhas in differential development stages. On account of analysis on mathematical imitation ofnebkhas’ shape characters, regional ecological environmental and aeolian characters, the development ofthe nebkha can be divided into a growing stage, a stabilizing stage and a declining stage.
文摘Nebkhas, developed by the trapping of sand within the body of a plant, were studied in the Médanos Grandes system, arid central Argentina, during the springs of 2009-2010. The dynamics of nebkhas was studied in three draas (megadunes), and considering both orientations: leeward and windward. The Drift Potential (DP) for the study area was 42, evidencing the inactivity of the sand dunes or the scarce activity only in crests. Dominant sand movement is in south-southeast direction, with deflation processes at the southern side of the nebkhas. All nebkhas showed uniformity in the morphometry. Tricomaria usillo is the dominant plant species in the nebkha formation process;and results showed a significant positive relationship between nebkha and canopy volumes.
基金supported by the National Basic resource survey (2017FY100200)Natural Science Foundation of China subsidization project (41471435)the West Light Program for Talent Cultivation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences。
文摘Nebkhas, discrete mounds of sand and vegetation, are a common landscape feature critical to the stability of desert ecosystems and supported by limited precipitation. Nebkha morphology and spatial pattern vary in landscapes, but it is unclear how they change along precipitation gradients in arid and semi-arid regions. In this study we determined morphology and soil nutrient patterns of nebkha from different regions of northwestern China. The objective of this study was to understand zonal differences among nebkhas and how morphological characteristics and soil nutrient patterns of nebkha change along a precipitation gradient in northwestern China. Our results shows that mean annual precipitation(MAP) had significant effects on morphological characteristics of nebkhas such as height, area, and volume which significantly decreased with an increase in MAP. MAP had significant positive effects on shrub cover and species richness of nebkha. Soil nutrients such as soil organic matter(SOM), total carbon(TC), total nitrogen(TN), and total phosphorus(TP) in the 0-10 cm layer increased with an increase of MAP, and soil nutrient content within nebkhas was higher than in inter-nebkha areas.We concluded that nebkhas are "fertile islands" with an important role in ecosystem dynamics in study regions. Further,MAP is a key factor which determined zonal differences, morphological, and soil nutrients patterns of nebkhas. However,disturbance, such as animal grazing, and planted sand-stabilizing vegetation accelerated the degeneration of nebkha landscapes. We recommend implementation of protective measures for nebkhas in arid and semi-arid areas of China.
基金supported by the Strategic Guide Science and Technology Special Fund of Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDA05050406-3)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (91225022)
文摘Nitraria sphaerocarpa Maxim., a typical desert plant which often appears in nebkha form, is widely distributed along the periph- ery of oasis in arid regions of Northwest China, and plays an important role in desertification control around oases. In this paper, the characteristics and distribution patterns ofN. sphaerocarpa nebkhas were investigated in a Gobi environment outside an oasis. Results shows that about 200 N. sphaerocarpa nebkhas per hectare was recorded and total sand sediments was 25 m3/ha. Nebkhas vary in size, and the mean height （H） and horizontal composition （L） were 15 cm and 80 cm, respectively. There exists a signifi- cant linear relationship between H and L, suggesting that the investigated nebkhas are mostly in the growth stage. The numbers, height and sand deposit ofnebkhas decreased with increasing distance away from the oasis. Grain-size analysis indicates that the mean grain size of sediments at the crests of nebkhas increased with increasing nebkha height. Organic C and total N concentra- tions were related to the mean grain size. It was concluded that N. sphaerocarpa shrubs are efficient horizontal sand traps for wind-driven sediments. A better understanding of the development of nebkha can provide information for the design of biological sand control measures around oases in add regions.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China subsidization project[41701600]National basic resource survey:Survey on the desert major plant communities in China[2017FY100200].
文摘Nebkhas are isolated mounds vegetated with burial-tolerant desert plants that trap windborne sediment within their canopies.Nebkhas are critical to desertification control and biodiversity protection of oases in arid and semi-arid regions of China,as they(ⅰ)trap windborne sediments and ensure oasis security;(ⅱ)as“fertile islands,”nebkhas can trap and provide a suitable micro-environment for seeds,birds,and small soil animals,and increase biodiversity;(ⅲ)increase the soil surface roughness and significantly reduce soil erosion following heavy rain.However,the establishment of sand-fixing vegetation and over-grazing significantly limits the development and accelerate the degradation of nebkhas,threatening oasis ecosystems.We provide background and recommendations for protective measures for nebkha landscapes in arid and semi-arid areas of China to aid managers in oasis protection.
