Geotechnical Hazards Associated with Desert Environment     

Shehata  W.M.  Amin  A.A. 《Natural Hazards》1997,16(1):81-95

The aridity of the Arabian Peninsula's deserts ranges between arid to hyperarid with hot dry climate, scarce precipitation and sparse vegetation. These harsh environmental conditions enhance some geomorphologic processes more than others, cause specific geotechnical problems, and increase desertification.From west to east, the general physiography of Saudi Arabia shows the Red Sea coastal plains and the escarpment foothills called Tihama followed by the Arabian Shield mountains, the Arabian Shelf plateau and finally the Arabian Gulf coastal plains. Sand moves by wind either as drifting sand or migrating dunes in four major sand seas, over the Arabian Shelf, and in the inter-mountain valleys, in the Arabian Shield causing problems of erosion and deposition. Human activities in the deserts may cause more instability to the sand bodies, enlarging the magnitude of the problem. Fine silty soil particles also move by wind, depositing loess mainly in selected areas downwind in the Tihama. These loess deposits subside and may form earth fissures by the process of hydrocompaction upon wetting. The addition of water can be either natural through storms or man-made through human agricultural or civil activities. Extensive sabkhas exist along the coastal plains of both the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf. The sabkha soil may also heave by salt re-crystallization or collapse by wetting. The shallow groundwater brines present in sabkhas also attack and corrode civil structures. Urbanization and excessive groundwater pumping may also deplete the fresh groundwater resources and may cause subsidence, ground fissuring and surface faulting as observed in some locations in the Arabian Shield. Although the average annual precipitation is very low, rain usually falls in the form of torrential storms, collected by dry valley basins and causing floods to unprotected downstream areas on the coastal plains of the Red Sea.The desert environment, being a fragile echo system, needs to be treated with care. Intercommunications between different national and international agencies and education of the layman should help to keep the system balanced and reduce the resulting environmental hazards. In addition, any suggested remedial measures should be planned with nature and engineered with natural materials.  相似文献   

Modelling transverse dunes     

Veit Schwmmle  Hans Herrmann 《地球表面变化过程与地形》2004,29(6):769-784

Transverse dunes appear in regions of mainly unidirectional wind and high sand availability. A dune model is extended to two‐dimensional calculation of the shear stress. It is applied to simulate dynamics and morphology of three‐dimensional transverse dunes. In the simulations they seem to reach translational invariance and do not stop growing. Hence, simulations of two‐dimensional dune ?elds have been performed. Characteristic laws were found for the time evolution of transverse dunes. Bagnold's law of the dune velocity is modi?ed and reproduced. The interaction between transverse dunes led to the interesting conclusion that small dunes can travel over bigger ones. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

Aeolian abrasion and modes of fine particle production from natural red dune sands: an experimental study   总被引：3，自引：0，他引：3  

Joanna E. Bullard  Grant H. McTainsh†  Christa Pudmenzky† 《Sedimentology》2004,51(5):1103-1125

A series of experiments was conducted to determine the potential for aeolian abrasion of natural dune sands to produce fine particles (< 125 µm) by (1) the release of resident fines; (2) spalling, chipping and breakage of particles; and (3) the removal of grain surface coatings. Parent samples were obtained from the surfaces of four active continental dunes and abraded using a glass ‘test tube’ chamber for up to 120 h. The fine particles produced by this abrasion process were trapped at varying time intervals and subject to detailed particle‐size analyses using a Coulter Multisizer. The abrasion of untreated parent samples produced fine particles in one of two main size classes, < 10 µm and > 50 µm, but when the parent sample was sieved to exclude particles < 250 µm, relatively more material in the range 10–50 µm was produced. For unsieved parent samples, the size range associated with the dominant mode varied according to the length of the abrasion time. The coarsest mode (> 63 µm) was dominant during the first 16 h of abrasion, then became less significant and is thought to be associated with the release of resident fines into suspension. The finest mode (< 10 µm) was absent or very weak during the first 16 h of abrasion, then became more significant and, in some instances, dominated the distribution as abrasion continued. Removal of grain surface coatings is the main source of fine material < 10 µm, and this may be a significant source of fine material in areas where sands are dominated by subrounded and rounded particles. By comparison with previous studies of aeolian particle abrasion, these natural dune sands produced very low quantities of fine material (by weight), but their spatial extent makes them potentially a significant source of dust‐sized particles at the global scale.  相似文献   

Influence of vegetation on aeolian sand transport rate from a backshore to a foredune at Hasaki, Japan   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

YOSHIAKI KURIYAMA  NORIO MOCHIZUKI†  TSUYOSHI NAKASHIMA‡ 《Sedimentology》2005,52(5):1123-1132

The influence of vegetation on aeolian sediment transport rate in the region from a backshore to a foredune was investigated at the Hasaki Coast in Japan, where an onshore wind was predominant and the creeping beach grasses Carex kobomugi and Calystegia soldanella were major species. The comparison of cross-shore distributions of the cross-shore component of aeolian sand transport rate with and without vegetation, which were estimated on the basis of the beach profile changes and a mass conservation equation, showed that the creeping grasses influenced the aeolian sand transport rate. The landward aeolian sand transport rate rapidly decreased landward from the seaward limit of vegetation when the grasses grew. The aeolian sand transport rate reduced by 95% with a vegetation cover of 28%. On the other hand, when the grasses were absent, the landward aeolian sand transport rate did not decrease near the seaward vegetation limit, but near the foot of the foredune.  相似文献   

A late Holocene winter monsoon record inferred from the palaeo-aeolian sand dune in the southeastern Mu Us Desert, northern China     

Bing Liu  HeLing Jin  Fan Yang 《寒旱区科学》2016,8(5):388-399

The variation of the Asian winter monsoonal strength has seriously affected the climate and environmental conditions in the Asian monsoonal region, and even in marginal islands and the ocean in the East Asian region. However, relevant understanding remains unclear due to the lack of suitable geological materials and effective proxies in the key study areas. Here, we present a grain-size record derived from the palaeo-aeolian sand dune in the southeastern Mu Us Desert, together with other proxies and OSL dating, which reflect a relatively detailed history of the winter monsoon and abrupt environmental events during the past 4.2 ka. Our grain-size standard deviation model indicated that >224 μm content can be considered as an indicator of the intensity of Asian winter monsoon, and it shows declined around 4.2-2.1 ka, enhanced but unstable in 2.1-0.9 ka, and obviously stronger since then. In addition, several typical climate events were also documented, forced by the periodic variation of winter monsoonal intensity. These include the cold intervals of 4.2, 2.8, 1.4 ka, and the Little Ice Age (LIA), and relatively warm sub-phases around 3.0, 2.1, 1.8 ka, and the Medieval Warm Period (MWP), which were roughly accordant with the records of the aeolian materials, peat, stalagmites, ice cores, and sea sediments in various latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Combined with the previous progresses of the Asian summer monsoon, we preliminarily confirmed a millennial-scale anti-correlation of Asian winter and summer monsoons in the Late Holocene epoch. This study suggests that the evolution of the palaeo-aeolian sand dune has the potential for comprehending the history of Asian monsoon across the desert regions of the modern Asian monsoonal margin in northern China.  相似文献   

Characterization of hard‐to‐differentiate dune stratification types in the Permian Coconino Sandstone (Arizona,USA)     

Sarah A. Maithel  Leonard R. Brand  John H. Whitmore 《Sedimentology》2021,68(1):238-265

Dune stratification types, which include grainfall, grainflow and ripple lamination, provide a record of the fine‐scale processes that deposited sediment on palaeo‐dune foresets. While these facies are relatively easy to distinguish in some cross‐bedded sandstones, for others – like the Permian Coconino Sandstone of northern and central Arizona – discrete stratification styles are hard to recognize at the bedding scale. Furthermore, few attempts have been made to classify fine‐scale processes in this sandstone, despite its renown as a classic aeolian dune deposit and Grand Canyon formation. To interpret depositional processes in the Coconino Sandstone, cross‐bed facies were characterized using a suite of sedimentary textures and structures. Bedding parameters were described at multiple scales via a combination of field and laboratory methods, including annotated outcrop photomosaics, strike and dip measurements, sandstone disaggregation and laser‐diffraction particle analysis, high‐resolution scans of thin sections, and scanning electron microscopy. Cross‐beds were observed to be laterally extensive along‐strike, with most dip angles ranging from the mid‐teens to mid‐twenties. While some cross‐bed sets are statistically coarser near their bases, others exhibit no significant vertical sorting trends. Both massive and laminated textures are visible in high‐resolution scans of thin sections, but laminae contacts are commonly indistinct, making normal and reverse grading difficult to define. Diagenetic features, such as stylolite seams and large pores, are also present in some samples and might indicate alteration of original textures like detrital clay laminae and carbonate minerals. Observed textures and sedimentary structures suggest that the cross‐beds may consist of grainflow and grainfall deposits, but these remain difficult to differentiate at outcrop and thin‐section scales. This characterization of fine‐scale processes will play a critical part in the development of depositional models for the Coconino Sandstone and elucidate interpretations for similar cross‐bedded formations.  相似文献   

Unveiling buried aeolian landscapes: reconstructing a late Holocene dune environment using 3D ground-penetrating radar     

Luis Rees-Hughes  Natasha L. M. Barlow  Adam D. Booth  Landis J. West  George Tuckwell  Tim Grossey 《第四纪科学杂志》2021,36(3):377-390

Across the UK, sandy beaches and dunes protect coastal infrastructure from waves and extreme water levels during large-scale storms, while providing important habitats and recreational opportunities. Understanding their long-term evolution is vital in managing their condition in a changing climate. Recently, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) methods have grown in popularity in geomorphological applications, yielding centimetre-scale resolution images of near-surface stratigraphy and structure, thus allowing landscape evolution to be reconstructed. Additionally, abrupt changes in palaeo-environments can be visualized in three dimensions. Although often complemented by core data, GPR allows interpretations to be extended into areas with minimal ground-truth control. Nonetheless, GPR data interpretation can be non-intuitive and ambiguous, and radargrams may not initially resemble the expected subsurface geometry. Interpretation can be made yet more onerous when handling the large 3D data volumes that are facilitated with modern GPR technology. Here we describe the development of novel semi-automated GPR feature-extraction tools, based on ‘edge detection’ and ‘thresholding’ methods, which detect regions of increased GPR reflectivity which can be applied to aid in the reconstruction of a range Quaternary landscapes. Since reflectivity can be related to lithological and/or pore fluid changes, the 3D architecture of the palaeo-landscape can be reconstructed from the features extracted from a geophysical dataset. We present 500 MHz GPR data collected over a buried Holocene coastal dune system in North Wales, UK, now reclaimed for use as an airfield. Core data from the site, reaching a maximum depth 2 m, suggest rapid vertical changes from sand to silty-organic units, and GPR profiles suggest similar lateral complexity. By applying thresholding methods to GPR depth slices, these lateral complexities are effectively and automatically mapped. Furthermore, automatic extraction of the local reflection power yields a strong correlation with the depth variation of organic content, suggesting it is a cause of reflectivity contrast. GPR-interpolated analyses away from core control thus offer a powerful proxy for parameters derived from invasive core logging. The GPR data collected at Llanbedr airfield highlight a complex dune system to a depth of 2.8 m, probably deposited in several phases over ~700 years, similar to elsewhere in North Wales.  相似文献   

额济纳绿洲沙尘暴沉积特征     

温小浩  李保生  王为  LI Sen  OU Xianjiao  ZHENG Yanming 《地理学报(英文版)》2006,16(4):502-508

1 Introduction Oases are unique ecosystems and important residences for our ancestors in arid and semiarid regions of the world, and have deeply been imprinted by human actions, such as Jericho oasis of Jordan Valley, Jarmo oasis of the Euphrates River an…  相似文献   

基于倾斜摄影技术的戈壁灌丛沙丘形态反演及其对粉尘释放研究的意义   总被引：2，自引：2，他引：0  

潘凯佳  张正偲  梁爱民  董治宝  李兴财 《中国沙漠》2020,40(2):24-32

灌丛沙丘是广泛分布于西北干旱区的风沙地貌。戈壁上发育的灌丛沙丘在戈壁沙尘释放和固沙能力方面具有重要的指示意义和应用价值。本研究采用倾斜摄影技术对戈壁上的灌丛沙丘形态特征进行观测和提取,并分析沉积物特征,计算戈壁灌丛沙丘的固沙能力,为沙尘释放研究提供依据。结果表明:(1)戈壁上发育的灌丛沙丘有明显的空间分布格局,即主要分布在干河床的两侧和地势低洼地区。(2)戈壁灌丛沙丘在形态上和其他地表灌丛沙丘类似,但沙丘的长度、宽度、底面积、体积等小得多,而且参数之间具有明显的相关关系。(3)沉积物的累积概率曲线表现为三段式,跃移组分的粒度范围(50~700 μm)明显与以往研究不同。沙丘内部和表层的粉沙和黏土含量分别为4.47%和5.24%,从而说明灌丛沙丘能够捕获戈壁上释放的粉尘物质。(4)戈壁地区单个灌丛沙丘的粉尘释放量约0.05~0.08 m³,固沙能力最大可达18.71 m³。  相似文献   

基于DEM数据的巴丹吉林沙漠沙丘分布规律及其形态参数   总被引：2，自引：2，他引：0  

汪克奇  赵晖  王兴繁  杨宏宇  晁倩 《中国沙漠》2020,40(4):81-94

沙丘形态特征是风沙地貌研究的重要内容。数字高程模型（DEM）因卓越的三维地形表达能力被广泛应用于沙丘形态研究中。长期以来,受交通条件和研究方法的制约以及高大沙山分布位置的限定,对巴丹吉林沙漠沙丘形态的研究主要集中在沙漠东南部,缺乏对整个沙漠沙丘分布规律及其形态参数特征的系统认知。而对整个沙漠沙丘形态特征的研究,是区域风沙地貌形成与演化研究的重要组成部分。以巴丹吉林沙漠内所有独立沙丘为研究对象,利用研究区DEM数据和一种新的算法,研究了沙漠内两种主要类型沙丘（横向沙丘、星状沙丘）的分布规律及其形态参数特征。结果表明：沙漠内独立沙丘大约有6 033座,高度9~433 m,高度超过350 m的巨型沙山共有53座,其中星状沙山7座,最大高度383 m;横向沙山46座,最大高度433 m。横向沙丘高度与等效沙丘厚度呈正相关的线性函数关系,星状沙丘高度与等效沙丘厚度呈正相关的对数函数关系,表明在现代气候和环境条件下,横向沙丘高度仍在增加,而星状沙丘高度增长已经趋缓。两类沙丘的主轴向大都垂直于研究区主风向NW-SE。横向沙丘起沙风风向单一,沙丘轴向集中在NE-SW和NNE-SSW方向;星状沙丘起沙风风向略为复杂,沙丘存在多个次级轴向。  相似文献