Arid Zone Research ›› 2024, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (11): 1887-1897.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2024.11.09

• Plant Ecology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Numerical simulation on the windbreak and sand-fixing effect of Reaumuria soongorica

LIU Yang(), YIN Zhongdong(), YAN Qing, ZHANG Cairong   

  1. School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
  • Received:2024-06-24 Revised:2024-08-08 Online:2024-11-15 Published:2024-11-29
  • Contact: YIN Zhongdong E-mail:13279932996@163.com;yaayp@sina.com

Abstract:

Vegetation-based sand fixation is a key measure to control wind and sand disasters in the arid and semi-arid regions of northern China. Reaumuria soongorica, a semi-shrub widely distributed in desert areas, holds a significant application value in this context. This study used Fluent software to perform numerical simulations of the airflow fields around R. soongorica during various growth seasons, analyzing wind speed characteristics and sand deposition patterns. The research yielded the following conclusions: (1) At an initial wind speed of 10 m·s-1, vortices form in front of and behind the plant, with their height and intensity varying with the distance from the plant, generally below 0.25 m. (2) The numerical simulation results indicate that changes in horizontal airflow speed often exhibit N- and W-shaped curves, while vertical airflow speed changes follow a V-shaped curve. (3) At lower wind speeds, the wind-blocking effect of R. Soongorica in the non-growing season is better than that in the growing season, with a protection distance of 4 m behind the plant; when the wind speed is greater than 6 m·s-1, the wind speed reduction behind double rows of R. Soongorica growing season can be greater than 94.45%. (4) R. soongorica has excellent sand-blocking effects. At an initial wind speed of 6 m·s-1, most sand particles accumulate at the plant base, in front and behind it. When the wind speed increases to 10 m·s-1, R. soongorica during the vigorous season effectively blocks sand, with sand particles primarily depositing between 1.5-3 H behind the plant, with a height lower than 0.1 m. At an initial wind speed of 15 m·s-1, sand deposition behind the vigorous season R. soongorica is mainly distributed between height 2-3.5 H. In contrast, for the withering season, sand accumulation ranges from height 1-10 H behind the plant. Regardless of the growth season, R. soongorica effectively reduces airflow speed within the wind field and promotes the settling of sand particles carried by the airflow, playing a crucial role in vegetation-based sand control projects.

Key words: windbreak and sand fixation, Reaumuria soongorica, wind speed variation, sand deposition, Fluent numerical simulation