Table of Content

15 May 2016, Volume 33 Issue 3 Previous Issue    Next Issue

Soil and Soil Utilization

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Distribution of Different Types of Soil Organic Carbon Density LI Ying-hua, YAO Yun-feng, QIN Fu-cang, GUO Yang-yang, LUO Ji-yao 2016, 33 (3):  455-460.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.01 Abstract ( 567 )   PDF (1587KB) ( 1047 )   Aohan Banner is located in the farming-pastoral ecotone in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia, soil types are rich, the area of artificial afforestation is large, and the carbon balance situation of planted forests in various soil types is quite different. In this experiments 3 sample plots were selected from the 6 soil types separately, and 5 sample sites were determined along the S-shaped sample line in each sample plot so as to study the distribution of soil organic carbon density in Aohan Banner. The conclusions are as follows: The organic carbon density of cinnamon soil was the highest, and that of Aeolian sandy soil was the lowest. The change trends of soil organic carbon density of cinnamon soil, chestnut soil and brown soil were different due to the difference in soil properties, slopes and slope positions. The organic carbon density of these soils was the highest on north slope but the lowest on south slope. The results of principal component analysis on the soil organic carbon density revealed that the slope was not as the main ingredient. Through regression analysis, it was concluded that the regression equations of the organic carbon density of three types of soil at significance level of P<0.05 are as:Y=25.662 40+1.722 06X1-0.061 54X2(R2=0.853 5) for cinnamon soil, Y=24.890 95-3.437 45X1-0.002 12X2(R2=0.899 5) for chestnut soil, and Y=19.112 05-0.090 72X1-0.018 44X2(R2=0.794 4) for brown soil. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Effects of Irrigation Mods,Biochar and Organic Fertilizer on Soil Carbon Content and Soil Enzyme Activity in Greenhouse WANG Yan 2016, 33 (3):  461-466.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.02 Abstract ( 469 )   PDF (791KB) ( 815 )   In greenhouse,two kinds of organic fertilizer including chicken manure and vermicompost and biochar were applied,and drip irrigation and flood irrigation were used so as to research the effects of different fertilization and irrigation modes on soil carbon content and soil enzyme activity. The results are as follows: ① fertilization of organic fertilizers could improve the activity of soil urease,phosphatase and catalase,however,the soil cellulose activity could be increased by 34.6% only with the Q+C+D treatment,and it was decreased by other treatments. Soil urease activity was increased by applying biochar,but the effects of biochar on other enzymes were different. Soil urease activity under the J+C+D treatment was increased by 40.6% and the phosphatase activity under the J+D treatment was increased by 20.3% due to the application of drip irrigation. There was no significant effect of drip irrigation on other treatments; ② Fertilization of organic fertilizers increased the content of soil nitrate nitrogen,in which the content of soil nitrate nitrogen under the J+C+D treatment was the highest (50.5 mg·kg-1). Drip irrigation also increased significantly the content of soil nitrate nitrogen under the same fertilization treatments; ③ The contents of soil TC,TOC,WSTC and WSOC were increased by 5.0%-36.3%,11.8%-63.9%,5.2%-48.8% and 5.6%-46.5% respectively comparing with CK due to the fertilization of organic manure. The contents of soil TC,TOC,WSTC and WSOC were also increased by applying biochar. Flood irrigation decreased significantly the contents of soil TC,TOC,WSTC and WSOC under J+C+D treatment; ④ There was the significant positive correlation between soil soluble total carbon content and soil urease,catalase and cellulose activity,and only a significant correlation between soil soluble organic carbon content and soil urease activity. There was a significant negative correlation between soil inorganic carbon content and phosphatase and cellulose activity. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Spatiotemporal Variation of Soil Moisture Content in the Mongolia Plateau in Plant Growing Season WEI Bao-cheng, YIN Shan, JIA Xu, BAO Yu-hai, NA Ri-su, YU Shan 2016, 33 (3):  467-475.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.03 Abstract ( 667 )   PDF (2389KB) ( 1510 )   Soil moisture content is an important parameter of hydrological system. An inversion model of soil moisture content in the Mongolia Plateau was developed by using the ω-τ and Qp models based on AMSR-2 bright temperature data and SPOT Normalized Difference Vegetation Index data. The values of topsoil moisture content during the period from April to October 2013 were retrieved to study the spatiotemporal variation of topsoil moisture content. The results showed that the Pearson Correlation Coefficient between the retrieved and measured values of soil moisture content was 0.825,root-mean square error was 0.031 6 cm3·cm-3,and the retrieval results were very good. The average values of topsoil moisture content varied in a range of 0.047-0.234 cm3·cm-3,and spatially the soil moisture content was gradually decreased from north to south and from northeast to southwest. Spatiotemporally,the soil moisture content in the forest-sylvosteppe areas in north Mongolia and the Greater Khingan Mountains of Inner Mongolia fluctuated markedly. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Soil Properties under Planted Robinia pseudoacacia Forest with Different Site Conditions in the Loess Plateau of China HUANG Ting, LIU Zheng-hong, WANG Yu-ying, ZHANG Wei, HE Jun-hao, HAO Wen-fang 2016, 33 (3):  476-485.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.04 Abstract ( 599 )   PDF (3994KB) ( 759 )   In this study, the planted Robinia pseudoacacia forest with different site conditions in the Loess Plateau of China was selected as the research object, and the soil properties at different sites were analyzed so as to provide the advices for soil and water conservation in the loess hilly-gully region and improve the ecological environment and the rational use of resources. The results showed that the soil moisture content, pH value and enzyme activity under the 24 a R.pseudoacacia forest were higher than those under the 14 a R.pseudoacacia forest, and the contents of soil organic matter, total nitrogen and available nutrient under the 14 a R.pseudoacacia forest were higher than those under the 24 a R.pseudoacacia forest. The contents of soil moisture, organic matter and total nitrogen as well as the enzyme activity under the R.pseudoacacia forest on shady slope were higher than those on sunny slope, but the contents of soil available nutrients under the R.pseudoacacia forest on sunny slope were higher than those on shady slope. With the increase of soil depth, the contents of soil moisture, total nitrogen and available nutrients as well as the enzyme activity under the R.pseudoacacia forest were decreased, but the soil pH value was increased. The integrated soil quality index was in an order of 24 a R.pseudoacacia forest on shady slope>24 a R.pseudoacacia forest on sunny slope>14 a R.pseudoacacia forest on sunny slope>14 a R.pseudoacacia forest on shady slope. Therefore, the older the stand age was, the better the soil quality would be. It is more advantageous for regenerating the ecology to choose a better site conditions of soil ecological environment. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Carbon Emissions and Carbon Absorptions of Different Land Use Types in Xinjiang TANG Hong-song, MA Hui-lan, SU Yang, XIN Chong-chong, WANG Jing-jing 2016, 33 (3):  486-492.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.05 Abstract ( 528 )   PDF (1081KB) ( 1093 )   Carbon emission and carbon absorption are the important factors affecting regional carbon cycle, and they are closely related to land use types. Carbon emissions and carbon absorptions are quite different from different land use types. In this paper, the carbon emissions and carbon absorptions of different land use types in Xinjiang during the period from 1995 to 2011 were estimated based on the statistical data and using the carbon emission and carbon absorption estimating formulas, and the relationship between carbon emission and economic development was analyzed. The results are as follows: ① In Xinjiang, the construction land use was the main source of carbon emission, but the forestland, cultivated land and grassland are the main land use types of carbon absorption; ② The total carbon emission of land use and the per capita carbon emission were rapidly increased year by year, but the total carbon absorption of land use was slowly increased year by year; ③ There was no an inversed “U-shaped” Kuznets curve of carbon emission environment of construction land, but an inversed “U-shaped” Kuznets curve of carbon emission environment of farmland use; ④ The land use carbon absorption was higher than its carbon emission, there was a carbon absorption surplus, but the surplus space was in a decrease trend. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Quantitative Monitoring of pH Values of Alkalinized Soil Based on Quickbird Image ZHU Zhong-peng, XIONG Hei-gang, ZHANG Fang 2016, 33 (3):  493-498.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.06 Abstract ( 607 )   PDF (2497KB) ( 809 )   The study aimed at searching for the most sensitive bands of Quickbird to estimate soil pH values. Soil salinization or alkalization is an important problem of land degradation and environmental degeneration in arid regions. Laboratory determination and research on spectral data are the main methods to estimate the degree of soil salinization or alkalization. In this study, Qitai County, a typical region with soil salinization or alkalization along the southeastern marginal zone of the Junggar Basin in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, was selected as the study area to explore the feasibility of using the Quickbird image in studying soil salinization or alkalization. Through the correlation analysis between the values of reflectance from Quickbird and the soil pH values at all the sample sites, it was found that the “sensitive”bands could be used to predict soil salinization or alkalization and to build the different linear regression forecasting models. The results showed that all the bands of Quickbird could well reflect the degree of soil salinization or alkalization, and band3 of the Quickbird (630-690 nm) is the most “sensitive” band used to predict the pH values of saline or alkaline soil. The precision of the inversion model developed based on band1, band2 and band3 was the highest (82.41%). The quantitative model of Quickbird to predict soil pH values provides a new approach for monitoring soil salinization or alkalization. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Soil Salinization in the Irrigated Area of the Manas River Basin Based on MSAVI-SI Feature Space ZHANG Tian-you, WANG Ling, ZENG Pan-li, WANG Tian, GENG Ya-hui, WANG Hui 2016, 33 (3):  499-505.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.07 Abstract ( 643 )   PDF (1941KB) ( 738 )   The Manasi River Basin is one of the main agricultural oases in Xinjiang,its development is restricted by soil salinization. How to survey soil salinization becomes as a primary problem in the study area. In this paper,the relationship between the Modified Soil-adjusted Vegetation Index (MSAVI) and salinization index (SI) was analyzed based on the Landsat-OLI image and field survey data. MSI model was established based on the concept of MSAVI-SI feature space. The results are as follows: ① There was an obvious difference of MSI values (0.35-0.43) of saline soil with different salinization degrees,which indicated that the MSI model was suitable for surveying soil salinization in the study area; ② Soil salinization was very serious in the irrigated area of the Manas River Basin,especially in the areas with fragile ecology in the lower reaches. Because the groundwater level in the middle reaches was high,soil salinization was still one of the important factors resulting in soil degradation in the irrigated area. This research could provide a reference for the information management of soil salinization and ecological environment protection. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Effects of Phosphate Gypsum Agent on Soil Moisture Diffusivity CAO Shi-yu, GUO Quan-en, CHE Zong-xian, GAO Yuan, GE Hong-jun 2016, 33 (3):  506-510.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.08 Abstract ( 453 )   PDF (771KB) ( 794 )   The object of the study was the salinized soils in four areas (Jinchang, Jingyuan, Guazhou and Xinjiang), the effect of different applied amounts of phosphate gypsum agent (0, 6 000, 12 000 kg·hm-2) on soil moisture diffusivity was studied by the method of infiltration of horizontal soil column. The result showed that the effect of different applied amounts of ameliorant on soil moisture diffusivity in 4 areas was different. When the applied amount was below 6 000 kg·hm-2, the phosphate gypsum agent accelerated the velocity of soil moisture movement; but when the applied amount was excessed 6 000 kg·hm-2, the phosphate gypsum agent suppressed the velocity of soil moisture movement in the sample A, B and D. The velocity of soil moisture movement was obviously increased with the increase of applied amounts of ameliorant for the sample C, which revealed that the effect of ameliorant for the sample C was much better than that for the sample A, B and D. References | Related Articles | Metrics

Plant and Plant Physiology

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Spatial Distribution Pattern of Biomass of Arbor Species in Xiaodonggou in the Altay Mountains,China JING Xue-hui, CAO Lei, LIU Yun-sheng, GUO Zhong-jun, HUANG Ji-hong, ZANG Run-guo 2016, 33 (3):  511-518.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.09 Abstract ( 584 )   PDF (1064KB) ( 1069 )   It is an important approach for understanding the spatial variation of biomass at large scale to predict the spatial distribution of biomass based on remote sensing data and typical field investigation data. The Pearson correlations between RVI,NDVI,SAVI,DVI and IPVI and plot biomass were made separately using the Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper data and the biomass investigation in the typical sample plots,the linear regression models between biomass and vegetation indexes were established for the Xiaodonggou forest region in the Altay Mountains. The spatial distribution map of aboveground biomass of arbor species in the Xiaodonggou was produced by the regression model and by using the spatial analysis function in ArcGIS 9.1 software. The residual type analysis showed that the strongly predicting area,moderately predicting area and lowly predicting area occupied 66.60%,30.31% and 3.09% respectively,which revealed that the predicted results of the spatial distribution of biomass in the study area were ideal. The results of overlay analysis of spatial distribution of aboveground biomass of arbor species with the slope,aspect and elevation revealed that the aboveground biomass of arbor species was in an order of steep slope (15°-35°,200-250 t·hm-2) > gentle slope (0°-15°,150-200 t·hm-2) > very steep slope (>35°,100-150 t·hm-2). In slope aspect,the biomass on the southeast slope and south slope was lower than that on other slope aspects. In elevation,the biomass was in an order of low elevation (1 042-1 400 m,100-150 t·hm-2) > high elevation (>1 900 m,150-200 t·hm-2) > moderate elevation (1 400-1 900 m,200-250 t·hm-2). This study showed that the aboveground biomass of arbor species can be well predicted with the vegetation indexes derived from remote sensing images,and the spatial distribution of biomass is significantly related to the topographical factors. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Effects of Wind Blowing Time and Intensity on Membrane Permeability and Its Protection System of Corn Seedling ZHAO Ha-lin, LI Jin, ZHOU Rui-lian, YUN Jian-ying, PAN Cheng-chen 2016, 33 (3):  519-524.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.10 Abstract ( 518 )   PDF (2126KB) ( 652 )   In order to understand wind damage to corn seedlings and their physiological response mechanism,an experiment with two periods of wind blowing time (10 and 20 minutes) and six wind speeds〔0 (CK),6,9,12,15 and 18 m·s-1〕was conducted in the Herqin Sand Land in west Inner Mongolia in spring 2013. The results showed that,under the 10-minute wind blowing,the MDA content was slightly increased and the membrane permeability tended to decrease with the increase of wind speed,but the differences of MDA and membrane permeability between the most treatments and the CK were not significant; SOD,POD and CAT activities changed in a fluctuation way,of which the SOD and POD activities were significantly higher and the CAT activity was lower under the wind speeds of 15 m·s-1 and 18 m·s-1 than those under the CK; soluble sugar and proline contents tended to increase,but their differences were not significant under the most treatments compared with those under the CK. Under the 20-minute wind blowing,the change of MDA contents under these treatments was not significant,but membrane permeability was significantly increased with the increase of wind speed. Moreover,SOD,POD and CAT activities and soluble sugar content were all increased considerably and the proline content tended to decreased. The results suggested that the damage of 10-minute wind blowing to the cell membrane of corn seedlings was not significant,and their membrane protective system did not play an effective action except for SOD and POD under the wind speed treatments of 15 m·s-1 and 18 m·s-1. The damage of 20-minute wind blowing to the membrane permeability was significant,and the damage degree was increased with the increase of wind speed. In the process,SOD,POD,CAT and soluble sugar played a protective role to alleviate the injury of membrane. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Effects of Different Temperature and Water-heat Conditions on the Physical Dormancy Release of Three Desert Legume Species Buhailiqiemu Abudureheman, LIU Hui-liang, ZHANG Dao-yuan, GUAN Kai-yun 2016, 33 (3):  525-533.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.11 Abstract ( 566 )   PDF (2661KB) ( 932 )   Seed dormancy in the populations of Eremosparton songoricum, Ammodendron bifolium and Glycyrrhiza uralensis from the Gurbantunggut Desert and Tucker Guillermo Chonghuer Desert, Xinjiang was investigated through laboratory experiments with a view to understand the dormancy release mechanisms and population adaptation strategies. The treatments were the manual scarification, cold stratification (5 ℃), dry-hot and wet-hot treatments at simulated high temperature field conditions. The results showed that the three species had hard seed coat, there was no significant effect of cold stratification on dormancy release of these seeds. However, manual scarification broke effectively the seed physical dormancy. Dry-hot and wet-hot treatments and the treatment duration affected significantly the dormancy breaking of the three species, but treatment interactions were not important for E.songoricum and A.bifolium. There was a positive correlation between the dormancy release percentage and the temperature for E.songoricum and A.bifolium seeds, but a negative one for G.uralensis seeds. The dormancy release percentages of E.songoricum and A.bifolium seeds were the highest at 80 ℃ and 65 ℃, reaching (70.48±2.92)% and (78.13±3.67)% respectively. While the dormancy release percentage of G.uralensis seeds was decreased with the increase of temperature, and the highest germination percentage reached (85.23±3.82)% at 40 ℃. The wet-hot treatment was the most effective for dormancy release of the three species. Results suggested that the extremely high temperature in summer is effective to release seeds from dormancy, however rare precipitation is the main inhibitor of seed germination, and may cause the low seedling rate and survival rate of the three endangered species. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Response Relationship between ABA Content and Stomatal Conductance of Cotton Plant at Bud Stage under Nitrogen Application and Drip Irrigation ZHANG Jian-xin, MA Ying-jie, HE Jiang-yong 2016, 33 (3):  534-539.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.12 Abstract ( 531 )   PDF (793KB) ( 775 )   Drip-irrigation pot experiment was used to study the response relationship between ABA content and stomatal conductance of cotton plant at bud stage under nitrogen application and drip irrigation. The results showed that,at the bud stage,there was a positive correlation between ABA content and stomatal conductance of potted cotton plant under drip irrigation and different N treatments,i.e. the 2 g ,4 g and 6 g·pot-1; the correlation coefficients (r) were 0.905,0.942 and 0.958,and the T-test significance levels were 0.034,0.016 and 0.010,respectively. The models with 2 g·pot-1,4 g·pot-1 and 6 g·pot-1 were quadratic,exponential and exponential functions respectively,and the determination coefficients (R2) in model fitting were 0.975,0.894 and 0.946 respectively. The F-test significance levels were 0.025,0.015 and 0.005 respectively,reaching the significant level and extremely significant level. Therefore,the regression model studied in this paper was used to well describe the correlation between the ABA cotton and the stomatal conductance of cotton plant under drip irrigation and also the model characteristics at different N-fertilization levels. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Relationship between the Structure of Oxytropis aciphylla and Caragana microphylia Shrubberies and Their Wind-Shadow Dunes YANG Guang, MA Wen-xi, BAO Si-qin, ZHANG Cheng-fu 2016, 33 (3):  540-547.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.13 Abstract ( 601 )   PDF (2239KB) ( 768 )   In this study,two shrub species,i.e.Oxytropis aciphylla and Caragana microphylla,and their wind-shadow dunes were taken as the study objects to analyze the relationship between the structure of the two typical shrub species and their wind-shadow dunes.The results showed that,under the same habitat conditions,the average sand deposition area of O.aciphylla was much smaller than that of C.microphylla,but the average deposited sand volume of the former was bigger than that of the latter.The plant height,canopy and sectional area of windward side of the plants were all the key characteristic parameters affecting the sand-deposition effect of the shrubberies.Under the similar size of shrubberies,the correlation between the structure of O.aciphylla shrubbery and the characteristic parameters of the wind-shadow dune was higher than that between the structure of C.microphylla and the wind-shadow dune,the sand-deposition effect of O.aciphylla shrubbery was better than that of C.microphylla shrubbery.Holistically,the fitting degree between the plant height and the sectional area of windward side of the two typical shrub species and length and volume of wind-shadow dune was high.Sand trapping capability of the two typical shrub species was in an increase trend with the increase of shrubbery height and of sectional area of windward side of the plants,and the sand trapping capability of O.aciphylla was higher than that of C.microphylla. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Composition and Characteristics of Subalpine Shrub-Meadow Communities in the Semiarid Lhasa Valley QU Xing-le, YIN Wen-jie, ZHOU Yao-zhi, LUO Da-qing, FANG Jiang-ping 2016, 33 (3):  548-553.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.14 Abstract ( 544 )   PDF (1035KB) ( 2595 )   Method of community ecology was used in the analysis of subalpine shrub-meadow communities in the semiarid Lhasa Valley to effectively prevent the degeneration of mountainous vegetation.The results showed that there were 67 species of vascular plants in 48 genera and 27 families in the shrub-meadow communities.The analysis of geographical factors and plant families and genera demonstrated that the shrub-meadow communities were temperate clearly.The analysis of both life form and leaf characteristics revealed that the physiognomy of the shrub-meadow communities was mainly affected by the nanophanerophytes with deciduous,simple and entire leaves.The subalpine shrub-meadow communities in the semiarid Lhasa Valley were characterized by the hemicryptophytes,nanophyll,herbaceous,simple leaves and entire leaves; and these communities could grow in the high and frigid mountainous regions in the arid Tibetan Plateau.Based on the characteristics of the shrub-meadow communities,the ecological regeneration was also discussed. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Difference of Vegetation Restoration in the Loess Plateau Based on QuickBird Image Anikezi Rouzi, ZHANG Yan, HE Yuan-mei, LI Zhen, YANG Song 2016, 33 (3):  554-559.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.15 Abstract ( 752 )   PDF (1507KB) ( 702 )   In order to restore vegetation with different site conditions in different parts of the Loess Plateau, the project of returning farmland to forestland or grassland was implemented. The change of vegetation in three typical regions was analyzed based on the Quickbird images of the same time phase in 6-9-year periods and 5 m×5 m DEMs. The results are as follows: ① Vegetation coverage of all 8 types with different site conditions was increased in the Wuqi study area. The vegetation coverage on slightly steep sunny slope (15°-25°) and steep sunny slope (25°-35°) was about 6% lower than that on similar shady slope, while little difference was found between sunny and shady gentle slope (<15°) or sunny and shady extremely steep slope (>35°). It was difficult to restore vegetation on steep sunny slope and extremely steep slope in the Wuqi study area where the vegetation coverage was still lower than 50% after the project of returning farmland to forestland or grassland was implemented for longer than 10 years; ② During the 6-9-year periods, the area of land with vegetation coverage lower than 45% was reduced in varying degrees in the Wuqi, Jixian and Suide study areas. Vegetation restoring rate was the highest in Jixian, and then in Suide and Wuqi, which was related to the geographical locations and the water and heat conditions; ③ After the vegetation in the Wuqi study area was restored for longer than 10 years, the plots with vegetation coverage lower than 30% were mainly distributed on steep slope and extremely steep slope. In the Jixian study area with relatively good water and heat conditions, the vegetation restoration of different types on sunny slope was similar; on the gentle slope with good site conditions, however, the area of land with vegetation coverage lower than 30% was still large. This paper could provide a reference for comprehensively appraising the project of returning farmland to forestland or grassland on the Loess Plateau. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Application of Double-seedling Afforestation Technique in Big Fish-scale Pits in the Loess Gully Area ZHU Yu-shen, CHEN Yu-xuan, ZHA Tong-gang, YANG Zong-ru, ZHANG Zhi-qiang FENG Huan-cheng, ZHANG Xiao-xia, WANG Gao-min 2016, 33 (3):  560-568.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.16 Abstract ( 556 )   PDF (3092KB) ( 888 )   The soil volumetric moisture content,soil erosion and vegetation growing status as well as the application of double-seedling afforestation technique in the big fish-scale pits were studied by two-year afforestation experiments on slopes in a loess gully region during the period from 2013 to 2014,and the two traditional soil preparation ways in the loess gully area were compared.The results showed that there were the discrepancies in the soil volumetric moisture content,soil erosion and vegetation growing status among different silvicultural techniques.The average monthly soil volumetric moisture content inside the big fish-scale pits were 3.34% and 1.95% higher than that in the traditional fish-scale pits and level trenches respectively,total soil erosion were 1.11% and 18.15% lower than that in the traditional fish-scale pits and level trenches respectively,and there was a significant discrepancy (P<0.05).Height of trees inside the big fish-scale pits was higher than that in the traditional fish-scale pits and level trenches.At the end of 2014,the height of arbors inside the big fish-scale pits was higher than that in the traditional fish-scale pits significantly,height of shrubs was significantly (P<0.05) higher than that in both traditional fish-scale pits and level trenches.Moreover,the survival rates of plants in the big fish-scale pits were 10.84% and 8.34% higher in 2013 and 10.00% and 8.33% higher in 2014 than those in the traditional fish-scale pits and level trenches respectively.The soil volumetric moisture content was the highest and the soil erosion was the lowest in the big fish-scale pits in the experimental area,and the closing of stand canopy was much sooner because of the highest survival rates of trees.In conclusion,the silvicultural technique in the big fish-scale pits is proper to be applied and popularized in afforestation in the loess gully region. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Dynamic Change of Vegetation under Different Land Use Patterns: A Case Study in Yanchi County,Ningxia DU Qing, LI Mei-jun, BIAN Zhen, ZHANG Ke-bin 2016, 33 (3):  569-576.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.17 Abstract ( 619 )   PDF (1424KB) ( 833 )   Analysis on the dynamic change of vegetation under different land use patterns can provide a reference for revegetation. In this study,the vegetation characteristics and the plant diversity under various land use patterns (such as the artificial enclosure zones,zones of returning farmland to forest or shrubbery and grass plots in forest) in Yanchi County,Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region during the period of 2010-2014 were analyzed by means of clustering analysis,Shannon-Wiener index,Simpson index,evenness index and richness index. Results are as follows: ① During the period of 2010-2014,the dominant species in three plots were compositae and leguminosae. The vegetation growth in the artificial enclosure zones,zones of returning farmland to forest or shrubbery and grass plots in forest was holistically poor; ② The change trend of vegetation diversity in three plots were similar. During the period of 2010-2014,the Shannon-Wiener index,evenness index and richness index were “M-shaped”. On the contrary,the Simpson index was “W-shaped”;③ In arid and semiarid regions,artificial fencing is still one of the effective measures of regenerating the degenerated grassland vegetation compared with the measure of returning farmland to forest or shrubbery and grass plots in forest. References | Related Articles | Metrics

Climatic Change

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Influence of Climate Change on the Phenophase of Larix gmelinii in the Greater Khingan Mountains YANG Li-ping, QIN Yan, ZHANG Cun-hou, FENG Xu-yu, YANG Li 2016, 33 (3):  577-583.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.18 Abstract ( 530 )   PDF (2567KB) ( 839 )   Phenological phenomenon is an important indicator to climate change. Influence of climate change on the phenophase of Larix gmelinii in the Greater Khingan Mountains has a vital significance to guide forestry production. In this paper, the influence of climate change on the phenophase of Larix gmelinii in the Greater Khingan Mountains was analyzed based on the data of the phenophase of Larix gmelinii during the period of 1987-2012 and the climate data during the period of 1961-2014 at Eerguna City Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Meteorological Station and by using the linear trend estimation and Pearson correlation index method. Research results are as follows: ① In recent 50 years, temperature increased significantly, climate trend rate was 0.34 ℃·(10a)-1, changes of precipitation and sunshine duration were not obvious; ② during the period of 1987-2012, phenophase dates of bud open (BO), first leaf unfolding (LU), end of leaf coloration (LC) and end of leaf fall (LF) of Larix gmelinii were all put off, LC and LF were delayed by 17.282 d and 12.144 d per 10 a respectively. Growing season was prolonged, and the average growing season was for 165 d; ③ Temperature was the key meteorological factor affecting the phenophase of Larix gmelinii, and the effects of precipitation and sunshine duration were relatively weak. Temperature, precipitation and sunshine duration affected inordinately on LC, and LF was more sensitive to sunshine duration. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Process and Achievement of Drought Monitoring Based on Land Surface Model ZHANG Liang, ZHANG Hu-qiang, ZHANG Qiang, LI Yao-hui, ZHAO Jian-hua, ZHAO Yu-fei 2016, 33 (3):  584-592.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.19 Abstract ( 528 )   PDF (2275KB) ( 712 )   It is a developing method to monitor drought in near-real time based on land surface model in China.The procedure of forcing data,running of Australian Community Atmosphere and Biosphere Land Exchange Model (CABLE) and processing of model results,and producing of drought monitoring products were stated in this study.Firstly,the multiple types of data for producing forcing data and the corresponding methods of interpolation and correction were depicted in detail.Then,the methods of drought monitoring and drought classification were introduced,and the automatic process of drought monitoring with Shell scripts and NetCDF Operator (NCO) was summarized.The comparison between the model results and the self-calibrating Palmer Drought Severity Index (sc_PDSI) in the 1997/1998 drought event revealed that the model results performed better than sc_PDSI in the drought starting time and ending time as well as the region of drought monitoring.The simulated and measured values of soil moisture content were quite similar,which illustrated that the model results can be used to reflect the relative drought level in history,and they can be used to compensate the scarcity of long-term observed data of soil moisture content.Furthermore,the study showed that it is necessity to make a correction of sc_PDSI when it is used in monitoring drought in south China. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Heat and Water Vapor Fluxes of Dune-Meadow Landscape in Semiarid Area Based on Eddy Covariance Measurements WANG Jing, LIU Ting-xi, LEI Hui-min, ZHANG Sheng-wei, DUAN Li-min, WU Yao 2016, 33 (3):  593-600.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.20 Abstract ( 1014 )   PDF (3235KB) ( 1062 )   Open loop system of eddy covariance method and conventional micro-meteorological system were employed in the study for the long-term positioning observation to investigate the energy budget,surface-atmosphere water vapor exchange process and the relationship with meteorological factors in the Horqin Sandy Land,a semiarid area.The primary objective was to compare and analyze the flux data of both sandy dune and meadow area.The results showed that the net radiation on four typical sunny days was low in the morning and evening,it reached the peak value around noon,and its curve was “parabola-shaped”.The average maximum appeared during the period of 14:00-16:00 pm at all sites in winter,spring,summer and fall.The latent heat flux over meadow was significantly higher than that on sand dune,and even it reached 4 times in spring and autumn.During crop growth season (in August),the accumulated latent heat flux reached the highest value in a year,and the extreme value of meadow area was basically equal with that of sand dune.In January,the latent heat flux difference between two sites tended to be smaller and fluctuated in a certain range.In general,the sensible heat flux over a meadow was lower than that over a dune.One thing to be concerned was that the negative sensible heat appeared after 18:00 and 17:00 pm in spring and summer over meadow site,respectively.In sunny days of winter,spring and summer,the starting and ending time when the different value between the meadow and sandy land was significant became earlier,but that in autumn was postponed.The source area was changed with the change of wind directions,the higher the proportion of wind frequency was,the longer the contribution distance of source area would be.There was a negative correlation between evapotranspiration of the two underlying surfaces and precipitation,the evapotranspiration values of the two underlying surfaces after rain were 14% and 40% lower than those on sunny day respectively,the daily evapotranspiration was regularly changed with wind speed fluctuation on sunny day,but the high wind speed was unfavorable for evapotranspiration of meadow. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Instability of Climate Change in the Minqin Desert Area CHANG Zhao-feng, MA Zhong-hua, WANG Da-wei, HAN Fu-gui, DUAN Xiao-feng WANG Qiang-qiang, ZHANG Jian-hui 2016, 33 (3):  601-608.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.21 Abstract ( 577 )   PDF (4187KB) ( 990 )   Impact of climate instability to agriculture, forestry and animal husbandry production is more serious than that of continuous temperature increase. In this study, the instability of desert climate in the Minqin desert area and its response to global warming was analyzed based on the meteorological data during the period of 1961-2013. The results showed that the instability of monthly average temperature in January and April was increased, and the isothermal date of February became 10.36 days earlier during the period from 1961 to 2013. The instability of extreme maximum temperature in December and January and that of extreme minimum temperature in July was increased. The variable coefficient of extreme minimum temperature in May was as high as 287.3%. Instability of precipitation in January was increased. Moreover, the stability of annual precipitation was increased. Impact of climate change on local agricultural production was mainly caused by a sudden increase of extreme maximum temperature and a sudden drop of extreme minimum temperature. The analyzed results of data from other sites in the marginal zone of the desert in the Hexi Corridor also supported the conclusions in this paper. Impact of climate instability on agricultural production was more serious than that of continuous temperature increase under global warming. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Difference of Drought/Flood Disasters in Xinjiang WANG Wen-jing, YAN Jun-ping, LIU Yong-lin 2016, 33 (3):  609-618.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.22 Abstract ( 538 )   PDF (4146KB) ( 759 )   In this paper,the different variation of the drought/flood disasters in north Xinjiang and south Xinjiang was analyzed based on the daily temperature and precipitation data from 49 meteorological stations in Xinjiang during the period from 1960 to 2014 so as to provide the basis for disaster prevention,and the drought and flood grades at every station were confirmed by the improved CI.Results are as follows: ① The difference of drought intensity between north Xinjiang and south Xinjiang was not significant,and the drought in south Xinjiang was slightly more serious than that in north Xinjiang; ② The difference of flood intensity between north Xinjiang and south Xinjiang was significant,and the flood in north Xinjiang was more serious than that in south Xinjiang; ③ Holistically,a trend from high occurrence frequency of drought to high occurrence frequency of flood occurred in Xinjiang; ④ Seasonally,winter flood disasters were the most serious in both north Xinjiang and south Xinjiang,and the winter drought in south Xinjiang and the summer drought in north Xinjiang were the most serious.As a whole,the difference of drought/flood disasters between south Xinjiang and north Xinjiang reflected mainly by the serious degree of rainfall-caused flood,and the flood in north Xinjiang was more serious than that in south Xinjiang. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Relationship between Dryness/Wetness and Precipitation Heterogeneity in the North and South of the Qinling Mountains LI Ying-jie, YAN Jun-ping, LIU Yong-lin 2016, 33 (3):  619-627.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.23 Abstract ( 633 )   PDF (2114KB) ( 748 )   The values of SPEI(Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index),PCD(Precipitation-Concentration Degree),and PCP(Precipitation-Concentration Period)were calculated separately based on the metrological dataset derived from China Meteorological Data Sharing Service System.The dryness/wetness characters,precipitation heterogeneity and their relationship in the study area were analyzed using the Hurst Index,Mann-Kendall test and Morlet Wavelet analysis.The results are as follows: ① Climate in the study area was inclined to dryness in recent 55 years,and this trend was especially significant since 1995.Furthermore,the Hurst Index indicated that such dryness would persist for several years,and the persistence intensity in the north was stronger than that in the south of the Qinling Mountains.Spatially,the general climate was in a pattern of “moist in the south and dry in the north”;② The PCD in the study area was significantly increased,the spatial range of precipitation-concentration expanded from the west to the east during the period of 1960-2014,and the PCD in the south was higher than that in the north;③ There was a significant positive correlation between SPEI and PCD,and the correlation coefficient in the south was higher than that in the north of the Qinling Mountains.Whereas the correlation between SPEI and PCP was poor,and the correlation coefficient reached 0.3 only at 26% meteorological stations distributed mainly in the southeast;④ In the study areas,the higher the precipitation dispersion was,the more serious the drought would be. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Glacier Variation in the Manas River Basin during the Period from 1972 to 2013 XU Chun-hai, WANG Fei-teng, LI Zhong-qin, WANG Lin, WANG Pu-yu 2016, 33 (3):  628-635.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.24 Abstract ( 693 )   PDF (1526KB) ( 792 )   The variation of glaciers in the Manas River Basin,Xinjiang,China was studied based on the multi-phase remote sensing images.The results revealed that,during the period of 1972-2013,the total glacier area in the study area was reduced by 159.02 km2,the reduction rate was as high as 24.61%,the most remarkable shrinkage of glaciers occurred in an elevation range of 3 800-4 200 m a.s.l.,the terminal altitude of the glaciers ascended obviously,and the glaciers in an altitude range of 3 200-3 300 m a.s.l.disappeared in recent 41 years.Glacier variation was quite different from different regions,the shrinkage rate of the main-source glaciers in the Mannas River Basin was the highest,than that on the left bank,and that on the right bank was the lowest.Glacier shrinkage occurred at all the slope aspects in the Manas River Basin,especially on the east slope.It was found that the glacier volume in the study area was reduced by 59.09-85.94 km3 in recent 41 years.Shrinkage rate of glaciers in the Manas River Basin was higher than that in other regions of the Tianshan Mountains.Air temperature increase was the main cause resulting in the shrinkage of glaciers in the study area. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Simulation of Snowmelt Runoff in the Catchments on Northern Slope of the Tianshan Mountains Muattar Saydi, DING Jian-li, Abudu Shalamu, CUI Chun-liang, Anwar Kadir 2016, 33 (3):  636-642.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.25 Abstract ( 477 )   PDF (1438KB) ( 794 )   Streamflow of the mountainous catchments on northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains is mainly contributed by snowmelt in spring and summer. In this study,the Urumqi River,Manas Rives and Kuytun River basins recharged mainly by snowmelt on northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains were selected to model the daily snowmelt runoff. A snowmelt runoff model (SRM) was used to simulate the daily runoff with the hydrological and meteorological data and snow/ice remote sensing images. The melt season from March to August in the hydrological year of 2007 was selected as the calibration period,and the same seasons in 2005 and 2006 were selected as the validation periods. Results indicated that,during both the calibration and validation periods,the SRM performed well in evaluating the daily snowmelt runoff in the three mountainous catchments. During the simulation period,the average values of R2 and DV for the three catchments were 0.85 and 9.42% respectively. During the validation periods,in the year of 2006,the average value of R2 reached 0.72 and the average DV remained 13.3% for the three catchments; in the year of 2005,the average values of R2 and DV for the three catchments were 0.78 and 4.85% respectively. Hence,it could be concluded safely that the calibration of SRM parameters was reasonable and the SRM is well established for practical application in all the three data-scarce mountainous catchments. References | Related Articles | Metrics

Ecology and Environment

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Calculation of Ecological Water Demand of the Bortala River Based on the Improved Tennant Method WEI Tian-feng, LIU Zhi-hui 2016, 33 (3):  643-648.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.26 Abstract ( 514 )   PDF (1523KB) ( 1150 )   Ecological water demand of river is currently one of the hot fields in researching water resources,and its calculation method is the focus.So far,the calculation method of ecological water demand of river is generally divided into four categories,i.e.the historical discharge method,hydraulic rating method,habitat method and holistic method.Through comparative analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of various research methods,it was considered that the Tennant method is more suitable for the rivers in arid area where the hydrological data are insufficient.However,the ecological water demand calculated with this method based on the percentage of average annual discharge cannot reflect the annual and seasonal discharge variation.Therefore,in this study the typical annual discharge was used to replace the average annual discharge,thus the Tennant method was improved,and the ecological water demand of the river section from Wenquan Station to Bole Station of the Bortala River was calculated.The result showed that the minimum ecological water demands of the river section in common season and peak season were 0.22×108 m3 and 1.34×108 m3,and they were increased by 4.5% and 48.5% compared with those before improving the method,respectively.The calculated results could reflect the big seasonal runoff change of the Bortala River. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Air Pollution and Its Change Trend over Aksu City Ayguli Ailiyas, Yummit Halik, Maidina Tursun 2016, 33 (3):  649-654.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.27 Abstract ( 707 )   PDF (1975KB) ( 674 )   According to the monitoring information and data of air quality over Aksu City,issued by the Ministry of Environmental Protection during the period of 2001-2010,the change of concentrations of air pollutants and its trend were quantitatively analyzed using the Daniel Spearman rank correlation coefficient test so as to determine the main air pollutants and air quality trend as well as their impacts on environment.The results showed that the monthly PM10 concentration was the highest in March (0.818 mg·m-3) and the lowest in September (0.282 mg·m-3) during the period of 2001-2010; seasonally,the PM10 concentration was high in spring (0.760 mg·m-3) and low in fall (0.305 mg·m-3) in recent 10 years.According to the distribution of monthly SO2 concentration during the period of 2001-2010,the monthly SO2 concentration was the highest in January (0.028 mg·m-3) and the lowest in June (0.012 mg·m-3); seasonally,the SO2 concentration was high in winter (0.027 mg·m-3) and low in summer (0.012 mg·m-3) in recent 10 years.The monthly NO2 concentration was the highest in December (0.032 mg·m-3) and the lowest in July (0.019 mg·m-3) during the period of 2001-2010; seasonally,the NO2 concentrations was high in winter (0.030 mg·m-3) and low (0.020 mg·m-3) in summer in recent 10 years.Air pollution was more serious in heating period than that in non-heating period.Air pollutants in Aksu City were dominated by inhalable particles,and the air quality was generally good.From the view of the annual variation,SO2 and NO2 were in a significant increase trend,PM10 was in an obvious decrease trend,and the urban air quality over Aksu was holistically improved year by year. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Coupling Mechanism between Urban Land Use Benefits and Urbanization in the Shiyang River Basin:A Case Study in Liangzhou,Wuwei SHI Kun-bo, YANG Yong-chun, ZHANG Wei-fang, SONG Mei-na, BAI Shuo, LI Bo 2016, 33 (3):  655-663.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.28 Abstract ( 500 )   PDF (1136KB) ( 954 )   It is crucial for the development of oasis cities in arid inland river basin to explore the coupled relationship between land use benefits and urbanization. A case study on the coupling mechanism between urban land use benefits and urbanization was carried out in Liangzhou,Wuwei in the Shiyang River Basin using the coupling harmonious degree model and gray relation analysis model. The results showed that the indexes of social,economic and ecological benefits of land use and population,economic,social,urban space and lifestyle urbanization were all in a significant increase in Liangzhou,Wuwei during the period from 2002 to 2012. There were the linear increments in the indexes of land use benefits,urbanization and comprehensive evaluation,and the growth rate of land use benefits was higher than the urbanization index. The index of coupling mechanism between urban land use benefits and urbanization in the study area was increased from 0.273 6 to 0.907 0,the status of coupling mechanism became gradually from a moderate disorder to a good coordination,and the coupling coordination could be divided into 3 stages,i.e. the recession,transition and coordinated development. There was a mutual driving relationship between urban land use benefits and urbanization,a significant positive effect of economic benefits of land use on urbanization,and also a significant positive effect of urbanization on the land use benefits from the aspects of social (population) and economic factors. The results had a certain referring significance for the development of all the oasis cities in the Shiyang River Basin and even those in arid area. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Spatial Variation of Compaction on Transverse Dune Surface in Hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert JIA Wen-ru, LI Sheng-yu, MA Xue-xi, WANG Ning-bo 2016, 33 (3):  664-671.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.29 Abstract ( 532 )   PDF (1923KB) ( 778 )   Dune surface compactness is a comprehensive index,can be used to quantify the compaction degree at different parts of dune surface,and plays an important role in the formation of aeolian dune. In this paper,the space differentiation of surface compactness and formation mechanism of four kinds of simple transverse dunes were investigated by means of the Least Significant Difference method (LSD) and Multiple Comparison (MC) based on field measurements of dune morphology and surface compactness of four simple transverse dunes (PD,SD,PCD and TCD) on inter-dune corridors of complex ridges in hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert. The results are as follows: ① Space differentiation of surface compactness was different and had directionality for the four kinds of dunes. Longitudinal differentiation was the most significant,but the transverse one was not obvious; ② The mean surface compactness was in an order of SD>PD>PCD>TCD,while the space differentiation of compactness was just opposite. Moreover,the locations of the maximum value and minimum value were various; ③ There were the very good correlations among the dune surface compactness,bulk density and porosity. Therefore,for the similar sand material,compactness can reflect some physical properties well,such as bulk density,porosity and so on. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Numerical Simulation of the Influence of Incoming Flow Profile on Sand Flow Field and Aeolian Sand Deposition: A Case Study around Sand Retaining Wall XIN Guo-wei, CHENG Jian-jun, JING Wen-hong, ZHANG Fang, WANG Lian, ZHI Ling-yan 2016, 33 (3):  672-680.  doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2016.03.30 Abstract ( 484 )   PDF (2389KB) ( 1160 )   Incoming flow velocity profile is a key factor for controlling and influencing the sand flow field. Based on CFD unsteady model,in this study a numerical analysis of different incoming flow profile forms under specific roughness of underlying surface was carried out so as to explore the influence of incoming flow profile on wind speed and sand deposition. The results showed that the velocity partition of two incoming flow profile forms formed around the sand retaining wall. On the leeward side,the recirculation zone of uniform flow was not obvious,but that of logarithmic flow. On the windward side,a sudden velocity change of the uniform flow occurred,but the velocity of logarithmic flow was increased in a logarithmic law. The distribution of sand deposition around sand retaining wall under different incoming flow forms was different: sand deposition of uniform flow occurred only on the leeward side,but that of logarithmic flow occurred on both sides,and it was more serious on the windward side than on the leeward side. Sand deposition on the windward side was reduced but increased on the leeward side with the increase of incoming flow speed. References | Related Articles | Metrics