What Is Wind Erosion?

Wind erosion, or wind erosion, refers to the process by which ground surface materials are eroded, abraded, and taken away by wind. ^[1] Dry soil and relatively stable wind over the ground are the main conditions for severe wind erosion.

Wind erosion, or wind erosion, refers to the process by which ground surface materials are eroded, abraded, and taken away by wind. ^[1]

There are mainly three types of soil particles under the action of wind: jump, suspension and rolling. ^[5]

In the early 1940s, USDA scientists represented by Chepil carried out a series of research work on soil wind erosion control. ^[6]

Wind erosion mainly occurs in arid and semi-arid climate regions and humid regions subject to periodic droughts.

The main distribution areas of wind erosion landforms in China are in Qinghai

Wind erosion is the primary link of aeolian action. All aeolian processes occur first through the wind erosion process. The huge desert sand dunes and aeolian loess deposits in the world are formed by wind erosion on the site, then transportation and sedimentation.

The direct consequence of wind erosion is the reduction of fine-grained materials on the ground surface and the increase of coarse-grained materials, accompanied by the loss of soil organic matter and nutrients. Severe long-term wind erosion will form geomorphological phenomena such as Gobi, Yadan, and wind-eroded depressions in desert areas. Wind erosion is an important process and manifestation of desertification. Due to natural or man-made factors, wind erosion will first occur when the vegetation is reduced so that the surface is bare. In relatively humid areas, natural vegetation was originally good, but due to the unreasonable development and use of human beings, the vegetation was reduced and the soil was exposed to the ground, thus suffering from the dual erosion of flowing water and wind. In relatively arid regions, vegetation is scarce and wind erosion is very serious. If humans do not protect the cultivated land and pastures scientifically, the already severe wind erosion here will be further enhanced.

More and more scientists recognize that wind erosion is the main process of desertification, especially in vulnerable areas of arid and semi-arid vegetation. Wind erosion must be considered in combating desertification, and it must start with wind erosion. A large number of funds are being invested at home and abroad to organize research on the dynamic mechanism of wind erosion in order to find effective ways to combat desertification. ^[1]

Due to the variety of rock properties and occurrences, wind erosion results in the topography of Yadan: wind eroded mounds, wind eroded columns, wind eroded valleys, wind eroded depressions, wind city, wind eroded niches, wind prisms, stone mushrooms, etc. The wind-eroded landscape in various poses has both a certain scientific research value and can be used for sightseeing. Increase vegetation cover and reduce

Wind eroded america

At the beginning of the 19th century, the United States used a large number of hoe-type ploughs to open up wasteland, cultivating tens of millions of hectares of arid and semi-arid grasslands into farmland, raking and crushing the soil several times after the ploughing, and exposed barely. The good harvest was obtained for decades, and a large amount of grain was exported. Bringed great economic benefits to the United States. By the 1930s, the shocking "black storm" that had been blowing in the western United States for several years, strong winds swept over uncovered farmland, and thousands of tons of topsoil were blown away by the wind. In May 1934, a typical sandstorm blew from the western United States for three consecutive days, sweeping two-thirds of the country's soil, and drawing more than 300 million tons of soil into the Atlantic Ocean. In this year alone, more than 3 million hectares of arable land were destroyed in the United States, and winter wheat production was reduced by 5.1 million tons. This caused 160,000 farmers to flee their families and flee the west, leaving people with extremely difficult lives, and many people died of pneumonia caused by sandstorms.

The "Black Storm" awakened people and promoted research on various water and soil conservation methods. After half a century of research, a no-till method has been developed, which has been combined with measures such as returning cultivated land to grass, afforestation, and establishing windbreaks to effectively curb the recurrence of dust storms. 60% of the cultivated land in the United States is planted under no-till. Core technology of no-tillage method: First, stubble cover. Eliminate hoe-type ploughs, the soil is not plowed, and the straw covers the field; the second is to use a stubble field seeder "iron stubble" for seeding, and the fertilizer is applied in depth with the seeding; U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Center (USDA-ARS) report in 1979, compared with traditional farming methods, no-tillage, straw mulch treatment, increased soil water storage, reduced runoff and evaporation, and enhanced soil resistance to wind erosion Crop yield.

Wind eroded australia

The arid area of Australia is 6.25 million km2, accounting for 81% of the country's land area. Tillage operations for decades since the beginning of the 20th century have led to severe wind and water erosion and shallow soil layers. Scientists predict that if no measures are taken, the area of arable land in Australia will be reduced by 50% in 100 years. Since the 1970s, the Australian government has established protective farming trial stations across the country. Numerous experiments have proved that straw mulching is an effective farming method to prevent wind erosion and maintain soil and water. Stubble cover reduces soil erosion by 90%, and reduces wind erosion by 70% to 80% (see Table 2).

Wind eroded canada

Canada is located in North America. It has a cold climate and a long period of soil recreation in summer. After plowing the soil, it can be exposed for 18 to 21 months. The lack of mulch causes evaporation of soil moisture, increasing soil salinity and wind erosion and water erosion. In the 1950s, Canada began researching conservation farming. The key technologies such as no-till seeders and herbicides have been collectively solved. In the 21st century, hoe-type ploughs have been eliminated and stubble-covered no-till seeding is implemented. Studies have shown that no-tillage is beneficial to reduce soil erosion, preserve water, improve soil structure, and increase crop yield.

Wind eroded the former Soviet Union

The dry regions of the former Soviet Union are distributed at 50-53 degrees north latitude, including grassland and semi-desert regions, with about 97 million hm2 of arable land and annual rainfall of 350-450 mm. Drought, wind erosion and water erosion are the major threats to agriculture. The wind erosion area is 70 million hm2, and sandstorms are the main disasters in the area. In the 1950s, the trial of wallless ploughing, also called Maltsev farming. Including high-stubble stubble (20cm), deep wall loose plough 35-40cm, stubble field planter sowing, can retain rain and snow, reduce wind and water erosion, improve crop yield, and has been widely used in the former Soviet Union.

Wind erosion China

No-till is a cultivation system that minimizes soil tillage and leaves crop residues on the surface. It is an improved, intensive, crop production method that prevents water and wind erosion. The no-till farming system eliminates traditional operations such as ploughing, harrowing, and flat land. Only seeding remains as the main operation, but it is more difficult than traditional seeding. Relatively hard soil and surface residues make seeding difficult. Therefore, no-till seeders require stronger ability to cut the soil, and at the same time be able to clean up residues near the opener without causing seed clogging. Fertilization is usually performed at the same time as seeding, with fertilizer applied near the seeds. Weeding is mainly based on chemical weeding, and assisted by mechanical shallow weeding.

Crop residue coverage can effectively reduce the movement of sand particles caused by high winds. On the one hand, it can absorb a part of the wind force and reduce the force of the wind on the soil; on the other hand, because the crop residues are left on the soil surface and the stubbles are left in the soil, they can protect the soil particles from being moved by the wind.