Short-term dynamics of wind erosion of three newly cultivated grassland soils in Northern China

• Published in: Geoderma 2003-07, Vol.115 (1), p.55-64
• Main Authors: Liu, Lian-You, Shi, Pei-Jun, Zou, Xue-Yong, Gao, Shang-Yu, Erdon, Hasi, Yan, Ping, Li, Xiao-Yan, Dong, Zhi-Bao, Wang, Jian-Hua
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cultivated grassland soils; Particle size; Soil loss; Wind tunnel simulation
• ISSN: 0016-7061; 1872-6259
• DOI: 10.1016/S0016-7061(03)00075-2

This study examined the dynamic nature of short-term wind erosion processes of three grassland soils under simulated cultivation. In a laboratory wind tunnel, soil loss on a sandy loam, a loamy sand, and a sand soil was measured in six successive 10-, 3-, and 1-min exposures at the speeds of 10, 18, and 26 m s −1, respectively. Erodible soil particle sizes of each interval were determined through direct dry sieving. It was observed that increasing blowing duration generally led to rapid decrease of soil loss, decrease of the erodible soil particle size from a definitely restricted area by any definite speed of wind, and the non-erodible particles remaining on the soil surface increased. From the first to the last blowing interval, soil loss decreased by 86.4–94.8% at 10 m s −1 in 60 min, 90.0–95.4% at 18 m s −1 in 18 min, and 71.5–97.8% at 26 m s −1 in 6 min. The results indicate that wind erosion on the newly cultivated soils is most intense during the initial blowing. The decrease of soil loss with time is presumed due to modification of soil surface by blowing wind, i.e. the concentration of non-erodible aggregates with the deflation of the erodible particles on the soil surfaces.