Characterization of Soil Particle Size Distribution with a Fractal Model in the Desertified Regions of Northern China

We constructed an aeolian soil database across arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid regions, China. Soil particle size distribution was measured with a laser diffraction technique, and fractal dimensions were calculated. The results showed that: (i) the predominant soil particle size distributed in fi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Acta geophysica 2016-02, Vol.64 (1), p.1-14
Main Authors: Gao, Guang-Lei, Ding, Guo-Dong, Zhao, Yuan-Yuan, Wu, Bin, Zhang, Yu-Qing, Guo, Jian-Bin, Qin, Shu-Gao, Bao, Yan-Feng, Yu, Ming-Han, Liu, Yun-Dong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
aeolian soil
Desertification
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Eolian soils
fractal dimension
Fractals
Geophysics/Geodesy
Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences
Particle size
particle size distribution
Sand
Soil environment
Soils
Structural Geology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We constructed an aeolian soil database across arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid regions, China. Soil particle size distribution was measured with a laser diffraction technique, and fractal dimensions were calculated. The results showed that: (i) the predominant soil particle size distributed in fine and medium sand classifications, and fractal dimensions covered a wide range from 2.0810 to 2.6351; (ii) through logarithmic transformations, fractal dimensions were significantly positive correlated with clay and silt contents ( R 2 = 0.81 and 0.59, P < 0.01), and significantly negative correlated with sand content ( R 2 = 0.50, P < 0.01); (3) hierarchical cluster analysis divided the plots into three types which were similar to sand dune types indicating desertification degree. In a large spatial scale, fractal dimensions are still sensitive to wind-induced desertification. Therefore, we highly recommend that fractal dimension be used as a reliable and quantitative parameter to monitor soil environment changes in desertified regions. This improved information provides a firm basis for better understanding of desertification processes.
ISSN:1895-6572
1895-7455
DOI:10.1515/acgeo-2015-0050