The sand-deposition impact of artificial gravel beds on the protection of the Mogao Grottoes

Gravel beds can prevent sand-dust emission and weaken sand-dust flux. We used wind-tunnel experiments and field observations on artificial gravel beds above the Mogao Grottoes to quantify their impact. In the report, we identified a significant correlation between gravel roughness and its ability to...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2014-03, Vol.4 (1), p.4341, Article 4341
Main Authors: Li, Guo Shuai, Qu, Jian Jun, Li, Xu Zhi, Wang, Wan Fu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
704/2151
704/2151/215
Dust
Gravel
Humanities and Social Sciences
multidisciplinary
Sand
Science
Trucking industry
Wind
Wind speed
Wind tunnels
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:Gravel beds can prevent sand-dust emission and weaken sand-dust flux. We used wind-tunnel experiments and field observations on artificial gravel beds above the Mogao Grottoes to quantify their impact. In the report, we identified a significant correlation between gravel roughness and its ability to trap wind-transported sand. The optimal combinations of gravel diameter and coverage were determined. The greatest roughness is achieved when small gravel coverage is 75%, medium 40% and large 45%. We found that initial wind speed and gravel coverage are the key factors controlling the amount of sand trapped by the gravel beds.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/srep04341