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Journal of Arid Land
Journal of Arid Land  2024, Vol. 16 Issue (5): 654-667    DOI: 10.1007/s40333-024-0056-5
Research article     
Near-surface wind field characteristics of the desert-oasis transition zone in Dunhuang, China
PAN Jiapeng1,2, ZHANG Kecun1,*(), AN Zhishan1, ZHANG Yu1
1Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification & Dunhuang Gobi and Desert Ecology and Environment Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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Abstract  

The desert-oasis transition zone (DOTZ) serves as a buffer area between the desert and oasis. Understanding its wind field characteristics is of great significance for the prevention and control of aeolian disasters in the oasis. In this study, we used meteorological data during 2013-2019 from the portable meteorological stations at five sites (site A on the edge of the oasis, sites B, C, and D in the DOTZ, and site O in the desert) in Dunhuang, China to analyze the near-surface wind field characteristics and their causes, as well as to reveal the key role of the DOTZ in oasis protection. The results showed that the mean wind speed, frequency of sand-driving wind, and directional variability of wind decreased from west to east within the DOTZ, and wind speed was significantly affected by air temperature. The terrain influenced the prevailing winds in the region, mainly from northeast and southwest. Only some areas adjacent to the oasis were controlled by southeasterly wind. This indicated that the near-surface wind field characteristics of the DOTZ were caused by the combined effects of local terrain and surface hydrothermal difference. At site D, the annual drift potential (DP) was 24.95 vector units (VU), indicating a low wind energy environment, and the resultant drift direction (RDD) showed obvious seasonal differences. Additionally, the DOTZ played an important buffering role between the desert and oasis. Compared with the desert, the mean wind speed in the oasis decreased by 64.98%, and the prevailing wind direction was more concentrated. The results of this study will be useful in interpreting the aeolian activity of the DOTZ in Dunhuang.

Key words： desert-oasis transition zone      near-surface wind field      hydrothermal difference      sand-driving wind      aeolian environment      Dunhuang     
Received: 07 December 2023      Published: 31 May 2024
Corresponding Authors: *ZHANG Kecun (E-mail: kecunzh@lzb.ac.cn)
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PAN Jiapeng
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PAN Jiapeng, ZHANG Kecun, AN Zhishan, ZHANG Yu. Near-surface wind field characteristics of the desert-oasis transition zone in Dunhuang, China. Journal of Arid Land, 2024, 16(5): 654-667.

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http://jal.xjegi.com/10.1007/s40333-024-0056-5     OR     http://jal.xjegi.com/Y2024/V16/I5/654

Fig. 1 Overview of the desert-oasis transition zone (DOTZ) in Dunhuang and locations of the five study sites (a), as well as photos showing the landscapes of portable meteorological stations (b1-b3). The upper figure is based on the World Imagery (WGS84) data from Esri, Maxar, and Earthstar Geographics.
DP Wind energy environment RDP/DP Directional variability
>400 VU High <0.3 High
200-400 VU Intermediate 0.3-0.8 Intermediate
<200 VU Low >0.8 Low
Table 1 Classification criteria of wind energy environment and directional variability of wind
Fig. 2 Isoline map of mean annual air temperature in the study area. The dashed lines of different colors all represent the mean annual air temperature values, with the black dashed lines indicating the main isotherms at the interval of 0.5°C, and the gray dashed lines showing the auxiliary isotherms at the interval of 0.1°C. The figure is based on the World Imagery (WGS84) data from Esri, Maxar, and Earthstar Geographics.
Fig. 3 Isoline map of mean annual wind speed in the study area. The dashed lines of different colors all represent the mean annual wind speed values, with the black dashed lines indicating the main contours at the interval of 0.50 m/s, and the gray dashed lines showing the auxiliary contours at the interval of 0.10 m/s. The figure is based on the World Imagery (WGS84) data from Esri, Maxar, and Earthstar Geographics.
Fig. 4 Linear regression analysis between mean monthly wind speed and mean monthly air temperature at sites A, D, and O from north to south (a) and at sites B, C, and D from west to east (b)
Fig. 5 Sand-driving wind roses in the study area. (a), site A; (b), site B; (c), site C; (d), site D; (e), site O. The arrow indicates the resultant drift direction (RDD).
Site Frequency of wind direction (%) Site Frequency of wind direction (%)
E+SE+SSE S+SW+WSW NE+ENE SW+WSW
A 58.90 5.21 B 36.37 23.99
D 28.20 41.20 C 40.65 21.33
O 36.30 26.70 D 19.49 34.15
Table 2 Changes in prevailing wind directions in the study area
Fig. 6 Annual (a) and seasonal (b-e) roses of DP at site D. DP, drift potential; RDP, resultant drift potential. The arrow indicates the RDD.
Fig. 7 Annual and seasonal RDP/DP at sites B, C, and D. RDP/DP, the ratio of RDP to DP, which is regarded as an important indicator for describing the directional variability of wind.
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