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Journal of Arid Land  2026, Vol. 18 Issue (7): 1159-1178    DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridl.2026.05.011    
Research article     
Windbreak and sand-fixing effects of typical nebkhas in the Yabrai Mountain aeolian corridor
LI Xiaoyang1,2, MENG Zhongju1,2,*()
1 College of Desert Control Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
2 State Key Laboratory of Water Engineering Ecology and Environment in Arid Area, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
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Abstract  

Nebkhas are important aeolian landforms in arid regions and have notable windbreak and sand-fixing functions. However, the effects of shrub type and developmental stage on nebkha performance in high-wind energy regions remain insufficiently understood. This study quantified the windbreak and sand-fixing effects of three typical nebkha types (i.e., nebkhas formed by Reaumuria soongorica, Caragana tibetica, and Nitraria tangutorum) at different developmental stages (i.e., initial, developing, stable, and activated stages) in the Yabrai Mountain aeolian corridor, a high-wind energy region in China. Field sampling was carried out in three subregions along the prevailing wind direction (upwind, central sand-transport, and downwind) in March and November 2025. Particle-size analysis was conducted to characterize the differentiation of surface aeolian sediments, and field measurements combined with numerical simulations were used to analyze wind-speed profiles, windbreak efficiency, and airflow structure. The results showed that surface sediments on the windward slope and mound crest were dominated by clay and silt, whereas higher sand fractions occurred on the leeward and lateral slopes. The mean particle size followed the order: N. tangutorum (2.27 Φ)<C. tibetica (2.30 Φ)<R. soongorica (2.37 Φ). Windbreak and sand-fixing effects ranked as stable stage>activated stage>developing stage>initial stage, with N. tangutorum nebkhas showing the strongest performance. When airflow passed over the nebkhas, wind speed increased above the canopy and along the lateral slopes; at the same time, a pronounced leeward deceleration zone formed within normalized horizontal distance (x/L) of 0-6 and relative height (z/H) of 0.0-0.5, where x is the horizontal distance, z is the vertical height, and L and H denote the shrub canopy major axis and shrub canopy height, respectively. Wind speed increased with z/H and x/L in the leeward direction and approached the reference wind speed over bare ground at z/H>1.2. Similar airflow patterns were observed among nebkha types. Prioritising N. tangutorum, combined with C. tibetica, and maintaining suitable developmental stages can enhance windbreak and sand-fixing performance in high-wind energy regions. These findings provide a scientific reference for constructing stable and efficient ecological protection systems in extreme wind environments, and support sand-control planning and vegetation configuration in arid and semi-arid areas.



Key wordsnebkha      shrub type      developmental stage      particle-size analysis      Yabrai Mountain aeolian corridor     
Received: 01 December 2025      Published: 31 July 2026
Corresponding Authors: *MENG Zhongju (E-mail: mengzhongju@126.com)
About author: First author contact:

Conceptualization: LI Xiaoyang, MENG Zhongju; Data curation: LI Xiaoyang; Formal analysis: LI Xiaoyang; Funding acquisition: MENG Zhongju; Investigation: LI Xiaoyang; Methodology: LI Xiaoyang, MENG Zhongju; Project administration: MENG Zhongju; Resources: MENG Zhongju; Software: LI Xiaoyang; Supervision: MENG Zhongju; Validation: LI Xiaoyang, MENG Zhongju; Visualization: LI Xiaoyang; Writing - original draft preparation: LI Xiaoyang; Writing - review and editing: MENG Zhongju. All authors approved the manuscript.

Cite this article:

LI Xiaoyang, MENG Zhongju. Windbreak and sand-fixing effects of typical nebkhas in the Yabrai Mountain aeolian corridor. Journal of Arid Land, 2026, 18(7): 1159-1178.

URL:

http://jal.xjegi.com/10.1016/j.jaridl.2026.05.011     OR     http://jal.xjegi.com/Y2026/V18/I7/1159

Fig. 1 Overview of the study area based on the satellite imagery. The satellite imagery is derived from the Google Earth (https://earth.google.com/).
Stage Reaumuria soongorica Caragana tibetica Nitraria tangutorum
H
(cm)
Hs
(cm)
S
(×103 cm2)
V
(×103 cm3)
H
(cm)
Hs
(cm)
S
(×103 cm2)
V
(×103
cm3)
H
(cm)
Hs
(cm)
S
(×103 cm2)
V
(×103
cm2)
Initial <9 <6 <0.5 <5.5 <15 <10 <1.5 <15.0 <20 <15 <1.5 <20.0
Developing 9-16 6-11 0.5-1.0 5.5-8.0 15-25 10-20 1.5-3.5 15.0-50.0 20-30 15-25 1.5-4.0 20.0-60.0
Stable 16-25 11-15 1.0-1.5 8.0-20.0 25-40 20-30 3.5-5.0 50.0-100.0 30-45 25-30 4.0-4.5 60.0-120.0
Activated ≥25 ≥15 ≥1.5 ≥20.0 ≥40 ≥30 ≥5.0 ≥100.0 ≥45 ≥30 ≥4.5 ≥120.0
Table 1 Criteria for classifying developmental stages of typical nebkhas
Fig. 2 Layout of wind speed observation around each nebkha. (a), main view; (b), vertical wind speed measurement; (c), top view; (d), horizontal wind speed measurement. The geometric centre of the shrub was taken as the coordinate origin; x is the horizontal distance along the prevailing wind direction; y is the horizontal distance perpendicular to the prevailing wind direction; z is the vertical height; L is the shrub canopy major axis; W is the shrub canopy minor axis; and H is the shrub canopy height.
Stage Morphological characteristic R. soongorica C. tibetica N. tangutorum
Initial stage L (cm) 28.1±7.1 67.9±19.7 74.4±16.3
W (cm) 26.6±6.7 62.1±16.5 66.0±14.8
H (cm) 5.7±1.0 13.2±1.0 13.5±2.2
Ls (cm) 20.6±4.7 52.4±16.3 58.2±10.5
Ws (cm) 19.0±3.8 47.8±14.3 53.1±9.5
Hs (cm) 3.9±0.7 8.2±2.1 8.6±1.5
Lc (cm) 24.3±4.9 60.0±17.7 67.8±12.2
S (×103 cm2) 0.2±0.1 0.9±1.1 1.0±0.4
V (×103 cm3) 1.9±0.7 8.5±4.9 9.9±4.0
Sz (×103 cm2) 0.4±0.2 1.5±0.8 1.7±0.8
Developing stage L (cm) 47.7±8.6 108.5±23.5 123.5±22.2
W (cm) 35.1±7.5 78.6±19.3 87.7±15.8
H (cm) 10.0±1.8 22.0±1.5 24.3±4.4
Ls (cm) 33.9±7.5 75.7±15.3 87.5±15.8
Ws (cm) 23.6±5.0 54.3±12.9 62.0±11.2
Hs (cm) 7.2±1.3 16.0±1.9 17.2±3.1
Lc (cm) 37.5±8.2 87.2±20.7 96.8±17.4
S (×103 cm2) 0.9±0.3 3.0±1.8 3.3±1.2
V (×103 cm3) 6.7±2.7 29.2±13.7 34.1±13.6
Sz (×103 cm2) 0.9±0.4 2.9±0.8 3.4±0.6
Stable stage L (cm) 61.7±11.1 157.2±23.2 184.0±33.1
W (cm) 44.1±9.4 99.0±19.9 112.1±20.2
H (cm) 21.2±3.1 36.0±1.5 40.5±7.3
Ls (cm) 51.1±9.2 119.2±15.4 136.1±24.5
Ws (cm) 36.6±7.7 84.0±12.9 95.7±17.2
Hs (cm) 14.0±2.5 25.8±1.9 27.1±4.9
Lc (cm) 39.0±8.6 88.1±21.0 93.0±16.7
S (×103 cm2) 1.2±0.4 4.0±1.9 4.6±1.6
V (×103 cm3) 18.2±8.5 79.8±14.3 102.5±35.2
Sz (×103 cm2) 1.4±0.9 3.9±0.8 4.7±2.4
Activated stage L (cm) 77.7±14.0 173.6±26.4 195.6±35.2
W (cm) 52.0±11.1 112.7±21.9 131.7±23.7
H (cm) 36.0±8.0 44.3±5.8 47.0±8.5
Ls (cm) 63.0±13.5 145.9±24.8 156.6±28.2
Ws (cm) 45.3±9.8 102.6±18.7 111.2±20.0
Hs (cm) 17.3±3.7 36.8±5.6 38.6±7.0
Lc (cm) 45.0±9.7 98.7±22.1 108.8±19.6
S (×103 cm2) 1.9±0.6 6.4±1.8 7.6±2.8
V (×103 cm3) 24.1±9.6 104.9±41.5 130.6±52.3
Sz (×103 cm2) 1.4±0.7 4.9±1.0 5.8±1.7
Table 2 Morphological parameters of typical nebkhas
Sample type SP Clay (%) Silt (%) Very fine
sand (%)
Fine sand
(%)
Medium sand (%) Coarse sand
(%)
R. soongorica
(0-10 cm)
WS 0.02±0.00DEa 0.73±0.03Da 2.20±0.03Fb 53.28±0.19Eb 43.17±0.23Bc 0.61±0.01Bb
LS 0.01±0.00Eb 0.28±0.02Db 1.85±0.02Gc 52.89±0.16Gb 44.35±0.17Bb 0.62±0.02Bb
MC 0.01±0.00Cb 0.28±0.01Eb 2.30±0.02Ha 54.89±0.21Fa 42.00±0.23Ad 0.52±0.02Ac
LS 0.01±0.00Db 0.23±0.01Cb 1.48±0.01Ed 49.83±0.05Fc 47.53±0.06Aa 0.93±0.01Aa
R. soongorica
(10-20 cm)
WS 0.02±0.00Ea 0.71±0.06Da 4.56±0.10Ca 61.74±0.36Da 32.81±0.46Cc 0.16±0.01Cbc
LS 0.01±0.00DEa 0.37±0.02Db 2.14±0.03Fc 53.67±0.23Fc 43.22±0.26Ca 0.59±0.02Ba
MC 0.02±0.00Ca 0.48±0.03Cb 4.62±0.10Ea 62.49±0.37Da 32.27±0.48Cc 0.15±0.01Cc
LS 0.01±0.00BCDa 0.38±0.03Cb 3.29±0.03CDb 60.30±0.17Db 35.83±0.21Cb 0.19±0.01Cb
R. soongorica
(20-30 cm)
WS 0.01±0.00Ea 0.30±0.01Dbc 1.81±0.03Gc 51.02±0.25Fc 46.01±0.26Aa 0.84±0.03Aa
LS 0.01±0.00Da 0.25±0.01Dc 1.66±0.03Gd 50.72±0.30Hc 46.54±0.32Aa 0.83±0.03Aa
MC 0.01±0.00Ca 0.37±0.03Da 2.58±0.07Gb 55.65±0.37Fb 40.91±0.41Ab 0.47±0.03Ab
LS 0.01±0.00CDa 0.33±0.02Cab 3.04±0.02Da 58.34±0.14Ea 37.99±0.16Bc 0.29±0.01Bc
C. tibetica
(0-10 cm)
WS 0.10±0.01Ba 2.28±0.15Ba 6.62±0.10Aa 67.92±0.14Ab 23.05±0.35Hc 0.02±0.00Fb
LS 0.05±0.01BCc 0.59±0.03Cc 4.66±0.05Dd 65.87±0.22Cc 28.77±0.27Ea 0.06±0.01DEa
MC 0.05±0.01ABb 0.68±0.03ABb 5.92±0.09Cb 68.58±0.22Ba 24.79±0.34EFb 0.02±0.00Eb
LS 0.09±0.02Ab 0.93±0.07Ab 5.64±0.02Ac 68.98±0.03Aa 24.37±0.13Fb 0.02±0.00Fb
C. tibetica
(10-20 cm)
WS 0.03±0.00DEb 0.78±0.01Da 4.20±0.05Dd 63.76±0.28Cd 31.14±0.32Ea 0.09±0.00Da
LS 0.04±0.01BCa 0.58±0.03Cb 6.45±0.06Ab 68.60±0.17Ab 24.34±0.24Hc 0.02±0.00Ed
MC 0.03±0.01BCa 0.45±0.01CDc 7.48±0.04Aa 71.40±0.09Aa 20.62±0.14Gd 0.04±0.00DEc
LS 0.05±0.01Ba 0.64±0.04Bb 4.61±0.04Bc 66.15±0.12Bc 28.52±0.20Eb 0.06±0.00Eb
C. tibetica
(20-30 cm)
WS 0.08±0.01BCa 1.54±0.11Ca 4.64±0.01Cc 65.09±0.03Bb 28.61±0.11Eb 0.06±0.00DEb
LS 0.04±0.01BCb 0.69±0.07BCc 4.67±0.07Dc 65.10±0.33Db 29.42±0.41Ea 0.07±0.00Da
MC 0.04±0.01Bb 0.60±0.03Bc 6.61±0.07Ba 68.89±0.21Ba 23.85±0.28Fc 0.02±0.00Ec
LS 0.09±0.02Aa 0.98±0.09Ab 5.86±0.02Ab 69.00±0.04Aa 24.08±0.16Fc 0.02±0.00Fc
N. tangutorum
(0-10 cm)
WS 0.09±0.01Ba 1.73±0.07Ca 4.62±0.05Cb 64.61±0.13Bb 28.94±0.26Ec 0.06±0.01DEc
LS 0.03±0.01CDb 0.63±0.06Cb 4.92±0.02Ca 66.63±0.11Ba 27.78±0.14Fd 0.04±0.00DEd
MC 0.05±0.01ABb 0.74±0.04Ab 3.48±0.03Fc 62.88±0.20Dc 32.78±0.26Cb 0.10±0.01CDb
LS 0.04±0.01BCb 0.64±0.07Bb 3.32±0.04CDd 61.96±0.24Cd 33.10±0.31Da 0.12±0.01Da
N. tangutorum
(10-20 cm)
WS 0.19±0.02Aa 2.94±0.09Aa 5.33±0.04Bb 64.88±0.10Bc 26.54±0.15Fb 0.04±0.00EFb
LS 0.07±0.01Ab 1.02±0.09Ab 5.50±0.02Ba 67.91±0.03Aa 25.51±0.16Gc 0.03±0.00Ec
MC 0.06±0.01Ab 0.77±0.03Ac 5.55±0.05Da 68.14±0.16Ba 25.47±0.21Ec 0.03±0.00Ec
LS 0.04±0.01Bb 0.76±0.04Bc 4.74±0.05Bc 66.19±0.17Bb 28.21±0.26Ea 0.05±0.00Ea
N. tangutorum
(20-30 cm)
WS 0.05±0.01CDa 0.88±0.06Da 6.60±0.04Aa 68.46±0.11Ab 24.01±0.19Gb 0.02±0.00Fc
LS 0.05±0.01BCa 0.72±0.07BCab 4.89±0.07Cc 65.61±0.22CDd 28.66±0.36EFa 0.07±0.01Da
MC 0.04±0.01ABa 0.74±0.03Aab 4.83±0.04Ec 66.44±0.13Cc 27.94±0.20Da 0.05±0.00DEb
LS 0.04±0.01BCa 0.66±0.03Bb 5.82±0.04Ab 69.06±0.09Aa 24.43±0.17Fb 0.02±0.00Fc
CK WS 0.04±0.00DEb 0.77±0.04Dab 3.10±0.25Ea 61.14±0.58Da 34.95±0.61Ca 0.18±0.01Ca
LS 0.05±0.00ABab 0.84±0.91Ba 3.09±0.44Ea 60.48±0.62Ea 35.52±0.92Da 0.18±0.01Ca
MC 0.59±0.00Aa 0.75±0.91Aab 2.43±0.48GHa 57..8±3.34Ea 38.67±0.39Ba 0.30±0.10Ba
LS 0.04±0.01BCb 0.63±0.60Bb 3.36±0.86Ca 61.92±3.25Ca 33.88±2.36Da 0.15±0.04Da
Table 3 Particle-size composition of surface sediments from typical nebkhas
Fig. 3 Variations in soil particle-size parameters of typical nebkhas at different soil depth intervals and slope positions. (a), mean particle size (Mz); (b), sorting coefficient (σ); (c), skewness (Sk); (d), kurtosis (Kg). CK means bare sand (control).
Fig. 4 Variations in soil fractal dimension of typical nebkhas at different soil depth intervals. Bars mean standard deviation (SD).
Fig. 5 Windbreak and sand-fixing effects of typical nebkhas at different developmental stages
Fig. 6 Variation in wind speed with relative height (z/H) and normalized horizontal distance (x/L) along the y=0 centerline of typical nebkhas at different developmental stages. (a), initial stage; (b), developing stage; (c), stable stage; (d), activated stage.
Fig. 7 Windbreak efficiency of typical nebkhas at different developmental stages, shown as functions of x/L and z/H along the y=0 centerline. (a1-a3), initial stage; (b1-b3), developing stage; (c1-c3), stable stage; (d1-d3), activated stage.
Fig. 8 Variation in wind speed with x/L and z/H along the y=0 centerline of typical nebkhas at different developmental stages. (a), initial stage; (b), developing stage; (c), stable stage; (d), activated stage.
Fig. 9 Wind speed distribution along x/L and normalized lateral distance (y/W) at z/H=0.3 for typical nebkhas at different developmental stages. (a1-a3), initial stage; (b1-b3), developing stage; (c1-c3), stable stage; (d1-d3), activated stage.
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