Wind erodibility in eastern Ningxia Province, China

Many methods have been used to study wind erosion, a common phenomenon in arid and semi-arid regions. This paper documents a 2006 field study in which sediment samplers and steel pins were used to measure soil erosion, and sand drift potential was used to estimate wind erosion and transport in the eastern part of Ningxia Province, China. Wind energy in the study area was found to be moderate and sediments were transported from northwest to southeast. Sediment transport differed depending on the surface type: sediment transport was greatest in areas of shifting dunes, with cultivated land, semi-fixed dunes, and fixed dunes showing progressively less transport. Sediment transport was lowest in shrubland areas. The depth of erosion was 66 in cultivated areas, 33 in shifting dunes, 28 in semi-fixed dunes, 20 in fixed dunes, and 3 mm in shrublands. The extensive erosion of sediment in cultivated lands and the resultant decrease in surface height results in serious degradation and loss of soil fertility.