Mechanisms of the formation of wind-blown sand hazards and the sand control measures in Gobi areas under extremely strong winds along the Lanzhou-Xinjiang high-speed railway  

作　　者：Jianjun QU Tao WANG Qinghe NIU Benli LIU Lihai TAN Qingjie HAN Yang GAO Jianhua XIAO 

机构地区：[1]Key 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 [2]Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory(Guangzhou),Guangzhou,511458,China

出　　处：《Science China Earth Sciences》2023年第2期292-302,共11页中国科学（地球科学英文版）

基　　金：financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41730644,41901011&41771010)。

摘　　要：The Lanzhou-Xinjiang high-speed railway(HSR)traverses areas of the Gobi Desert where extremely strong winds are frequent.These strong winds cause sand/gravel hazards,an unaddressed issue that often seriously compromises the safe operation of the HSR.This paper studies the mechanisms leading to wind-blown sand hazards and the outcomes of sand control projects in these areas.The main findings are as follows:(1)Cold northern airflows over the Tian Shan mountain range are accelerated by the wind tunnels and downslope effect as they pass over complex terrain comprising passes,gullies,and proluvial fans.Consequently,the wind intensity often increases two-to threefold,creating frequent high-speed winds that lead to severe sand damage along the HSR.(2)In the Gobi areas with extremely strong winds,sand grains can be lifted as high as 9 m from the ground into the air,far higher than in other areas of the desert.The sand transport rate decreases exponentially with increasing height.Both wind speed and particle size determine saltation height.Coarser particles and stronger winds provide the particles with a higher kinetic energy as they collide with the ground.In the wind zones of Baili and Yandun,the analysed study areas,the saltation layer height of wind-blown sand/gravel exceeds 3 and 2 m,respectively.(3)Based on the above findings,recently emerging sand control materials,suitable for the areas of interest,were screened and developed.Furthermore,under the proposed principle of‘supplementing blocking with trapping’,a comprehensive sand control measure was established,featuring sandblocking belts comprised of multiple rows,and high,vertical sand-trapping installations with a large grids size.The installed system showed a high efficacy,reducing sand transport rate by 87.87%and significantly decreasing the deposition of sand along a trial section of the HSR.

关 键 词：Gobi areas with extremely strong winds Wind-blown sand hazards Complex terrain Sand/gravel flow Wind-blown sand control 

分 类 号：U216.413[交通运输工程—道路与铁道工程] X43[环境科学与工程—灾害防治]