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Reconstructing the aeolian processes in Daurian steppes during arid phases of morphogenesis

  • Regional Problems of Environmental Studies and Natural Resources Utilization
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Abstract

Regional characteristics of aeolian morphogenesis in steppes of Central Asia have been ascertained on the basis of summarizing experimental field data, the results from studying the profiles of Holocene deposits and interpreting space-acquired images as well as disembodied published data. It is shown that the Onon-Torei Plain has the role of an aeolian corridor for an intense transport of matter from Transbaikalia southeastward to neighboring areas of Mongolia and China. It is pointed out that the lake basins and the fluviatile complexes of relief along the axis of the corridor experience a maximal aeolian deformation. The rate of aeolian sedimentation can amount to 30‒50 cm/year in this area. Within the denudation relief, the deflation rate varies from a few hundredths of a millimeter to 10 mm/year. The pulsating character of the aeolian processes, caused by the structure of climatic fluctuations, is considered. The study revealed a correlation of changes in the intensity of the aeolian processes with variations in atmospheric humidification and fluctuations of the water level in drainless lakes for the period of the region’s historical past. Using the Krementui pad’ as an example, we reconstructed the spatial distribution of the different-intensity deflation and aeolian accumulation zones for the arid phases of morphogenesis. The general trend of evolution of the contemporary aeolian processes in Daurian steppes implies a predominance of the deflation component which leads to the removal of the relief.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Irkutsk, Russia

    O. I. Bazhenova, D. V. Kobylkin, S. A. Makarov, A. V. Silaev & A. A. Cherkashina

  2. Daurian State Nature Reserve, Nizhnii Tsasuchei, Russia

    N. N. Rogaleva

Authors
  1. O. I. Bazhenova
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  2. D. V. Kobylkin
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  3. S. A. Makarov
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  4. N. N. Rogaleva
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  5. A. V. Silaev
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  6. A. A. Cherkashina
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Correspondence to O. I. Bazhenova.

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Original Russian Text © O.I. Bazhenova, D.V. Kobylkin, S.A. Makarov, N.N. Rogaleva, A.V. Silaev, A.A. Cherkashina, 2015, published in Geography and Natural Resources, 2015, Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 126-137.

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Bazhenova, O.I., Kobylkin, D.V., Makarov, S.A. et al. Reconstructing the aeolian processes in Daurian steppes during arid phases of morphogenesis. Geogr. Nat. Resour. 36, 289–299 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1875372815030099

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1875372815030099

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