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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

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Abstract

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 sand-blocking 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.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41730644, 41901011 & 41771010).

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Authors and Affiliations

  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

    Jianjun Qu, Tao Wang, Qinghe Niu, Benli Liu, Lihai Tan, Qingjie Han, Yang Gao & Jianhua Xiao

  2. Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, 511458, China

    Jianjun Qu

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  1. Jianjun Qu
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  2. Tao Wang
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  3. Qinghe Niu
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  4. Benli Liu
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  5. Lihai Tan
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  7. Yang Gao
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Correspondence to Tao Wang.

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Qu, J., Wang, T., Niu, Q. et al. 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. Sci. China Earth Sci. 66, 292–302 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-021-1000-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-021-1000-6

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