Observations of Gobi aeolian transport and wind fetch effect

Abstract

The wind fetch effect is important to wind erosion and aeolian transport and controls aeolian flux. It is useful to study the wind fetch effect in determining the aeolian transport mechanism and improving our knowledge of aeolian physics and wind erosion. In this paper, multichannel samplers measure aeolian transport at different heights above an artificial Gobi surface in the southeastern region of the Tengger Desert. The results show that aeolian transport flux can be expressed as an exponential function of height. Wind fetch obviously affects aeolian flux and aeolian transport. The coefficients and relative decay rate of aeolian flux decrease and then increase with increasing wind fetch distance. Aeolian transport depends on the height and fetch distance; aeolian transport increases and then decreases with increasing fetch distance, reaching a maximum at a fetch distance of about 34 m at the very near surface. The fetch distance of maximum aeolian transport tends to increase with height.