Dune types and their distribution in the Kumtagh Sand Sea, northwestern China

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)

DONG, Z.

Key lab. of Desert and Desertification, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute (CAREERI), CAS, Lanzhou, Chine

QIAN, G.

Key lab. of Desert and Desertification, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute (CAREERI), CAS, Lanzhou, Chine

LUO, W.

Key lab. of Desert and Desertification, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute (CAREERI), CAS, Lanzhou, Chine

ZHANG, Z.

Key lab. of Desert and Desertification, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute (CAREERI), CAS, Lanzhou, Chine

LV, P.

Key lab. of Desert and Desertification, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute (CAREERI), CAS, Lanzhou, Chine

Description :
The AA. identified 11 main types of dunes, described their distribution, and estimated the areas they covered. Dunes generally became more complex moving from the north to the south of the study area, and from the edges to the inner areas of the sand sea. The wind regime also became more complex moving towards the south due to the physical blocking and thermodynamic effects of the mountains and the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, as well as the complex underlying topography. The combination of these factors appears to be responsible for the observed spatial variation of the dune types. Dune heights were estimated from 1:100,000 topographic maps and remote-sensing images. Dune height increased from north to south, with the tallest dunes occurring near the southern mountains. This general distribution of dune heights suggests that dune height was determined by a combination of sediment availability, airflow patterns, the blocking effect of mountains, and the underlying topography.

Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie, issn : 0372-8854, 2013, vol. 57, n°. 2, p. 207-224, nombre de pages : 18, Références bibliographiques : 31 ref.

Date :
2013

Editeur :
Pays édition : Allemagne, Stuttgart, Gebruder Borntraeger

Langue :
Anglais