Rainfall Effects on Wind Erosion Processes on the Simulated Gobi Surface Using Indoor Experiments

In the present study,indoor experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of rainfall on subsequent wind erosion processes on the simulated Gobi surface,with soils and gravels collected from the Alax Gobi in northwestern China.The results showed that the wind erosion rate(WR)ranged from 0.4 to 1931.2 g m-2min-1 and that the sediment trans-portation rate(STR)ranged from 0.00 to 51.47 g m-2 s-1 under different gravel coverage conditions(0％,20％,40％and 60％)when the wind velocity changed from 6 m s-1 to 18 m s-1.Both WR and STR increased with increasing wind velocity as a power function and decreased with increasing gravel coverage.The rainfall event had significant inhibitory effects on WR and STR,and the complex effects of soil crust formation and the changing soil surface roughness(SSR)by rainfall event played significant roles in reducing these rates during subsequent wind erosion.In this study,a valuable exploration of the effects of rainfall events on subsequent wind erosion processes in the Gobi area was conducted.The findings are of great significance for a better understanding and effective prediction of dust emissions in this region.