Wind As the Primary Driver of Erosion in the Qaidam Basin, China
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Rain Shadows
WEB TUTORIAL 24.2 Rain Shadows Text Sections Section 24.4 Earth's Physical Environment, p. 428 Introduction Atmospheric circulation patterns strongly influence the Earth's climate. Although there are distinct global patterns, local variations can be explained by factors such as the presence of absence of mountain ranges. In this tutorial we will examine the effects on climate of a mountain range like the Andes of South America. Learning Objectives • Understand the effects that topography can have on climate. • Know what a rain shadow is. Narration Rain Shadows Why might the communities at a certain latitude in South America differ from those at a similar latitude in Africa? For example, how does the distribution of deserts on the western side of South America differ from the distribution seen in Africa? What might account for this difference? Unlike the deserts of Africa, the Atacama Desert in Chile is a result of topography. The Andes mountain chain extends the length of South America and has a pro- nounced influence on climate, disrupting the tidy latitudinal patterns that we see in Africa. Let's look at the effects on climate of a mountain range like the Andes. The prevailing winds—which, in the Andes, come from the southeast—reach the foot of the mountains carrying warm, moist air. As the air mass moves up the wind- ward side of the range, it expands because of the reduced pressure of the column of air above it. The rising air mass cools and can no longer hold as much water vapor. The water vapor condenses into clouds and results in precipitation in the form of rain and snow, which fall on the windward slope. -
Wind Can Keep Mountains from Growing 28 March 2011
Wind can keep mountains from growing 28 March 2011 basin, central Asia: implications for tectonics, paleoclimate, and the source of the Loess Plateau," is in the April/May issue of GSA Today. Kapp's co-authors are Jon D. Pelletier and Joellen Russell of the UA; Alexander Rohrmann, formerly of the UA and now at the University of Potsdam in Germany; Richard Heermance of California State University, Northridge; and Lin Ding of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing. The American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund and a UA Faculty Small Grant funded the research. The geoscientists figured out wind's rock-sculpting Researchers sit atop a wind-formed ridge called a abilities by studying gigantic wind-formed ridges of yardang located in the Qaidam Basin of Central Asia. The yardangs in that area can be as much as 40 meters rock called yardangs. (about 130 feet) tall and about a football field (100 meters) apart. Credit: Paul Kapp, University of Arizona. Kapp first learned about yardangs when reviewing a scientific paper about Central Asia's Qaidam Basin. To see the geology for himself, he booted up Google Earth -- and was wowed by what he saw. Wind is a much more powerful force in the evolution of mountains than previously thought, "I'd never seen anything like that before," he said. "I according to a new report from a University of didn't even know what a yardang was." Arizona-led research team. Huge fields of yardangs that can be seen from Bedrock in Central Asia that would have formed space look like corduroy. -
High-Resolution Magnetostratigraphy of the Neogene Huaitoutala Section
Earth and Planetary Science Letters 258 (2007) 293–306 www.elsevier.com/locate/epsl High-resolution magnetostratigraphy of the Neogene Huaitoutala section in the eastern Qaidam Basin on the NE Tibetan Plateau, Qinghai Province, China and its implication on tectonic uplift of the NE Tibetan Plateau ⁎ Xiaomin Fang a,b, , Weilin Zhang a, Qingquan Meng b, Junping Gao b, Xiaoming Wang c, John King d, Chunhui Song b, Shuang Dai b, Yunfa Miao b a Center for Basin Resource and Environment, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 2871, Beilin North Str. 18, Beijing 100085, China b Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems, Ministry of Education of China & College of Resources and Environment, Lanzhou University, Gansu 730000, China c Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA d Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, URI Bay Campus Box 52, South Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI 02882-1197, USA Received 31 December 2006; received in revised form 23 March 2007; accepted 23 March 2007 Available online 31 March 2007 Editor: R.D. van der Hilst Abstract The closed inland Qaidam Basin in the NE Tibetan Plateau contains possibly the world's thickest (∼12,000 m) continuous sequence of Cenozoic fluviolacustrine sedimentary rocks. This sequence contains considerable information on the history of Tibetan uplift and associated climatic change. However, work within Qaidam Basin has been held back by a paucity of precise time constraints on this sequence. Here we report on a detailed paleomagnetic study of the well exposed 4570 m Huaitoutala section along the Keluke anticline in the northeastern Qaidam Basin, where three distinct faunas were recovered and identified from the middle Miocene through Pliocene. -
An Integrated Analysis of the March 2015 Atacama Floods
PUBLICATIONS Geophysical Research Letters RESEARCH LETTER An integrated analysis of the March 2015 10.1002/2016GL069751 Atacama floods Key Points: Andrew C. Wilcox1, Cristian Escauriaza2,3, Roberto Agredano2,3,EmmanuelMignot2,4, Vicente Zuazo2,3, • Unique atmospheric, hydrologic, and 2,3,5 2,3,6 2,3,7,8 2,3 9 geomorphic factors generated the Sebastián Otárola ,LinaCastro , Jorge Gironás , Rodrigo Cienfuegos , and Luca Mao fl largest ood ever recorded in the 1 2 Atacama Desert Department of Geosciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA, Departamento de Ingeniería Hidráulica y 3 • The sediment-rich nature of the flood Ambiental, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile, Centro de Investigación para la Gestión Integrada de resulted from valley-fill erosion rather Desastres Naturales (CIGIDEN), Santiago, Chile, 4University of Lyon, INSA Lyon, CNRS, LMFA UMR5509, Villeurbanne, France, than hillslope unraveling 5Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA, 6Escuela de • Anthropogenic factors increased the fi 7 consequences of the flood and Ingeniería Civil, Ponti cia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile, Centro de Desarrollo Urbano Sustentable 8 highlight the need for early-warning (CEDEUS), Santiago, Chile, Centro Interdisciplinario de Cambio Global, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, systems Chile, 9Departamento de Ecosistemas y Medio Ambiente, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile Supporting Information: Abstract In March 2015 unusual ocean and atmospheric conditions produced many years’ worth of • Supporting Information S1 rainfall in a ~48 h period over northern Chile’s Atacama Desert, one of Earth’s driest regions, resulting in Correspondence to: catastrophic flooding. -
DEPARTMENT of the INTERIOR U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Notes
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Notes on Sedimentary Basins in China Report of the American Sedimentary Basins Delegation to the People's Republic of China A. W. Bally 1 , I-Ming Chou2, R. Clayton3, H. P. Eugster4, S. Kidwell5, L. D. Meckel6, R. T. Ryder7, A. B. Watts8, A. A. Wilson9 1. Rice University, Houston 2. U. S. Geological Survey, Reston 3. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 4. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore 5. University of Chicago 6. L. D. Meckel Company, Houston 7. U. S. Geological Survey, Reston 8. Lament Doherty Geological Observatory, Columbia University, New York 9. National Academy of Sciences, Washington Open-File Report 86-327 This report is preliminary and has not been reviewed for conformity with U. S. Geological Survey editiorial standards. 1986 NOTICE The views expressed in this report are those of the members of the Sedimentary Basins Delegation and are in no way the official views of the Committee on Scholarly Communication with the People's Republic of China or its sponsoring organizations the American Council of Learned Societies, the National Academy of Sciences, and the Social Science Research Council. The visit consisting of a bilateral workshop and field trip was part of the exchange program between the two countries and was supported by the National Academy of Sciences in the United States and the China Association for Science and Technology in China, with the Chinese Petroleum Society bearing special responsibilities as host. U.S. funding was provided by the National Science Foundation. The Committee on Scholarly Communication with the People's Republic of China was founded in 1966 by the American Council of Learned Societies, the National Academy of Sciences, and the Social Science Research Council. -
Environments
EXTREME Environments Deborah Underwood EXTREME Environments Deborah Underwood Contents A World of Extremes 2 Chapter 1: The Coolest Places on Earth 4 Chapter 2: The Driest Desert 16 Chapter 3: Hot Spots 20 Chapter 4: Water, Water Everywhere 28 Chapter 5: The World’s Worst Climate? 36 Chapter 6: Under the Sea 42 Index 48 A World of Extremes Imagine a mountaintop where plumes of ice grow at the rate of one foot every hour, where you can watch a beautiful ice sculpture form over the course of one day. What about a desert where decades pass without rain, and the ground is dry and cracked in a thousand different places. How could anything possibly live there? Imagine winds that gust at speeds of 200 miles per hour. Could you survive out in the open with such winds blasting against you? How about temperatures of more than 130° Fahrenheit? What’s it like trying to survive in such harsh environments? 2 Now try to imagine a place that has never seen the sun’s rays. This is a place where there is nothing but darkness all day, all year round. What sort of creature could live there? Would it look like anything you’ve ever seen before? In this book we’ll visit some of Earth’s most extreme climates. We’ll see why these climates are so difficult to live in, and we’ll also check out some of the amazing creatures that call these places their homes. So grab a heavy coat, some sunscreen, an umbrella, and a big water bottle—we need to be ready for anything! 3 Chapter 1 The Coolest Places on Earth Got your parka zipped up and your gloves on? Good, because the first stop on our extreme climate tour will be one of the coldest places in the world. -
Characteristic Analysis of Sandstorms in Taklamakan Desert
ITM Web of Conferences 12, 04022 (2017) DOI: 10.1051/ itmconf/20171204022 ITA 2017 Characteristic Analysis of Sandstorms in Taklamakan Desert Teng-Ling LUO1,2,a, Wei-Ming ZHANG1,b, Qun-Bo HUANG1,2,c, Yi YU1,2, De XING1,2,d, and Xiang XING1,2,d 1Academy of Ocean Science and Engineering, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China 2College of Computer, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China [email protected] Abstract: Firstly, the annual variation of sandstorm and strong sandstorm weather process in China from 2000 to 2012 is analyzed according to the"Sand-Dust Weather Yearbook" (2012). Secondly, based on the ERA-Interim Reanalysis from ECMWF and MISR data from the Terra satellite, we investigate the correlation between different dust weather process and land meteorological elements. Finally, the temporal and spatial distribution features of the aerosol optical depth (AOD) in the Taklamakan Desert is studied. And we compare the Taklamakan Desert AOD with nationwide AOD. The results show that: (1) the frequency of sandstorm and strong sandstorm has shown a downward trend and the occurrence of sandstorm decreases more in recent years. (2) In the Taklamakan Desert, the number of sandstorm is positively correlated with the surface temperature, meanwhile, negatively related to the surface relative humidity. (3) In all seasons, the average of AOD in Taklamakan Desert is higher than that of the whole country, and there are obvious differences among the four seasons. 1 Introduction climate model to predict the abnormal climate and sandstorm 8. Sandstorm is a weather phenomenon that strong wind Since the occurrence of sandstorm is directly affected blows dust on the ground, making the air turbid and by the surface meteorological elements, it is essential to causing the level of visibility less than 1km 1. -
Part 629 – Glossary of Landform and Geologic Terms
Title 430 – National Soil Survey Handbook Part 629 – Glossary of Landform and Geologic Terms Subpart A – General Information 629.0 Definition and Purpose This glossary provides the NCSS soil survey program, soil scientists, and natural resource specialists with landform, geologic, and related terms and their definitions to— (1) Improve soil landscape description with a standard, single source landform and geologic glossary. (2) Enhance geomorphic content and clarity of soil map unit descriptions by use of accurate, defined terms. (3) Establish consistent geomorphic term usage in soil science and the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS). (4) Provide standard geomorphic definitions for databases and soil survey technical publications. (5) Train soil scientists and related professionals in soils as landscape and geomorphic entities. 629.1 Responsibilities This glossary serves as the official NCSS reference for landform, geologic, and related terms. The staff of the National Soil Survey Center, located in Lincoln, NE, is responsible for maintaining and updating this glossary. Soil Science Division staff and NCSS participants are encouraged to propose additions and changes to the glossary for use in pedon descriptions, soil map unit descriptions, and soil survey publications. The Glossary of Geology (GG, 2005) serves as a major source for many glossary terms. The American Geologic Institute (AGI) granted the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly the Soil Conservation Service) permission (in letters dated September 11, 1985, and September 22, 1993) to use existing definitions. Sources of, and modifications to, original definitions are explained immediately below. 629.2 Definitions A. Reference Codes Sources from which definitions were taken, whole or in part, are identified by a code (e.g., GG) following each definition. -
The Impact of ENSO in the Atacama Desert and Australian Arid Zone: Exploratory Time-Series Analysis of Archaeological Records
Chungara, Revista de Antropología Chilena ISSN: 0716-1182 [email protected] Universidad de Tarapacá Chile Williams, Alan; Santoro, Calogero M.; Smith, Michael A.; Latorre, Claudio The impact of ENSO in the Atacama desert and Australian arid zone: exploratory time-series analysis of archaeological records Chungara, Revista de Antropología Chilena, vol. 40, 2008, pp. 245-259 Universidad de Tarapacá Arica, Chile Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=32609903 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative The impact of ENSO in the Atacama Desert and Australian arid zone:Volumen Exploratory 40 Número time-series Especial, analysis… 2008. Páginas 245-259245 Chungara, Revista de Antropología Chilena THE IMPACT OF ENSO IN THE ATACAMA DESERT AND AUSTRALIAN ARID ZONE: EXPLORATORY TIME-SERIES ANALYSIS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORDS1 EL IMPACTO DE ENSO EN EL DESIERTO DE ATACAMA Y LA ZONA ÁRIDA DE AUSTRALIA: ANÁLISIS EXPLORATORIOS DE SERIES TEMPORALES ARQUEOLÓGICAS Alan Williams2, Calogero M. Santoro3, Michael A. Smith4, and Claudio Latorre5 A comparison of archaeological data in the Atacama Desert and Australian arid zone shows the impact of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) over the last 5,000 years. Using a dataset of > 1400 radiocarbon dates from archaeological sites across the two regions as a proxy for population change, we develop radiocarbon density plots, which are then used to explore the responses of these prehistoric populations to ENSO climatic variability. -
Yardangs in the Qaidam Basin, Northwestern China: Distribution
Aeolian Research 20 (2016) 89–99 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Aeolian Research journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/aeolia Yardangs in the Qaidam Basin, northwestern China: Distribution and morphology ⇑ Jiyan Li a, , Zhibao Dong b, Guangqiang Qian b, Zhengcai Zhang b, Wanyin Luo b, Junfeng Lu b, Meng Wang b a Taiyuan Normal University, Jinzhong, Shanxi 030619, China b Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 320, West Donggang Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China article info abstract Article history: The northwestern Qaidam Basin exposes one of the largest and highest elevation yardang fields on Earth. Received 17 April 2015 The aim of the present study was to describe the distribution and morphology of these yardangs, and ana- Revised 31 October 2015 lyze the factors responsible for the distribution pattern of these aeolian landforms. The yardang fields are Accepted 2 November 2015 bounded by piedmont alluvial–diluvial fans from the mountain ranges surrounding the basin, except in Available online 6 January 2016 the south, where they are bounded by dune fields, dry salt flats, lakes, and rivers. This distribution pattern can be attributed to regional tectogenesis and its corresponding environmental impacts. The morphology Keywords: of the yardangs varies considerably in response to the diverse factors that control their formation and Yardangs evolution. Long-ridge yardangs are mainly located in the northernmost part of the yardang field, and Aeolian erosion landforms Dune fields the long ridges are gradually dissected into smaller ridges in the downwind direction. Further downwind, Aeolian geomorphology the convergence of northerly and northwesterly winds and the effects of temporary runoff cause the Qaidam Basin ridges to gradually transition into mesa yardangs. -
Long Term Atmospheric Deposition As the Source of Nitrate and Other Salts in the Atacama Desert, Chile
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 68, No. 20, pp. 4023-4038, 2004 Copyright © 2004 Elsevier Ltd Pergamon Printed in the USA. All rights reserved 0016-7037/04 $30.00 ϩ .00 doi:10.1016/j.gca.2004.04.009 Long term atmospheric deposition as the source of nitrate and other salts in the Atacama Desert, Chile: New evidence from mass-independent oxygen isotopic compositions 1, 2 1 GREG MICHALSKI, *J.K.BÖHLKE and MARK THIEMENS 1Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0356, USA 2United States Geological Survey, 431 National Center, Reston, VA 20192, USA (Received August 19, 2003; accepted in revised form April 7, 2004) Abstract—Isotopic analysis of nitrate and sulfate minerals from the nitrate ore fields of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile has shown anomalous 17O enrichments in both minerals. ⌬17O values of 14–21 ‰ in nitrate and0.4to4‰insulfate are the most positive found in terrestrial minerals to date. Modeling of atmospheric processes indicates that the ⌬17O signatures are the result of photochemical reactions in the troposphere and stratosphere. We conclude that the bulk of the nitrate, sulfate and other soluble salts in some parts of the Atacama Desert must be the result of atmospheric deposition of particles produced by gas to particle conversion, with minor but varying amounts from sea spray and local terrestrial sources. Flux calculations indicate that the major salt deposits could have accumulated from atmospheric deposition in a period of 200,000 to 2.0 M years during hyper-arid conditions similar to those currently found in the Atacama Desert. -
Ncomms8100.Pdf
ARTICLE Received 14 Jul 2014 | Accepted 1 Apr 2015 | Published 11 May 2015 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8100 Evidence for photochemical production of reactive oxygen species in desert soils Christos D. Georgiou1, Henry J. Sun2, Christopher P. McKay3, Konstantinos Grintzalis1, Ioannis Papapostolou1, Dimitrios Zisimopoulos1, Konstantinos Panagiotidis1, Gaosen Zhang4, Eleni Koutsopoulou5, George E. Christidis6 & Irene Margiolaki1 The combination of intense solar radiation and soil desiccation creates a short circuit in the biogeochemical carbon cycle, where soils release significant amounts of CO2 and reactive nitrogen oxides by abiotic oxidation. Here we show that desert soils accumulate metal superoxides and peroxides at higher levels than non-desert soils. We also show the photo- generation of equimolar superoxide and hydroxyl radical in desiccated and aqueous soils, respectively, by a photo-induced electron transfer mechanism supported by their mineralogical composition. Reactivity of desert soils is further supported by the generation of hydroxyl radical via aqueous extracts in the dark. Our findings extend to desert soils the photogeneration of reactive oxygen species by certain mineral oxides and also explain previous studies on desert soil organic oxidant chemistry and microbiology. Similar processes driven by ultraviolet radiation may be operating in the surface soils on Mars. 1 Department of Biology, University of Patras, Patras 26504, Greece. 2 Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119, USA. 3 NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California 94035, USA. 4 Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 73000, China. 5 Laboratory of Electron Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Patras, Patras 26500, Greece. 6 Department of Mineral Resources Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Chania 73100, Greece.