Field observations on the protective effect of semi-buried checkerboard sand barriers

Semi-buried checkerboard sand barriers, especially those made of wheat straw and rolled reeds, are a widely used, cheap and practical sand stabilization measure in China. Such sand barriers can halt near-surface sand flow by increasing underlying surface roughness, reducing near-surface wind velocity, and weakening sand transportation intensity, thereby stabilizing the sand surface. Vortex actions within the cells of the grid produce a stable, concave surface after erosion and deposition reach equilibrium. Experiments showed that 1.0 x 1.0, 1.5 x 1.5, and 2.0 x 2.0 m straw sand barriers in a checkerboard pattern offer significant protection, whereas 0.5 x 0.5 m sand barriers are expensive and can be buried rapidly by sand, thereby losing their protective effect. Similar sizes of checkerboard sand barrier provide different protection depending on topography. Accordingly, the protection provided by semi-buried checkerboard sand barriers should be evaluated based on the sand flow field and topography. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

半埋式棋盘格沙障，尤其是那些由麦秸和芦苇卷制成的沙障，是中国一种广泛应用、廉价且实用的固沙措施。这类沙障可通过增加下垫面粗糙度、降低近地表风速以及减弱输沙强度来阻挡近地表流沙，从而稳定沙面。网格单元内的涡旋作用在侵蚀和沉积达到平衡后会形成一个稳定的凹面。实验表明，棋盘格式的1.0×1.0米、1.5×1.5米和2.0×2.0米的麦秸沙障具有显著的防护作用，而0.5×0.5米的沙障成本较高且会很快被沙子掩埋，从而失去防护效果。相似尺寸的棋盘格沙障因地形不同而提供不同的防护作用。因此，应根据沙流场和地形来评估半埋式棋盘格沙障所提供的防护作用。（C）2006爱思唯尔有限公司。版权所有。