Spatiotemporal change of beneficiary area from wind erosion prevention service in the Ulan Buh Desert in 2008 and 2018

Abstract

The Ulan Buh Desert is one of the eight deserts in China that provides wind erosion prevention service (i.e., the ecosystem; vegetation, production, and construction activities that promote sand fixation). It is significant for the construction of the national ecological barrier, and the protection of the ecological security in the Yellow River and North China. In this study, we selected two representative years (2008 and 2018) and quantified wind erosion prevention service from the Ulan Buh Desert using the RWEQ model. Meanwhile, the HYSPLIT model was used to simulate the spatial flow process from the service supply area to the beneficiary area and to determine its scope. The specific dust reduction amount in the beneficiary area was then calculated. The energy and the time-space relation of wind erosion prevention service in the areas that receive benefits from Ulan Buh Desert were compared before and after implementing environmental restoration measures. The results showed that: (1) the total amount of wind erosion prevention in the Ulan Buh Desert in 2018 was 2.12 × 1010 kg, which was 5.17 times higher than that in 2008; (2) in 2018, the distribution density of the flow path of wind erosion prevention service was lower than that in 2008, and the flow paths in each year were concentrated in the beneficiary areas with the path distribution frequency of less than 10%; (3) the total dust reduction in the downwind area of the Ulan Buh Desert in 2018 was higher than that in 2008, totaling 15.54 million tons. Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Shanxi Province had the most significant amount of dust reduction.

Keywords

• Wind erosion prevention service
• HYSPLIT model
• Beneficiary area
• Dust reduction capacity
• The Ulan Buh Desert