Aeolian processes and their effect on sandy desertification of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau: A wind tunnel experiment

• Aeolian processes to desertification in Qinghai–Tibet Plateau was determined.
• Aeolian transport in this region was dependent on variation in aeolian processes.
• During aeolian processes the loss of total nitrogen, carbon and phosphorus varied.
• In Qinghai–Tibet Plateau sandy desertification is likely to be controlled by climate.

To determine the contribution of aeolian processes to sandy desertification, we applied different wind velocities to soils from the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau that were subjected to the human activities such as wholesale destruction of vegetation. We then employed field investigations, soil sampling in the field, wind tunnel experiments, particle size analyses, and nutrient analyses. After the ground surfaces were crushed to simulate land degradation, the aeolian transport in this region varied from 0.00 to 43.49 g m−2 s−1 and was dependent on the particle size composition, and variation in the intensity of aeolian processes. During the aeolian processes our wind tunnel results show differences between the nutrient contents of the transported materials and those of the surface soils, and the loss of total nitrogen (TN), total carbon (TC) and total phosphorus (TP) varied between 0.00 and 8.81, 0.10 and 122.27, 0.00 and 1.14 g m−2, respectively. In addition, variations in wind velocities did not result in significant differences in the particle size fractions of the transported materials. On the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, although an increase in human activity may trigger sandy desertification, the occurrence of sandy desertification was not significant in the early 21st century, and hence it is likely to be controlled by climate even though human impacts have undeniably exacerbated its effects.