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Barchan dunes are common on Earth, Mars and Titan. Previous studies have shown that their formation, migration and evolution are influenced by the wind regime and other factors, but details vary among regions. Understanding barchan morphology and migration will both improve our understanding of dune geomorphology and provide a basis for describing the environmental conditions that affect the formation and development of these dunes on Earth and other planets. Here, we provide detailed measurements of barchan dune migration in China's Quruq Desert, in the lower reaches of the Tarim River. We monitored their migration direction and rate, and their morphological changes during migration, by comparing Google Earth images acquired in 2003 and 2014. The dunes migrated west‐southwest, close to the local resultant drift direction. The migration rate averaged 8.9 to 32.1 m year−1, with obvious spatial variation. In addition to the wind regime, the migration rate depended on dune morphology, density and vegetation cover; the rate was negatively related to dune height, density and vegetation cover, but positively linearly related to the length/width ratio (LU/W) and to the decrease in this ratio from 2003 to 2014. We found correlations among the dune morphometric parameters, but the relationships were weaker than in previous research. Due to the complexity of the factors that affect the processes that underlie sand dune development and migration, the morphological changes during dune migration were also complex. Our measurements suggest that the aeolian environment played a dominant role in dune migration and its spatial variation in the Quruq Desert. These results will support efforts to control dune migration in the western Quruq Desert and improve our understanding of dune morphodynamics. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Determination of the threshold shear velocity is essential for predicting sand transport, dust release and desertification. In this study, a wind tunnel experiment was conducted to evaluate the influence of salinity and moisture on the threshold shear velocity of saline sand. Saline sand samples (mean particle size of 164.50-186.08 μm and the total silt, clay and salt content of 0.80%-8.25%) were collected from three saline sand dunes (one barchan dune and two linear dunes) in the Qarhan Desert, Qaidam Basin of China. Original saline sand samples were placed in two experimental trays for wet and dry processing to simulate deliquescence and desiccation, respectively. Surface moisture content ranging from 0.30% to 1.90% was generated by the steam method so that the saline sand can absorb water in a saturated water vapor environment. The motion of sand particles was determined by the observers with a solid laser. The laser sheet (0.80 cm thick), which was emitted by the solid laser, horizontally covered the sand surface and was bound to the sand. Results show that the cohesion of saline sand results from a combination of salt and water. The threshold shear velocity increases exponentially with the increase in crust thickness for the linear sand dunes. There is a positive linear correlation between the original moisture content and relative threshold shear velocity. The threshold shear velocity of dewatered sand is greater than that of wet sand with the same original moisture content. Our results will provide valuable information about the sand transport of highly saline soil in the desert.

Identifying the provenance of aeolian deposits in semi-arid zones of China is beneficial in understanding Earth’s surface processes and helping to alleviate ecological stress. In this paper, we use grain-size, geochemical elements, heavy-minerals, and quartz grain morphology data to investigate the potential source of aeolian sands from the Ordos Deserts (Mu Us Sandy Land and Hobq Desert). Sedimentological, geochemical and geomorphological results indicate that significant provenance differences exist among various parts of the Mu Us Sandy Land, i.e., aeolian sediments from the southwest region are obviously distinct from other areas in the Mu Us Sandy Land but show the same external provenance with the Hobq Desert referring to the sorting, mineralogical maturity, geochemical characteristics, heavy-minerals, and quartz grain morphology. Comparing the samples from the Ordos Deserts with felsic rocks from potential sources via a serious of geochemical methods, we conclude that: 1) Aeolian sands from other regions of the Mu Us are a mixture of binary provenance, i.e., one originated from local lacustrine sediments and underlying sandstones, and another from the Alxa Plateau (AP) carried by northwesterly Asian winter monsoon. 2) The fluvial deposits denuded from the Qilian Orogenic Belt in the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau (NTP) and carried by the Yellow River are likely the initial material source for the southwest region of the Mu Us Sandy Land and the Hobq Desert. 3) The Yellow River plays a significant and critical role in sediment transport for sand seas in arid and semi-arid areas of northern China.