Abstract
Porous fence is a kind of artificial windbreak that has many practical applications. The threshold wind velocities at different distances downwind from porous fences were measured and the corresponding characteristics of particle movement observed to assess their shelter effect. It is found that the fence’s porosity is the key factor that determines the resulting shelter effect. The area near a fence can be typically classified into five regions, each with a different mode of particle movement. Dense fences, and especially solid fences, favor the accumulation of sand upwind of the fences. Fences with porosities of 0.3–0.4 produce the maximum threshold wind velocity; those with porosities of 0.3–0.6 (depending on the fence height) provide the maximum effective shelter distance. It is confirmed that the fence porosities of 0.3–0.4 that have been proposed for practical application in previous research are the most effective for abating wind erosion.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bagnold RA (1941) The physics of blown sand and desert dunes. Methuen & Co., London
Dong Z, Liu X, Wang X (2002) Wind initiation threshold of the moistened sand. Geophys Res Lett 29(12):1585, doi: 10.1029/2001GL013128
Gandemer J (1979) Wind shelters. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodynam 4:371–389
Guan D, Zhang Y, Zhu T (2003) A wind tunnel study of windbreak drag. Agric For Meteorol 118:75–84
Hagen LJ, Skidmore EL (1971a) Windbreak drag as influenced by porosity. Trans ASAE 14:464–465
Hagen LJ, Skidmore EL (1971b) Turbulent velocity fluctuations and vertical flow as affected by windbreak porosity. Trans ASAE 14(4):634–637
Hagen LJ, Skidmore EL, Miller PL, Kipp JE (1981) Simulation of effect of wind barrier on airflow. Trans ASAE 24:1002–1008
Lee SJ, Kim HB (1999) Laboratory measurement of velocity and turbulence field behind porous fences. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodynam 80:311–326
Lin Y, Jin J, Zou B, Cong Z, Wen X, Tu X, Ye J (1984) Effect of fence techniques in leveling sand accumulation around sand-breaks. J Desert Res 4(3):16–25
Papesch AJG (1992) Wind tunnel tests to optimize barrier spacing and porosity to reduce wind damage in horticulture shelter systems. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodynam 44:2631–2642
Perera MDES (1981) Shelter behind two dimensional solid and porous fences. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodynam 8:93–104
Qu J, Zhang W, Peng Q, Lin Y (1996) A discussion on some problems of winds and sands at Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang. Acta Geogr Sin 51:418–425
Raine JK, Stevenson DC (1977) Wind protection by model fences in a simulated atmospheric boundary layer. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodynam 2:159–180
Ranga raju KG, Garde RJ, Singh SK, Singh N (1988) Experimental study on characteristics of flow past porous fences. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodynam 29:155–163
Richardson GM (1989) A permeable windbreak: its effect on the structure of natural wind. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodynam 32:101–110
Seginer I (1975) Atmospheric stability effect on windbreak shelter and drag. Bound Layer Meteorol 8:383–400
Shao Y (2000) Physics and modelling of wind erosion. Kluwer, Dordrecht
Acknowledgments
We gratefully acknowledge funding from the Knowledge Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX3-SW-341) and the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of the Natural Science Foundation of China (40225003).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Dong, Z., Qian, G., Luo, W. et al. Threshold velocity for wind erosion: the effects of porous fences. Environ Geol 51, 471–475 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-006-0343-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-006-0343-9