Newsweek丨China and Mongolia cooperate in desertification control, which started 14 years ago
This Monday "315" is a day that is used to cracking down on fakes every year, but I didn’t expect that on this day, my friends in the north woke up and felt that the fakes hadn’t been beaten yet. They might have been beaten in the face because they walked out of the house and beaten their faces. Dust blowing on the face.
This sandstorm affects nearly 40% of the country's land area, and the severity is once in ten years. This is a typical long time no see, and you will remember it for a long time when you see it.
On this day, Beijing’s air quality index reached 500, which is a serious pollution level. PM10, the primary pollutant, reached an average of 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter in the city.
The numbers are calm, but people’s reactions are hard to calm down.
Where did the dust come from this time?
Will this violent sandstorm come again?
Do we have any tricks?
"News Weekly" this week's point of view: a sandstorm once in ten years.
The city is "enhanced"
Starting from March 14 this week, a cloud of sand and dust, mainly originating from Mongolia, has moved south with the airflow and gradually enveloped many provinces and cities in northern China.
The sky was full of yellow sand and dust in many places. Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, and Beijing, a sand and dust belt of more than 3,000 kilometers, once caused the air quality index of Northwest and North China to burst.
In Hohhot, near the source of the sand, the visibility of urban streets has decreased and vehicles can only move slowly.
Citizens of Hohhot:
I feel that my lungs and throat are particularly choking. I now hope that there will be a heavy rain to suppress the dust.
Zhao Yiyong, director of the National Climate Observatory in Hohhot:
The southernmost is the PM1 monitor, the middle is the PM2.5 monitor, and the back is the PM10 monitor. These three are aerosol mass concentration observation instruments.
Aerosols have different particle sizes, like sand and dust, mainly PM10.
Located on the outskirts of Hohhot, the National Climate Observatory on Daqing Mountain has completely observed and recorded the entire process of the dust weather.
As an important influencing factor of the air quality index, PM10 had already exploded at that time, and it was classified as a severe sandstorm.
Meng Xuefeng, chief meteorological forecaster of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region:
Our meteorological sandstorms have some grades, such as floating dust, blowing sand, sand dust, and strong sandstorms. The strong sandstorm is basically a visibility less than 50 meters.
The same is true in Hohhot, where the sky is particularly yellow, which is a feature of particularly low visibility.
Beijing citizen:
I think a good guy, you can see a mile, 500 meters, and I can't see clearly from afar.
Beijing takeaway: I
can’t ride a bike at all. The electric bike blows down as soon as I put it down, and the mirrors are broken.
The sand and dust that struck this Monday morning reminded Beijingers.
In addition to using the body’s senses to perceive the strength of sand and dust, meteorological monitors are better at using ground, high-altitude, satellite and other multi-dimensional detection methods to characterize every atmospheric index. Among many detection equipment, this lidar has been monitoring Beijing. Sand particles in the sky.
Zhao Peitao, Director of the Data Quality Office of the Meteorological Observation Center of China Meteorological Administration:
The working principle of lidar is that the laser beam is emitted into the atmosphere, and the emitted laser will interact with some medium in the atmosphere.
By collecting the reflected echo signals and cooperating with the mechanism of laser interaction with the atmosphere, we can get the state of meteorological elements in the atmosphere.
The data information collected by lidar and other equipment will be transmitted to the system of the China Meteorological Administration Detection Center in real time to provide meteorological forecasters with the materials needed for forecasting. Through the analysis and comparison of meteorological data, this time The cause and source of dust have gradually become clear.
Zhang Bihui, director of the Environmental Meteorological Center of the China Meteorological Administration:
In the afternoon of the 14th, we began to pay attention to the occurrence of such a very large-scale sandstorm in Mongolia. Combined with the analysis of this meteorological condition, we judged at that time This time, the dust may have a serious impact on our country.
First of all, it must have a source of sand, which is a fundamental reason. As the temperature rises in spring, there is relatively little precipitation, so the ground is relatively dry and there is more exposed sand.
The second aspect is the meteorological aspect, mainly the dynamic aspect, because in the spring, the cold and warm air alternate, it is very easy to form this kind of very large pressure gradient, resulting in a relatively large wind field on the ground.
According to Zhang Bihui, sand and wind are two important factors that contribute to the formation of dusty weather.
In the face of certain hazardous sand and dust weather, the public often wonders why the afforestation project, which has been cultivated for many years, has not been able to stop the sand and dust that appeared this week?
Zhang Bihui
,
director of the Environmental Meteorological Center of the China Meteorological Administration: The
long-distance, large-scale transmission of sand and dust is actually a phenomenon in the air, and its height can reach about 5 kilometers.
For example, in this dusty weather, it gradually decreased and settled during the transmission process. When it affected Beijing, it was from an altitude of two kilometers and then settled to the ground. It was not only the transmission near the ground.
Faced with the strong sand and dust that occurs once in a decade, the ground vegetation can hardly block the airflow up to several kilometers in height.
But this does not mean that ecological restoration projects are useless. In fact, the purpose of ecological restoration is to preserve water and soil and reduce sand sources.
According to the data provided by the National Meteorological Center, since 1961, the number of dust days in spring in northern my country has shown a decreasing trend.
Zhang Bihui, director of the Environmental Meteorological Center of the China Meteorological Administration:
I personally feel that I came to Beijing in 2002. There are still many such phenomena of yellow sand in the sky, but after work, especially in recent years, I feel that this is happening in Beijing. The intensity of sand and dust weather is actually getting less and less.
That is to say, the effective advancement of some of our country’s sand prevention and control work has made a very obvious improvement to this kind of sand source in our country, that is, among the conditions for the formation of sand and dust, the conditions for sand formation are gradually Weakened.
The dust storm we encountered this time was not domestically produced, but came across the border from Mongolia and transited through China!
Because the sandstorm was too violent, people quickly searched for the cause. A common perception is that Mongolia’s severely degraded vegetation has desertified the soil and transported a lot of dust to abnormal weather changes. This of course also reminds us. Where is the progress of desert control in our country? Are there any new sand control methods?
High coverage,
Is the sand control effect good?
An important reason for the formation of this strong sandstorm is that Mongolia's severe land degradation and desertification caused by human activities in the past 30 years have provided it with ample sand sources.
This is another wake-up call for sand control countries including China: in the context of climate change, it is particularly urgent and important to be more alert and quick to repair desertified land.
This Wednesday, organized by Yang Wenbin, chief expert on desertification prevention and control of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, the annual progress summary meeting based on the low coverage desertification prevention and control project was held. This theory focuses on the key issue of desertification land restoration.
Yang Wenbin, chief expert on sand
prevention and
control at the Chinese Academy of Forestry:
In the past, we used to prevent
sandstorms
only with a coverage of more than 40%.
But after the coverage reaches 40%, in arid and semi-arid areas, the (sand fixation) is still unstable, the soil moisture ratio is used up, and the phenomenon of decay and death is very serious.
Zhao Xueyong, former researcher of the Naiman Desertification Research Station of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environmental Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences: Since
1999, the entire northwestern region has been arid, leading to the death of large areas of artificial vegetation and the degradation of natural vegetation.
We were very saddened by the lesson that time.
"High coverage and good sand control effect." Based on this simple judgment, my country has launched a series of sand control projects such as the "Three North" shelterbelts that mainly plant poplars and other common trees.
However, Yang Wenbin found in afforestation areas such as the Three North Shelterbelt: some tree species that could have been 50 to hundreds of years old have declined or died on a large scale in the middle and young stages.
Yang Wenbin, chief expert on desert prevention and control of the Chinese Academy of Forestry:
Our place is not a forest area. We work hard (towards) the idea of creating a forest area. It is impossible to disrespect nature. We originally have that little (underground) water.
According to my last 20 years of research, I found that the naturally distributed trees and shrubs are natural forests. Their coverage is generally below 30%. The coverage is similar to the natural coverage. So we designed a low coverage for sand fixation. A set of theory.
Ecological water is difficult to support high coverage sand control. Blindly relying on planting trees and forests for sand control will increase the risk of soil desertification.
The low coverage can not only fix sand, ensure the continuous growth of vegetation, but also avoid water consumption or even supplement groundwater.
So far, the low-coverage sand control, which has been continuously adjusted through trials and adjustments, has gradually become a national afforestation technical regulation, which was officially implemented in 2017.
This is the Naiman Desertification Research Station of the Chinese Academy of Sciences located in Tongliao, Inner Mongolia. It is the only field observation station in my country that conducts research on land desertification and its control.
The low-coverage sand control that conforms to the laws of nature outlines the dynamic balance between soil and vegetation. The research by the staff of the station coincides with this theory, pushing it to be more accurate, operable, and infinitely close to the natural coverage. To the point.
Zhao Xueyong, former researcher of the Naiman Desertification Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environmental Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences:
Deserts are mainly distributed in arid areas. In fact, sandy land is mainly distributed in the area (precipitation) between 200 and 500 mm. Then Its natural environmental conditions are relatively better, but in fact it is very fragile, which easily leads to the emergence of this desertified land.
Zhao Xueyong, who is about to retire, came to Gansu as a researcher on desertification control. He believes that desertification control is not about controlling all deserts. It is the best policy to reduce the control area and accurately control sand.
Man-made deserts can be reversibly repaired by intervention, including sand and oasis in the desert, which is called a manageable area, which is about 300,000 square kilometers.
Zhao Xueyong, former head researcher of the Naiman Desertification Research Station of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environmental Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences:
We have had some lessons in the past, that is, to adopt the method of plantation, so now we are gradually adopting the combination of arbor, shrub and grass.
In the agro-pastoral zone is just this belt, it can support the co-growth of some trees, shrubs and herbs.
When we arrive at this part of the Eurasian steppe area, we will restore the grassland mainly with herbs.
The combination of arbor, shrub and grass is adopted. The harsher the place, the more plants that can adapt to the local living conditions should be selected to establish artificial open forest grassland vegetation similar to native vegetation.
However, Zhao Xueyong found that the process of fixing the soil and then repairing the soil is very slow compared to the plants that have changed from generation to generation.
The restoration of land of different ages in the two scientific research stations that he introduced attracted the attention of reporters.
Zhao Xueyong, former head researcher of the Naiman Desertification Research Station of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environmental Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences:
It has been 25 years since it has recovered to a landscape of trees, shrubs and grasses, but its soil structure is still sandy.
We have the same plot in front of us that should be about 15 years old. It is still between semi-mobile sand dunes and mobile sand dunes. This is our aerial afforestation in the past. We have forests on the ground, but there are still quicksands underground. If We say that vegetation is measured on the scale of 5 years and 10 years, and the restoration of soil is on the scale of a hundred years and a thousand years.
Once we affect the vegetation, or cause degradation, the sand may rise with the wind, which may be secondary degradation.
Zhao Xueyong believes that in today's Three-North Shelterbelt, the understory soil is not only unable to do various business activities, but also to avoid the one-sided emphasis on efficiency and scale of sand control methods, and replace it with precise sand control to consolidate the existing results.
Obviously, desertification control in other areas requires more investment in scientific research, capital, etc., and optimization of sand control thinking and strategies can make sand control more efficient, and we will be less exposed to extreme weather and damage.
Zhao Xueyong, former head researcher of the Naiman Desertification Research Station of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environmental Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences:
We feel that we cannot deal with nature with the basic concept of man’s conquering nature.
We can't think about managing one aspect, (instead) destroying another aspect. We don't know what new problems it will cause. These are all things we need to understand.
Ten years ago in the north, people talked about sandstorms, just like talking about smog in the previous two years, they were nervous, impatient, angry and eager to deal with it.
I remember that there was a severe sandstorm in Beijing more than ten years ago. I used to applaud it on the program. One reason for the applause was: when Beijing suffered such a severe sandstorm, people’s reaction and attention would be higher. The effort to get up will be greater, and the investment may also be greater.
Indeed, in the past ten years or so, the threats and troubles that sandstorms have given us in our lives have been very few, but this time it has come violently, but it will also help us understand what we have done to control sandstorms in the past few years. What has happened, and what should we do in the future?
Sand and dust weather knows no borders
China and Mongolia cooperate in desertification control
After the strong sandstorm passed the border on March 4, the yellow sand in most areas has faded in the past few days as the wind weakened.
This Friday, in Sifangdun, Changning Town, Gansu Province, the work of making grass grid sand barriers and planting Haloxylon trees that was temporarily stopped due to a strong sandstorm has also resumed.
Ma Junhe, Executive Director of Gansu Qingsuo Public Welfare Development Center:
From the evening of March 14th to the early morning of the 15th, the sandstorm has already risen. I was woken up by the dust when I slept in the middle of the night.
After getting up in the morning, the wind is relatively strong, and people can't stand on the sand dunes.
The sand also filled some of the Haloxylon pits we planted on the 14th, and we reopened the watering Haloxylon pits one by one, and poured water in.
This time, the dust has added a lot of difficulty to our work.
This year is the 15th year that Ma Junhe and the desert control team have worked in Minqin, Gansu.
During this period, more than 14 million seedlings including Haloxylon ammodendron and Tamarisk seedlings were planted, and more than 400 mu of desertified land was controlled.
In addition to human efforts, the local rainfall has increased in recent years, which has also significantly weakened the sand and dust activities in Minqin County.
Ma Junhe, Executive Director of Gansu Qingsuo Charity Development Center:
Like the sandstorm we encountered this time, it has not happened in our local area for six or seven years.
Meteorological experts said that this dust storm came from our northern neighbor Mongolia, so it is already an overseas matter.
Including like this time we planted shuttles, you can solve the local problems, but there is still no way to solve the overseas problems.
This requires us to take a longer-term view while doing our own work well, to have a larger vision and structure, and to pay attention to the situation in some surrounding areas.
According to data, at present, the number of registered enterprises related to desertification control in my country has exceeded 17,000, and many companies have selected their sites in the frontline of desertification control.
In my country, although Gansu, Inner Mongolia and other areas with more dusty weather often have relatively extensive sand control activities, in recent years, many places in the south have gradually participated in the ranks of sand control, and the situation of "south-north co-governance" More and more open.
Mao Xianqiang, director of the Global Environmental Policy Research Center of Beijing Normal University:
Sand control companies are mainly located in northern provinces and autonomous regions, because desertification and desertification occur more frequently in these provinces. This is a phenomenon that "the building near the water comes first."
Therefore, it is very gratifying for these sand control enterprises to develop renewable energy through planting and breeding, and to blaze a path of ecological and economic governance with a win-win economic and ecological benefits.
So speaking from the southern provinces, they have strong capital and technology research and development capabilities, including our southern scientific research institutions and universities. They have very good research and development capabilities, attracting them to participate in the sand control and prevention work in the north. Facilitate the advancement of this matter.
In recent years, the country has actively deployed resources and made great efforts to combat desertification, and desertification control has achieved considerable results.
However, after experiencing the strong impact of foreign sand and dust, more and more people have begun to realize that doing their homework at home is not enough.
In fact, since 2007, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Mongolia have carried out cooperative research on desertification prevention and provided experience in desertification control through local inspections.
Wang Tao, a researcher at the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environmental Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences: According
to previous studies, the desertification process in Mongolia is mainly due to improper land use, causing excessive overloading and excessive reclamation.
We have established two field observation stations in Mongolia for ecological protection: for example, our famous grass grid quicksand fixation technology in China is widely used in them.
There are also water-saving irrigation technologies in some sandy areas, land with better intensive management, cultivation of cash crops, and greenhouses, which are also very practical in them.
This sudden strong sandstorm is gradually moving away, but it is still reminding that although the ecological environment management has achieved results, the governance road is still difficult and long.
Sandy weather knows no borders, and ecological governance is not a matter of one region or one country.
In the future, to face the challenges of desertification together, countries around the world will continue to make efforts to strengthen cooperation and reach consensus.
Mao Xianqiang, director of the Global Environmental Policy Research Center of Beijing Normal University:
If you want to establish a multi-level international cooperation mechanism, you can consider attracting some international companies, including China, to introduce sand prevention and sand control experience, funds, and technology to Mongolia. go with.
In addition, we can consider establishing a state-to-state cooperation mechanism, and within the framework of the agreement, establish a corresponding financial mechanism to deal with this matter.
We can also consider bringing other relevant countries and regions together to form a regional ecological and environmental protection cooperation to carry out sand prevention and control.
In general, "sustainable development" is the common pursuit of most countries and people in the world.
Only by working hard in such a common direction can we create a harmonious earth and a bright future for all mankind.
In the face of sandstorms, there is always a voice that thinks that as long as there are sandstorms, it means that our governance work is not effective, and we should increase efforts to eradicate sandstorms.
I think this view is another version of man’s victory over the sky. As a phenomenon of nature, I am afraid that sandstorms will not be eradicated by humans for a long time in the future, just like we can’t eradicate typhoons, but this does not hinder it at all. We have done a lot of work to reduce the hazards of sand and dust storms and weaken the invasion of sand and dust storms on us.
In these two areas, we obviously still have a lot of work to do.