Doctoral Dissertation Research: Creation and implementation of an early warning system for sand dune remobilization

博士论文研究：沙丘再动员预警系统的创建和实施

• 批准号: 2247351
• 负责人: Amy Frazier
• 金额: $ 3.14万
• 依托单位: Arizona State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-06-01 至 2025-05-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2247351&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Creation; implementation

Approximately one-third of the global population lives in arid regions, where drought has been increasing in duration and intensity under modern climate change. Drought conditions have been connected to dune remobilization, which is the transition of a dune field from stable to active. Remobilization can have detrimental effects on those living in arid lands, including impacts on infrastructure, agriculture, and human health. To date, remobilization and its impact on surrounding communities has been noted in several studies from around the globe. While studies on dune remobilization exist, they often focus on dune fields after movement has begun. However, if remobilization can be detected in its early stages, it allows communities to engage in proactive dune management strategies rather than the reactive approaches being used in many places today. This doctoral dissertation project investigates sand dune remobilization to inform an early warning system for remobilization. First, a study of paleoclimate-dune interactions is undertaken to determine the climate required for modern remobilization. Sand dune formation, activity, and stabilization have often been correlated with changes in climate, so determining the climatic impact on sand dunes from the past can inform climate-dune interactions in the future. Second, connections between historical climate, drought, and vegetation change are established under the prediction that increased drought conditions will reduce vegetation. Vegetation is a landscape stabilizer, so tracking vegetation loss over time can provide an early warning of a soon-to-be remobilizing dune field. Lastly, dune color is presented as a proxy for the presence of sand grain coatings, which are comprised of iron and clay and act not only as a landscape stabilizer but also exhibit an orange-red color that can be observed using remotely sensed imagery. Research investigations will combine a suite of methods, including paleoenvironmental analyses, remote sensing, and scanning electron microscopy that have not yet been used together for dune remobilization studies. Research products and findings will inform an early warning system for dune remobilization in arid regions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

全球约三分之一的人口生活在干旱地区，在现代气候变化下，干旱的持续时间和强度一直在增加。干旱条件与沙丘再动员有关，沙丘再动员是沙丘区域从稳定向活跃的转变。再动员可能对生活在干旱土地上的人产生不利影响，包括对基础设施、农业和人类健康的影响。迄今为止，全球各地的几项研究都注意到了重新动员及其对周围社区的影响。虽然已有关于沙丘再动员的研究，但往往集中在沙丘运动开始后的区域。然而，如果可以在早期阶段检测到沙丘的再动员，它将使社区能够参与主动的沙丘管理战略，而不是今天在许多地方使用的被动方法。本博士论文项目研究沙丘的再动员，为沙丘再动员预警系统提供信息。首先，对古气候-沙丘相互作用进行了研究，以确定现代再动员所需的气候。沙丘的形成、活动和稳定往往与气候变化相关，因此确定过去对沙丘的气候影响可以为未来的气候-沙丘相互作用提供信息。其次，历史气候、干旱和植被变化之间的联系是在干旱条件增加将减少植被的预测下建立的。植被是景观的稳定器，因此跟踪植被随时间的损失可以为即将重新动员的沙丘地区提供早期预警。最后，沙丘颜色被用来代表沙粒涂层的存在，沙粒涂层由铁和粘土组成，不仅起到景观稳定剂的作用，而且还呈现出可以用遥感图像观察到的橙红色。研究调查将结合一套方法，包括古环境分析、遥感和扫描电子显微镜，这些方法尚未一起用于沙丘再动员研究。研究产品和发现将为干旱地区沙丘再动员的早期预警系统提供信息。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。