Abstract:

The Madoi Basin in the source region of the Yellow River is located in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau， at the convergence of the westerlies and the Asian monsoon. The region is widely covered by desertified land， with intense local aeolian activity and frequent aeolian hazards. However， the wind characteristics of this area remain poorly understood. This study analyzes the sand driving wind regime and sand drift potential in the Madoi Basin based on hourly wind speed and direction data from the Eling Lake region between 2013 and 2017. The results indicate that the annual average wind speed in the region is 4.48 m·s⁻¹， with the highest in spring at 4.71 m·s⁻¹， followed by winter at 4.57 m·s⁻¹， and the lowest in summer. Monthly variations show that February has the highest wind speed， while September has the lowest. The average annual sand driving wind speed is 8.22 m·s⁻¹， with a frequency of 23.5%， and westerly winds dominate. The annual sand transport potential is 394 VU， with three years exceeding 400 VU， indicating that the wind energy environment of the study area fluctuates between moderate and high levels. sand drift potential is 244 VU， with a resultant drift direction of 92° and a direction variability index of 0.62， which is considered moderate directional variability. On a seasonal scale， the maximum sand drift potential occurs in winter（157 VU）， followed by spring（126 VU）， accounting for 39.8% and 31.9% of the annual total， respectively. Monthly analysis shows that February has the highest sand drift potential（75.36 VU）， followed by January and March（both exceeding 50 VU）， with a minimum in September， and that the resultant drift direction reverses in June. Sand transport in the study area is primarily influenced by westerly circulation， with eastward transport dominating in spring， autumn， and winter， while northward displacement of the westerlies in summer shifts transport to the west. Overall， the wind energy environment of the Madoi Basin exhibits seasonal variability with relative stability， strong in winter-spring and weak in summer-autumn. These seasonal and monthly variations not only reflect the response of aeolian processes on the Tibetan Plateau to atmospheric circulation but also provide important scientific insights for understanding regional wind-sand surface processes.

Key words: sand driving wind, sand drift potential, wind regime, the source region of Yellow River, Tibetan Plateau