Abstract:

This study investigates the long-term effects of two commonly used sand fixation materials， wheat straw and high-density polyethylene （HDPE） sand barriers， on surface temperature in the Tengger Desert along the Wuwei-Maqin Expressway. Through continuous surface temperature monitoring from 2021 to 2023， the results reveal that HDPE sand barriers exhibited the highest daily average surface temperature （41.75 ℃）， followed by bare sand （CK， 39.44 ℃）， and wheat straw barriers （38.14 ℃）. Seasonal analysis showed no significant differences in autumn， but in spring， summer， and winter， CK and HDPE had similar temperatures， both significantly higher than wheat straw （P<0.001）. Monthly accumulated temperature trends indicated HDPE had the highest annual accumulation， while wheat straw showed a declining trend over the study period. Surface temperature was positively correlated with air temperature across all treatments. The findings suggest that HDPE sand barriers， with higher thermal conductivity， significantly increase surface temperature， whereas wheat straw barriers， with weaker warming effects， are more conducive to improving soil moisture conditions， promoting plant growth， and accelerating sand fixation， topsoil formation， and vegetation restoration. This study provides critical insights for optimizing material selection and ecological risk management in sand fixation engineering.

Key words: straw checkerboards, HDPE sand barrier, surface temperature