Explore the vast range of titles available.

Aeolian processes affect the biosphere in a wide variety of contexts, including landform evolution, biogeochemical cycles, regional climate, human health, and desertification. Collectively, research on aeolian processes and the biosphere is developing rapidly in many diverse and specialized areas, but integration of these recent advances is needed to better address management issues and to set future research priorities. Here we review recent literature on aeolian processes and their interactions with the biosphere, focusing on (1) geography of dust emissions, (2) impacts, interactions, and feedbacks, (3) drivers of dust emissions, and (4) methodological approaches. Geographically, dust emissions are highly spatially variable but also provide connectivity at global scales between sources and effects, with “hot spots” being of particular concern. Recent research reveals that aeolian processes have impacts, interactions, and feedbacks at a variety of scales, including large‐scale dust transport and global biogeochemical cycles, climate mediated interactions between atmospheric dust and ecosystems, impacts on human health, impacts on agriculture, and interactions between aeolian processes and dryland vegetation. Aeolian dust emissions are driven largely by, in addition to climate, a combination of soil properties, soil moisture, vegetation and roughness, biological and physical crusts, and disturbances. Aeolian research methods span laboratory and field techniques, modeling, and remote sensing. Together these integrated perspectives on aeolian processes and the biosphere provide insights into management options and aid in identifying research priorities, both of which are increasingly important given that global climate models predict an increase in aridity in many dryland systems of the world.

Interactions of fluvial and eolian processes are prominent in dryland environments and can significantly change Earth surface morphology. Here, we report on sediment records of eolian and fluvial interactions since the last glacial period, in the semiarid area of northwest China, at the limit of the Southeast Asian monsoon. Sediment sequences of last glacial and Holocene terraces of the Yellow River are composed of channel gravels, overlain by flood sands, eolian dunes, and flood loams. These sequences, dated by optically stimulated luminescence, record interlinks between fluvial and eolian processes and their response to climate change. Sedimentologic structures and grain-size analysis show flood loams, consisting of windblown sediment, deposited from floodwater suspended sediment. The gravel and sand were deposited during cold periods. During transitions from cold to warm phases, the river incised, and dunes were formed by deflation of channel and floodplain deposits (>70 and 21–16 ka). Dunes also formed at ~0.8 ka, probably after human intervention. After dune formation, flood loam covered dunes without erosion during peak discharges at the beginning of the subsequent warm period. The fluctuations of the Southeast Asian monsoon as a moisture-transporting agent have perhaps been the driving force for interactions between fluvial and eolian processes in this semiarid environment.

Land surface emissivity (LSE) regulates long-wave energy partitioning in hyper-arid deserts, yet its multi-decadal behaviour and wavelength-specific controls on multi-decadal scales remain poorly resolved. Here we integrate 23-year satellite observations (CAMEL ESDR V003, 2001–2023) with ERA5 reanalysis to quantify spatiotemporal LSE dynamics at 8.3, 8.6 and 9.1 μm across the Taklimakan Desert and to disentangle thermal versus hydrological drivers. Using Mann-Kendall trend analysis, partial correlation, and Random Forest (RF, n  = 1000), we identify three key findings. First, LSE increased paradoxically by 0.053 to 0.062 per decade (2001–2023) despite regional drying (-0.15 g kg⁻¹ decade⁻¹) and warming. Thermal-aeolian processes explained 68 ± 7% of this variance. Second, surface temperature independently reduced LSE by 0.0029 ± 0.0012 per °C, with maximum effect at 9.1 μm (-0.0035 ± 0.0015 per °C). Third, distinct wavelength-dependent characteristics, where the 9.1 μm band exhibits the highest interannual stability (no significant trend, p  > 0.05) while the 8.3 μm band shows the greatest spatial heterogeneity (ΔLSE > 0.07 in central dunes).Thus, thermal-aeolian coupling, rather than soil moisture, dominates LSE variability in hyper-arid systems. Our findings provide critical constraints for desert–climate feedback models and offer wavelength-specific coefficients (-0.0035 LSE °C⁻¹ at 9.1 μm) to improve future space-borne land-surface temperature retrievals (e.g., ESA LSTM).

The research conducted in this study is an attempt to quantitatively and qualitatively supplement the still insufficient knowledge on aeolian processes under polar conditions, where some of the most visible and dynamic climate changes are occurring. This study presents the results of rounding and matting analysis of quartz grains collected from aeolian deposition traps located in the Ebba Valley, Svalbard. The results are based on four summer field campaigns (2015–2018). Quartz grains with a diameter of 0.8–1.0 mm were selected and subjected to further analysis under a microscope, which allowed them to be divided into six individual classes. The nature of the grains can largely indicate the environmental conditions in which the material was transported. The collected material was dominated by grains with a low degree of roundness, which may indicate relatively short fluvial or aeolian transport. The small amounts of typically matted quartz grains may indicate low environmental dynamics and short transport, as well as the fact that large amounts of the material are blown from the valley interior to the nearby bay and fjord. This study highlights the importance of a fresh sediment supply from two main sources (i.e., moraines and rivers) and their subsequent aeolian redistribution, particularly in a wind-channelled valley environment. These findings underscore the complex interactions between aeolian processes and environmental conditions in cold regions. Climate change may significantly affect the magnitude of aeolian processes. Further research is needed to refine these correlations and enhance the understanding of sedimentary dynamics in polar settings.

Wind tunnel studies, which remain limited, are an important tool to understand the aeolian processes of dried-up riverbeds. The particle size, chemical composition, and the mineral contents of sediments arising from the dried river beds are poorly understood. Dried-up riverbeds cover a wide area in the Hexi Corridor, China, and comprise a complex synthesis of different land surfaces, including aeolian deposits, pavement surfaces, and Takyr crust. The results of the present wind tunnel experiment suggest that aeolian transport from the dried-up riverbeds of the Hexi Corridor ranges from 0 to 177.04 g/m 2 /min and that dry riverbeds could be one of the main sources of dust emissions in this region. As soon as the wind velocity reaches 16 m/s and assuming that there are abundant source materials available, aeolian transport intensity increases rapidly. The dried-up riverbed sediment and the associated aeolian transported material were composed mainly of fine and medium sands. However, the transported samples were coarser than the bed samples, because of the sorting effect of the aeolian processes on the sediment. The aeolian processes also led to regional elemental migration and mineral composition variations.

The Kyzylkum Desert, as a transition area of different dust source in Central Asia, provides and reserves a large amount of dust transported by different atmospheric circulation systems, affecting Uzbekistan and downwind East Asia. However, there remains very few investigations about sediment sources and control factors of the desert. We hereby first present a provenance study on the Kyzylkum Desert, utilizing detrital zircon U‐Pb ages of samples composed of desert sand, alluvial sediments from Amu Darya River and piedmont of Southwest Tianshan Mountains. The results reveal that the Southwest Tianshan Mountains contribute the majority of the Kyzylkum desert sand, and the river system, dominated by Syr Darya, controls the sediment provenance of the desert. Moreover, little contribution from the Kyzylkum and Nurata segments indicates that wind erosion on the bedrocks is weak. However, the aeolian process is still crucial but deposit and storage of dust are determined by local topography. Plain Language Summary The Arid Central Asia is commonly considered one of the most important dust sources in the world. The Kyzylkum Desert, located in the center of the multiple dust sources in Central Asia, provides and receives a large amount of dust, affecting Uzbekistan and downwind East Asia. However, research on sediment sources and control factors in the area is under debate. We investigate the potential provenance, spatial variability, and transport patterns of sand in the Kyzylkum Desert using detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology on 10 sediment samples. The results reveal that the Southwest Tianshan Mountains contribute the majority of the Kyzylkum desert sand, however, the proximal provenances also have a significant influence on the formation of the desert. The geomorphologic history shows that, the river system, dominated by Syr Darya, controls the sediment provenance of the Kyzylkum Desert. The wind displays little influence on the rework and recycle process of Kyzylkum Desert, indicated by inhomogeneous composition between northwest and southeast desert. The unmixing model results show evidence of sediments from the Kyzylkum Desert transported to the piedmont areas, but the transport and deposition of dust are primarily controlled by topography. Key Points Detrital zircon U‐Pb dating indicates that the Southwest Tianshan Mountains are the primary sediment source of the Kyzylkum Desert The river system controls the sediment provenance of the Kyzylkum Desert Topography determines reserve positions of the aeolian sand and dust from Central Asian deserts

Wind is a key abiotic factor that influences the dynamics of arid and semiarid systems. We investigated two basic relationships on vegetation manipulation (grass cover reduction) plots at the Jornada Experimental Range in southern New Mexico: (1) wind erosion rates (horizontal mass flux and dust emission) versus vegetative cover, and (2) nutrient loss versus vegetative cover. The results indicate that wind erosion rates and nutrient loss by dust emission are strongly affected by plant cover; however, the importance of shrubs and grasses in reducing dust flux may not be equal. The dramatic increase of wind erosion between 75% grass cover reduction and 100% grass cover reduction suggests that sparsely distributed mesquites are relatively ineffective at reducing wind erosion and nutrient loss compared to grasses. Comparisons of nutrients between surface soils and wind blown dust indicate that aeolian transport is a major cause for the loss of soil nutrients in susceptible environments. We found that increased aeolian flux over three windy seasons (March 2004-July 2006) removed up to 25% of total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) from the top 5 cm of soil, and about 60% of TOC and TN loss occurred in the first windy season (March-July 2004). The balance between net loss of nutrients by aeolian processes and the addition of nutrients by biotic processes changed from negative (net loss) to positive (net accumulation) between 50% grass cover reduction and 25% grass cover reduction. The estimated lifetime of surface soil TOC and TN of about 10 years on the plot with 100% grass cover reduction indicates that impacts of wind erosion on soil resources can occur on very short timescales.

Crete is located in the collision zone of tectonic plates; therefore, the island coast was often shaped due to tectonic phenomena. In 365 AD, a major earthquake caused the uplift of the coast of western Crete by a few metres. It means that the modern beaches of this part of the island are fragments of the former seabed with its littoral deposits. Some of these deposits are affected by wind activity. The article aims to answer the question, did wind transport lasting more than 1600 years give the marine deposits the features of aeolian deposits? Grain size and mineral composition were determined for samples from seven research sites in western Crete. Deposits representing three sedimentary environments were examined – high-energy beach, aeolian, and beach with permanent or periodic fluvial supply. Quartz abrasion was established using the morphoscopic method. In the 0.8–1.0 mm fraction, less resistant carbonate minerals dominate (on average, 77%), while the content of more resistant quartz is low (on average, 18%). It means most deposits are relatively young and were briefly in the range of aeolian processes. Coastal deposits are dominated by moderately rounded and mat grains EM/RM, on average 79%. The content of very well-rounded and mat grains RM is low, on average 18%. Multiple predominances of EM/RM grains in relation to RM grains indicate short-term aeolian transport. It can be concluded that the degree of aeolisation of coastal deposits by wind activity from 365 AD to the present is weak, at most moderate.