# Characteristics of Aeolian Dune, Wind Regime and Sand Transport in Hobq Desert, China
###### Abstract  
A systematic study of the wind regime characteristics in a region can not only accurately grasp the dynamic factors of the development of aeolian geomorphology, but also provide a scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of regional sand disasters. Taking the Hobq Desert as the study area, the basic characteristics of dune are analyzed by using remote sensing images. Based on the annual meteorological data of six meteorological stations from 2009 to 2018, the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of wind speed were obtained. With the daily wind data of three stations from 2009 to 2018, we have figured out the wind regime and sand transport characteristics of the Hobq Desert. The results show that the sand dune height of the Hobq Desert ranges large, the highest height is 5010 m and the lowest is 10 m. It decreases gradually from the west to the east. The height of dune mainly distributed below 1500 m, followed by 1500-2000 m. Migratory sand dunes in Hobq Desert accounts for 51.8% and is mainly distributed in the west of the desert. The distribution area of fixation sand dunes in Hobq Desert is the least, accounting for 8.3%. The migratory dune pattern is trellis dune, semimigrated dune and semifixed dune patterns include honeycomb dune, parabolic duneand brush dune, and fixation dune pattern is grass dune. Annual wind speed was greatest in the southeast and decreased moving to the northwest. The dominant wind direction was W and SW from 2009 to 2018 in the Hobq Desert, the average wind speed of the prevailing winds mainly distributed at 4-8 m/s. The frequency of wind speed exceeding 10 m/s is very low, with a maximum value of 10% or below. There is a low energy wind environment in the Hobq Desert, with intermediate annual directional variability and obtuse or acute bimodal wind regime. The resultant drift direction (RDD)at Dongsheng station was relatively constant from 2009 to 2018, it was about 350\({}^{\circ}\). RDD differed significantly at Baotou and Linhestations were \(181\pm 169^{\circ}\) and \(231\pm 121^{\circ}\), respectively.The relationship between drift potential (DP) and the average and maximum wind speed was expressed as a power function. DP was strongly correlated with them. There is no significant correlated between the temporal changes in DPandprecipitation and temperature from 2009 to 2018 in the Hobq Desert. wind erosion; prevailing wind; sand transport; Hobq Desert; Yellow River 2019 9 5543 00.3390/appr9245543 00.3390/appr9245543 00.390/appr9245543 00.  
regime (i.e., wind speed and direction) hasherefore been widely studied to support the classification of aeolian geomorphology [3]. Other regional factors, such as grain size and sand surface moisture [7], surface crusting [8], vegetation cover [9] and topography [10] also influence the aeolian sand transport. Scholars have previously made numerous efforts to study the estimation of sand transport through both field measurement and theoretical calculation with models [11; 12; 13; 14]. Resulting from regional variability in these factors, the patterns, size and distribution of aeolian dunes usually exhibit distinct regional characteristics [15]. The Hobq Desert (Hobq is in Mongolian) is the seventh largest desert in China. At the beginning of 1959, the sand control team of the Chinese Academy of Sciences carried out a comprehensive investigation of the natural geographical features and natural resources of the Hobq Desert. Previous studies were mainly concentrated on the problem of land desertification in Hobq region [16], variation in grain size of dune [17], the environmental changes [18; 19] ([PERSON] et al., 2017; [PERSON] et al., 2018), and how the Hobq Desert affected the channel evolution of the Yellow River [20; 21]. [PERSON] et al. [22] suggested that channel aggradation of the Hobq Desert reach of the Yellow River was induced by perennial sediment input from the surrounding deserts.