Sand damages along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway occur frequently and have spread rapidly since it was completely opened to traffic in 2006.To understand the effects of sand damages on the railway via meteorological data and in situ observation of wind-blown sand,the research of characteristics of sand damages and dynamic environment along the Tuotuohe section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway was accomplished recently by the researchers of Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute. The researchers selected the Tuotuohe section of this railway as a typical research object and systematically investigated its characteristics of sand damages, drift potential, sand-driving wind rose, and their time variation.The direction of sand-drifting wind clearly varies with the season. In winter, the predominant wind blows from the west and lasts for three months, while in summer the frequency of northeasterly wind begins to increase and multi-directional winds also occurs in July. The drift potential in this area is 705.81 VU, which makes this a high-energy wind environment according to Fryberger’s definition. The directional variability (RDP/DP) is 0.84 and the resultant drift potential is 590.42 VU with a resultant direction of 89.1°.

The research was supported by the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (Grant Nos.40701171, 41071009, and 40930741) and the Western Project Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(KZCX2-XB-10).