Development of a particulate collection instrument for soil wind erosion in the near surface layer

Wind erosion, a primary cause of soil degeneration, is a problem in arid and semiarid areas throughout the world. Although many methods are available to study soil erosion, there are no effective methods for obtaining quantitative measurements in the field. To address this issue, we developed a new instrument for measuring sand flow, in particular the near-surface sediment distribution of dust weight. The technique also analyzes dust particle size, composition, and organic matter content. In this paper, we describe the construction and underlying principles of this particle collection instrument, which calculates the sand content of per unit volume of air at different heights from the ground. Field experiments are performed using the instrument, and the data are analyzed. Through the collection and measurements of wind erosion particulates in the near surface (0–2m), we found that as the altitude increased from ground level, the content of these materials in the atmosphere was gradually reduced, the particles became thinner, and the amount of organic residue significantly decreased. This method provides a meaningful contribution to the quantitative research of near surface sediment runoff and wind erosion, and has scientific significance for determining the intensity of sediment transport.