Coastal Aeolian Research in China: Progress and Prospect
中国的海岸风沙研究:进展与展望

Prior to the 1980s, the coastal Aeolian research in China was actually nonexistent. The comprehensive investigation of coastal zones and tidal flat resources of the country during the 1980-1986 period initiated and promoted the coastal Aeolian research. Since then, the study in this respect has been continuously conducted and significant progress has been made in the research scope and depth. This paper summarizes the main progress and achievements in coastal Aeolian research in China,which include coastal Aeolian dune types and distribution characteristics in China, formation and evolution models of coastal Aeolian dunes in China, depositional characteristics of modern and ancient coastal Aeolian sediments in China, threshold wind velocity of coastal sand movement and Aeolian sand flow structure in coastal zones of China, migration rates of coastal dunes, and coastal Aeolian disaster and its control in China. Although substantial results of coastal Aeolian research in China have been achieved and the blank in this research field has been filled, there is a certain gap as compared with other countries because our study in this respect was initiated at a comparatively late date, with a short research history. In view of this, special attention should be paid to the following aspects in future study of coastal Aeolian problem in China. First, observation and modeling of coastal Aeolian movement are the foundation and core of coastal Aeolian study. Observations and modeling of coastal Aeolian movement in the representative coastal zones of China using advanced and practical field observation instruments and techniques are quite essential; Second, in the face of increasingly exacerbating global change situation, actively conducting the research of the relation between global changes and coastal Aeolian evolution process is an important subject in the current coastal Aeolian research; Third, for the protection of coastal Aeolian land, the study on the coastal Aeolian control is also essential.