The manifestations, hazards and control measures of sandstorms

1. Performance of sandstorms:

Strong winds blow up a large amount of sand and dust material from the ground and roll it into the air, making the air extremely turbid and a severe sandstorm weather phenomenon with horizontal visibility less than one thousand meters. .

2. Hazards:

1. Deterioration of the ecological environment

When sandstorms occur, sand, stones and floating dust wrapped in strong winds spread everywhere. The air in any area passing through is turbid. There is an increase in the number of people suffering from nose and eyes, respiratory tract and other diseases. For example, during the severe sandstorm that occurred in Jinchang City on May 5, 1993, the measured dust content in the outdoor air was 1016 mm/cubic centimeter, and the indoor dust content was 80 mm/cubic centimeter, exceeding the national dust content in living areas. 40 times the standard.

2. Impact on production and life

Sandstorm weather carries a large amount of sand and dust that blocks the sun and light, and the weather is gloomy, resulting in reduced solar radiation and poor visibility for several hours to more than ten hours. It is easy to make people feel depressed and reduce the efficiency of work and study. In mild cases, a large number of livestock can be infected with respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases. In severe cases, it can lead to the death of a large number of "spring fatigue" livestock and scrape away fertile farmland, seeds and seedlings. Sandstorms will also intensify wind erosion and desertification of surface soil, covering plant leaves with thick dust, affecting normal photosynthesis and causing crop yield reductions. The sandstorm also caused the temperature to drop sharply. The sky was like a parasol, and the ground became dark and cold under the shadow.

3. Loss of life and property

On May 5, 1993, strong sandstorms occurred in Jinchang City, Wuwei City, Wuwei Minqin County, Baiyin City and other cities in Gansu Province Due to the weather, 2.5355 million acres of farmland were affected, 42,800 trees were lost, causing direct economic losses of 236 million yuan, 85 deaths, and 153 serious injuries. On April 12, 2000, severe sandstorms occurred in Yongchang, Jinchang, Wuwei, Minqin and other cities. According to incomplete statistics, only Jinchang and Wuwei suffered direct economic losses of 15.34 million yuan.

4. Impact on traffic safety

Impact on traffic safety (traffic accidents such as airplanes, trains, cars, etc.) Sandstorm weather often affects traffic safety, causing aircraft to be unable to take off or land normally, causing cars, Train cars have broken glass, are out of service or are derailed.

5. Harmful to human health

When people are exposed to sand and dust weather, dust containing various toxic chemicals, germs, etc. can penetrate through layers of protection and enter the mouth, Nose, eyes, ears. If these dusts containing a large amount of harmful substances are not cleaned up in time, they will cause damage to these organs or bacteria will use these organs as entry points to cause various diseases.

3. Control measures:

1. Strengthen environmental protection and raise environmental protection to the level of the legal system.

2. Restore vegetation and strengthen the biological protection system to prevent sandstorms. Protect and restore forest and grass vegetation in accordance with the law, prevent the further expansion of land desertification, and reduce the sources of sand and dust as much as possible.

3. Formulate disaster prevention, disaster resistance, and disaster relief plans based on local conditions in different regions, actively promote various disaster reduction technologies, and build a number of demonstration projects to gradually promote them on a point-by-point basis to further improve the regional comprehensive defense system.

4. Control population growth, reduce the pressure of human factors on land, and protect the environment.

5. Strengthen popular science propaganda on the relationship between the occurrence and harm of sandstorms and human activities, so that people realize that once the environment they live in is destroyed, it will be difficult to recover. This will not only aggravate natural disasters such as sandstorms, but also cause A vicious circle, so people must consciously protect their living environment.