The Taklimakan Desert is rich in groundwater, why has it not been exploited? What's the secret
When it comes to deserts, people first think of the words drought and water shortage, and the conditions in deserts are also very harsh. Humans who have no experience of living in deserts cannot survive in deserts. The desert also constitutes a special scenery. Many people like to watch in the desert very much. Some people even travel alone in the desert. Although this approach is very dangerous, they are willing to see the scenery of the desert. paid.
Taklimakan Desert
When it comes to deserts, I have to mention that the Taklimakan Desert in northwest China is known as the second largest mobile desert in the world. The area of Taklimakan is about 330,000 square kilometers. There is not only no water source, no oasis here, some are just vast a piece of yellow sand
And Taklimakan is also known as the "Sea of Death". It was also hailed as the greatest challenge of the Silk Road. There is a very famous lake next to the Taklimakan Desert, that is Lop Nur
In the past, Lop Nur was an endless lake, and the prosperous ancient country of Loulan lived in the west of Lop Nur. There is a vast oasis here, with prosperous trees and people living in peace and contentment.
After the third century AD, the riverbed in the lower reaches of the Tarim River suffered severe sand siltation, which led to the ancient Loulan people living in the Lop Nur area who had to choose to leave their homes and leave this place, which made the prosperity of the ancient Loulan submerged. under the sand
Water source found in Taklimakan desert
The Taklimakan Desert is the largest desert in the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang. In recent years, there have been many topics about the Taklimakan Desert. One of the most controversial is that there are huge groundwater resources under the Tarim Basin.
It holds more water than the world's largest freshwater lake. Then some people boldly put forward the idea that the current technology is so developed that the groundwater in the Taklimakan Desert can be exploited and then the Lop Nur can be reproduced, although this idea is very correct
But if this is done, not only will Lop Nur not reappear, but it will also destroy the environment of the Taklimakan Desert and its underground water resources
First of all, we must understand what groundwater is. Groundwater is actually an important part of water resources on the earth. It has the characteristics of stable water quantity and good water quality. Therefore, it has also become an important source of industrial and agricultural production and living water and human drinking water.
Groundwater, like many rivers and lakes, also has a water table. So how did the water source of the Taklimakan Desert appear? Geologists came to a conclusion after a series of investigations and reading a lot of data
The water source of the Taklimakan Desert may be the surrounding ice and snow meltwater. We all know that there are tall snow-capped mountains near the Taklimakan Desert. Because the Taklimakan Desert is relatively low, the surrounding ice and snow meltwater also forms naturally.
And it flows into the Taklimakan Desert in the center. Since the desert surface is exposed and not covered by vegetation, the water that has not been evaporated will slowly seep into the bottom of the desert.
In this way, with the accumulation of water resources, abundant water resources appeared under the Taklimakan Desert. After the survey and research by researchers, it has been confirmed that the water resources under the Taklimakan Desert are real.
If this groundwater is introduced into the desert, it may cause a series of serious consequences. This is because the stratification of water resources underground in the Taklimakan Desert is very serious, and some water resources are only a few meters from the surface.
Some water resources are exposed on the surface, while others are located tens of meters underground. Because of the uneven distribution of water resources, it is also very difficult to exploit.
If the underground water resources are forced to be extracted and introduced into Lop Nur, maybe Lop Nur will see the light of day again, and then it will be a short-lived, fleeting moment. At this time, the Taklimakan Desert may also become more serious due to the excessive extraction of groundwater.
As a result, the surrounding people will be affected, desertification will be more serious, and the salinization of the land in Lop Nur may be aggravated. This not only does not improve the situation of Lop Nur, but aggravates the degree of salinization of its land, which is not worth the loss.
The problem of Lop Nur is also more difficult. If fresh water is introduced, the salt and alkali will be diluted by water. You must know that the surface here has millions of tons of salt, which is enough to gradually turn it into a Dead Sea, and it will be difficult to restore it.
If we do not have enough technology, if we forcibly transform the natural desert environment, it is tantamount to acting against the sky. The top priority now is to protect the distribution of desert oases in Taklimakan, and we all know the importance of oases
It not only replenishes water sources for passersby, but also ensures that desert creatures and plants have a short respite opportunity. If the oasis in the Taklimakan Desert gradually disappears in order to extract water, it will be too much loss.
Not only that, if the groundwater is opened directly in the Taklimakan Desert, it will also cause desert depressions. Even in areas with hard geology, if it is excessively exploited, the ground will sink, not to mention areas with softer geology.
If the mining continues, it may damage the environment of the entire desert. The Taklimakan Desert has its own set of ecosystems. If the groundwater is forcibly exploited, it will destroy the ecosystem of the Taklimakan Desert. If you want to achieve Lop Nur and reproduce the original scene, it's hard to do
Governance in Lop Nur
It has been 50 years since Lop Nur dried up in the 1970s. With the continuous evaporation of surface water, it has now become a saline-alkali land. Even if the groundwater is drawn out, the water is difficult for people to eat.
And it is difficult to restore Lop Nur to its original state. Is there no way to make Lop Nur reproduce the original scene? After continuous research and discovery by Chinese explorers and scientific researchers
In fact, there is a way to make the original scene of Lop Nur. The focus is on Tibet. Tibet is the birthplace of many large rivers. If the water source of the Brahmaputra can be led to the Taklimakan Desert
It is not impossible to restore the original appearance of Lop Nur, but this project is huge, and it is very difficult both in the construction and the construction process.
Although there are abundant water resources underground in the Taklimakan Desert, these water resources cannot be easily exploited. Otherwise, it will have a very serious impact, which will not only cause ecological instability, but also human beings may be affected to some extent.
It means that it is not an easy task to manage this desert well. However, China has also formulated a series of rectification measures for Lop Nur. In October 2020, it is expected that the 10-year Lop Nur scientific investigation will be officially launched.
Although the environment of Lop Nur is very desolate now, Chinese researchers have not lost confidence. They also know that rectifying the environment of Lop Nur is a very great project and a long-term project.
For a period of 10 years, Lop Nur will definitely undergo earth-shaking changes. During this period, whether it is manual intervention or environmental changes, the environment around Lop Nur is actively changing. Maybe in the future, Lop Nur will reappear previous style
Secondly, we must protect the environment of the Taklimakan Desert, actively develop the desert greening plan, complete the task of desert governance as soon as possible, and call on all the people in the society to join the camp of environmental protection.
Because only when the environment in which we live has changed, will nature undergo a series of changes. Just like the Mu Us Desert in China, it used to be a piece of yellow sand
However, after the efforts of Chinese sand control people, what is now presented to people is a piece of oases. In the Mu Us Desert, China has also developed tourism, which not only controls the desert, but also drives economic development. This kills two birds with one stone. things, we have to persevere