When it comes to deserts, everyone's impression is that besides drought, they are full of yellow sand. However, according to inspections, Taklimakan .33 million square kilometers of desert contains 228 trillion cubic meters of groundwater. The amount of water is comparable to 10 Lake Baikal, and most of it It's still fresh water.
Before the 3rd century AD, Lop Nur was a pretty good place. However, after that, wind and sand siltation on the lower reaches of the Tarim River caused the river bed to change its course. Lop Nur was no longer suitable for survival, and the prosperity of ancient Loulan also came to an end. So since there is so much groundwater, is it feasible for us to pump it up and irrigate it to Lop Nur so that the Loulan scenery can be restored again?
First of all, if you want to restore Lop Nur, you must first understand the problem of groundwater. Groundwater has stable water volume and excellent water quality. However, like the water levels of other rivers and lakes, groundwater also has its own water level. For example, in a certain area, the groundwater If the height is lower than the groundwater level in this place, groundwater may "outcrop" and form rivers and lakes. When the groundwater level decreases, these "outcropping" rivers, lakes and natural wells will disappear. Although Lop Nur is on the edge of the desert, it is drier than the Taklimakan Desert. The altitude of the bottom of the lake does not even reach 800 meters, making it the driest area in my country and even the world. In addition, the Lop Nur area has been subject to violent sunshine for a long time. Under such circumstances, there is no way for groundwater to flow out of the surface and form a spring, let alone Form a lake. Therefore, when the water from the Tarim River, Kongque River and other rivers on which Lop Nur depends for its existence no longer flows here, then Lop Nur will naturally lose its source of survival and will inevitably disappear.
So if we want to extract groundwater and inject it into Lop Nur, it is obviously a thankless job. The biggest problem is that the water seeping down will not be filled up, and we also have to overcome the bad problems such as atmospheric evaporation. Only natural factors can maintain the existence of the lake. Maybe because of that stubborn species, I have to do this if I have money, but this can only recreate the scene of Lop Nur water source for a short time.
Let’s not talk about whether it costs money or how much it costs. Even if it is filled up, the water in this lake may completely evaporate within a few years. We will talk about the relevant data later, and the most important thing is, If the groundwater is pumped out here, it will be lacking in other places. It is very likely that excessive extraction of groundwater will lead to more serious desertification, and even affect surrounding provinces and regions, causing a more serious desert crisis. This is also a certainty. There is also ground subsidence caused by over-exploitation. I’m sure you’ve all seen this kind of report. A big pit collapsed in the ground for no reason. This may have been caused by over-exploitation. Also, when the oil field pumps oil out, water must be added to it at the same time, in order to avoid the bottom void. The shell causes ground subsidence. Who can carry such a big pot?
In a place where the forced extraction of groundwater cannot replace the role of the Tarim River, Kongque River and other rivers flowing into Lop Nur before the diversion, under the natural influence of the confluence of various rivers, Lop Nur has developed over a long period of time to shape Loulan. Civilization, forcibly extracting groundwater for irrigation may restore its temporary glory, but such prosperity will not last until Loulan Ancient Kingdom is restored and will fall apart. The annual water evaporation in the Taklimakan Desert is as high as 1000-3000 mm, which is more than the annual water evaporation in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. There is still a lot of precipitation. In contrast, there is no drought in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River because there is a steady supply of water. Not only does the Taklimakan not have a supply, it has also been undergoing a lot of evaporation. Even if the groundwater is released, it will evaporate quickly. In other words, humans are capable of restoring Lop Nur's splendor in a short time regardless of the consequences, but trying to rebuild Loulan is just a fool's errand. So back to that.
In the desolate Lop Nur, is there really nothing useful about the ancient Loulan ruins? We mentioned above that Lop Nur and the ancient kingdom of Loulan cannot be recreated, but scientifically speaking, the resources of such a desolate place are still very huge. In the 1920s and 1930s, Lop Nur was the second largest saltwater lake in my country, although now It has dried up but the salt in it has not disappeared. A large salt crust has been formed, and Lop Nur has become the richest potassium salt mineral deposit in the country. Scientists predict that its total potassium resources have reached 250 million tons. This stuff can be used in agriculture and industry. It is used as potash fertilizer for farming. Potassium can be used in , glass manufacturing, clothes dyeing, gunpowder, printing, batteries, electronic tubes, and so on. The value of Lop Nur has risen several levels at once. There is also the Loulan ancient ruins located in the west of Lop Nur. For It is perfect for those who like to explore and adventure.
In summary, if the ancient countries of Lop Nur and Loulan were so easy to be restored, and the problem of the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang was so easy to be solved, we would have mobilized manpower for mining long ago. As early as 1970, Lop Nur was already drying up. Relevant departments also considered exploiting groundwater to alleviate the severe situation in Lop Nur. However, after careful investigation, it was found that this plan was not feasible at all. . Therefore, it is impossible to restore the ancient kingdoms of Lop Nur and Loulan by exploiting groundwater in the Taklimakan Desert, and it is of little significance. The more important question we face now is how to slow down the spread of the Taklimakan Desert. Bundle.
