Abstract Reliable quantitative information on sediment sources is key for the reasonable arrangement of targeted measures that effectively control hazards of wind erosion along railways in extremely arid regions. In Northwest China, the newly built Golmud-Korla Railway suffers from serious wind-blown sand hazards, which severely affect its future safe operation. This study applied two frequently used fingerprinting methods (optimum composite fingerprint and multiple composite fingerprint) to quantitatively examine the contributions of different sediment sources to the railway in two typical areas (research areas: R1 and R2). The results revealed that Nebkha was the main sediment source for the railway (46.5%) in R1, followed by a dry playa (37.7%) and sand dunes (Dune 1) (15.8%). In contrast, sand dunes (Dune 2) were the main sediment source for the railway (75.2%) in R2, followed by gobi (12.9%) and a low-lying coarse sand sheet (LCSS) (11.9%). According to the comprehensive assessment, the sand-fixing measure of spraying salt lake brine to form a crust for Nebkha was recommended, and the sand-fixing measure of large vertical grids (15 m × 15 m × 1.5 m) made of reed rod was suggested to control wind erosion of the dry playa near the railway and to trap the eroded sand from the upwind direction in R1. In R2, a small reed rod checkerboard barrier (1 m × 1 m × 0.2 m) was suggested for Dune 2 to effectively prohibit drifting sand from endangering the railway. In addition, this study also indicated that when two or more sediment sources have relatively similar properties, the pairwise test to select tracers with significant differences between the two sediment sources would help reduce uncertainty, which was recommended for similar studies in the future.

中文翻译：

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基于指纹识别技术的极端干旱地区铁路沙害防治

摘要 可靠的泥沙来源定量信息是合理安排针对性措施，有效控制极端干旱地区铁路沿线风蚀危害的关键。在西北地区，新建的格尔木至库尔勒铁路遭受严重的风沙灾害，严重影响其未来的安全运营。本研究应用两种常用的指纹识别方法（最优复合指纹和多重复合指纹），定量检验了两个典型地区（研究区：R1和R2）不同沉积物来源对铁路的贡献。结果表明，Nebkha 是 R1 铁路的主要沉积物来源 (46.5%)，其次是干海滩 (37.7%) 和沙丘 (沙丘 1) (15.8%)。相比之下，沙丘（Dune 2）是R2铁路的主要沉积源（75.2%），其次是戈壁（12.9%）和低洼粗砂层（LCSS）（11.9%）。根据综合评估，推荐采用喷盐湖卤水结壳固沙措施，采用芦苇杆制成的大垂直网格（15 m×15 m×1.5 m）固沙措施。建议控制铁路附近干滩的风蚀，并在 R1 中从逆风方向截留被风蚀的沙子。在 R2 中，沙丘 2 建议设置一个小的芦苇杆棋盘格屏障（1 m × 1 m × 0.2 m），以有效防止流沙危害铁路。此外，本研究还表明，当两个或两个以上的沉积物来源具有相对相似的性质时，