Four-Channel Photoelectric Counter of Saltating Sand Particles

Abstract

A four-channel photoelectric counter has been designed and manufactured for the measurements of saltating sand concentration fluctuations and size distribution function of particles with diameters >30 μm over desertified areas. The measurement results are given. It is shown that the vertical profile of the saltating sand concentration does not change on average in the altitude range from 3 to 7 cm over a desertified area in the neighborhood of the Volga. The distribution function of saltating sand particles over the desertified area is approximated with satisfactory accuracy by the lognormal distribution near the distribution maximum. Noticeable distinctions between the abovementioned distributions for large and small sand particles are observed.