[Dynamic variations of soil moisture in Haloxylon ammodendron root zone in Gurbantunggut Desert]

To understand the dynamic variations of soil moisture in the root zone of original Haloxylon ammodendron land is of significance for further understanding the interactions between hydrological processes and vegetations in the Gurbantunggut Desert. By using TDR probes system, this paper measured the volumetric soil moisture content in H. ammodendron land in the southern edge of Gurbantunggut Desert, and analyzed the spatiotemporal distribution of soil moisture in the root zone of H. ammodendron in August 2007-July 2008. There existed 'wet island' effect in H. ammodendron root zone. The 0-60 cm soil water storage in the root zone was 1.49 times of that in bare land. Such a difference was greater in summer than in spring and after rainfall than before rainfall. The soil moisture content in the Desert was the richest in spring after snow melting and the lowest in winter, and its annual variation could be divided into three periods, i.e., quick supplement-consumption period in spring (from March to May), slow consumption period in summer and autumn (from June to September), and stable period in winter (form October to next February). Based on wavelet analysis, the soil moisture variation in H. ammodendron root zone and bare land had a short cycle of 43 and 40 days and a long cycle of 110 and 103 days, respectively. The relatively rich soil moisture content in H. ammodendron root zone could be mainly due to the stem flow water collection, tree canopy shading, and the better water percolating capacity in root zone.