Field evidence for the upwind velocity shift at the crest of low dunes

Wind topographically forced by hills and sand dunes accelerates on the upwind (stoss) slopes and reduces on the downwind (lee) slopes. This secondary wind regime, however, possesses a subtle effect, reported here for the first time from field measurements of near-surface wind velocity over a low dune: the wind velocity close to the surface reaches its maximum upwind of the crest. Our field-measured data show that this upwind phase shift of velocity with respect to topography is found to be in quantitative agreement with the prediction of hydrodynamical linear analysis for turbulent flows with first order closures. This effect, together with sand transport spatial relaxation, is at the origin of the mechanisms of dune initiation, instability and growth.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures. Version accepted for publication in Boundary-Layer Meteorolog

Complementary classifications of aeolian dunes based on morphology, dynamics, and fluid mechanics

Dunes form where winds blow over a bed of mobile sediment grains – conditions that are common in our solar system. On Earth, dunes abound in arid continental interiors and along sandy coastlines. Dune fields have also been recognized on Venus, Mars, Saturn's moon Titan, and Pluto. In response to the different boundary conditions and other environmental forcings, dunes adopt a rich diversity of shapes, sizes, and behaviors. Thus, people around the globe and over centuries have developed a rich vocabulary to describe dunes and their complexity. As a result, existing dune nomenclature often includes redundant terms with differing definitions across scientific communities. Previous studies have endeavored to link dune shape to environmental forcing, usually by means of correlation. Although instructive, correlation-based classifications can be misleading if not based on an underlying mechanics and if dune morphogenetic classes are not uniquely defined. Here, we synthesize existing dune terminology and use the last two decades of research on dune morphodynamics to propose three complementary dune classification schemes based on: (1) descriptive dune gemorphology, (2) morphodynamic processes, and (3) fluid mechanics and physics of sediment transport. The first classification relates dune types to geomorphic setting, presence or absence of vegetation or obstacles, and dune shape (including planform shape, and cross-sectional symmetry or asymmetry). Dune classes can be further subdivided where the direction of sand transport is known independently. The second classification relates dune types and shapes to bed properties (sand-covered vs partially starved bed) and wind forcing (directional variability or the relative strengths and directions of wind modes) that together influence dune dynamics (growth, migration, elongation) and select the dominant processes by which dunes are shaped and oriented relative to the resultant transport direction. The third classification relates, for different planetary environments, the range of possible dune sizes, from minimum to maximum wavelength, to flow regime (rough or smooth) and response of sediment transport, which influence the coupling between sand bed topography, fluid flow, and sediment transport. These characteristic lengths are useful scales for comparative geomorphology. The three classification schemes provide complementary information. Together, they form a unified framework for geomorphologists, sedimentologists, geographers, physicists, and others to describe windblown sand dunes on Earth and beyond through their shape, dynamics, and size as a response to winds and boundary conditions

A coupled vegetation/sediment transport model for dryland environments

Dryland regions are characterised by patchy vegetation, erodible surfaces and erosive aeolian processes. Understanding how these constituent factors interact and shape landscape evolution is critical for managing potential environmental and anthropogenic impacts in drylands. However, modelling wind erosion on partially vegetated surfaces is a complex problem that has remained challenging for researchers. We present the new, coupled cellular automaton Vegetation and Sediment TrAnsport model (ViSTA), which is designed to address fundamental questions about the development of arid and semi-arid landscapes in a spatially explicit way. The technical aspects of the ViSTA model are described, including a new method for directly imposing oblique wind and transport directions onto a cell-based domain. Verification tests for the model are reported, including stable state solutions, the impact of drought and fire stress, wake flow dynamics, temporal scaling issues and the impact of feedbacks between sediment movement and vegetation growth on landscape morphology. The model is then used to simulate an equilibrium nebkha dunefield, and the resultant bedforms are shown to have very similar size and spacing characteristics to nebkhas observed in the Skeleton Coast, Namibia. The ViSTA model is a versatile geomorphological tool that could be used to predict threshold-related transitions in a range of dryland ecogeomorphic systems

Characterizing turbulent wind flow around dryland vegetation

Wind flow has been studied in situations where it encounters porous and solid windbreaks, but there has been a lack of research exploring turbulent wind dynamics around and in the lee of real vegetation elements. In dryland contexts, sparse vegetation plays an important role in modulating both the erosivity of the wind and the erodibility of surfaces. Therefore, understanding the interactions between wind and vegetation is key for improving wind erosion modelling in desert landscapes. In this study, turbulent wind flow around three typical dryland vegetation elements (a grass clump, a shrub, and a tree) was examined in Namibia using high-frequency (10 Hz) sonic anemometry. Spatial variations in mean wind velocity, as well as Reynolds stresses and coherent turbulent structures in the flow, were compared and related to the porosities and configurations of the study elements. A shelter parameter, originally proposed by Gandemer (, Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamic 4: 371–389), was derived to describe the combined impact of the different elements on the energy and variability of horizontal wind flow. Wind velocity was reduced by 70% in the immediate lee of the grass and 40% in the lee of the shrub, but velocity recovered exponentially to equilibrium over the same relative distance in both cases (~9 element heights downwind). Quadrant analysis of the high-frequency wind flow data revealed that the grass clump induced a small recirculation zone in its lee, whereas the shrub did not. Also, higher Reynolds shear stress (Formula presented.) and higher ‘flow positivity magnitude’ [ratio of Q1 (outward interaction) and Q4 (sweep) quadrants to Q2 (ejection) and Q3 (inward interaction) quadrants] was generally observed in the wake of the grass. These differences arose because the porosity of the grass clump (53%) was lower than the porosity of the shrub (69%), and thus bleed flow through the shrub was more significant. The bluff-body behaviour of the grass resulted in a more intense and more extensive sheltering effect than the shrub, which implies that overall sediment transport potential is lower in the wake of the grass. The tree displayed a different wake structure to the grass and shrub, owing to the elevation of its crown. A ‘bottom gap’ effect was observed, whereby wind velocities increased possibly due to streamline compression in the gap between the ground and the underside of the tree crown. Differences in flow momentum between the bottom gap and the low-pressure leeward region of the crown are a probable explanation for the formation of a large recirculation vortex. The bottom gap effect led to decreased sheltering up to three tree heights downwind, but the surface became increasingly protected by the frontal impact of the crown over a further eight tree heights downwind (~30 m). The extraction of momentum from the air by the tree therefore resulted in a far more extensive sheltering effect compared to the grass and shrub. This study represents an important investigation of the impact of different vegetation types on turbulent wind flow, and results can be integrated as parameterizations into spatial sediment transport models that explore landscape-scale change on semi-vegetated desert surfaces

Modelled responses of the Kalahari Desert to 21st century climate and land use change

Drylands are home to over 2 billion people globally, many of whom use the land for agricultural and pastoral activities. These vulnerable livelihoods could be disrupted if desert dunefields become more active in response to climate and land use change. Despite increasing knowledge about the role that wind, moisture availability and vegetation cover play in shaping dryland landscapes, relatively little is known about how drylands might respond to climatic and population pressures over the 21st century. Here we use a newly developed numerical model, which fully couples vegetation and sediment-transport dynamics, to simulate potential landscape evolution at three locations in the Kalahari Desert, under two future emissions scenarios: stabilising (RCP 4.5) and high (RCP 8.5). Our simulations suggest that whilst our study sites will experience some climatically-induced landscape change, the impacts of climate change alone on vegetation cover and sediment mobility may be relatively small. However, human activity could strongly exacerbate certain landscape trajectories. Fire frequency has a primary impact on vegetation cover, and, together with grazing pressure, plays a significant role in modulating shrub encroachment and ensuing land degradation processes. Appropriate land management strategies must be implemented across the Kalahari Desert to avoid severe environmental and socio-economic consequences over the coming decades

Characterizing turbulent wind flow around dryland vegetation

Wind flow has been studied in situations where it encounters porous and solid windbreaks, but there has been a lack of research exploring turbulent wind dynamics around and in the lee of real vegetation elements. In dryland contexts, sparse vegetation plays an important role in modulating both the erosivity of the wind and the erodibility of surfaces. Therefore, understanding the interactions between wind and vegetation is key for improving wind erosion modelling in desert landscapes. In this study, turbulent wind flow around three typical dryland vegetation elements (a grass clump, a shrub, and a tree) was examined in Namibia using high-frequency (10 Hz) sonic anemometry. Spatial variations in mean wind velocity, as well as Reynolds stresses and coherent turbulent structures in the flow, were compared and related to the porosities and configurations of the study elements. A shelter parameter, originally proposed by Gandemer (, Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamic 4: 371–389), was derived to describe the combined impact of the different elements on the energy and variability of horizontal wind flow. Wind velocity was reduced by 70% in the immediate lee of the grass and 40% in the lee of the shrub, but velocity recovered exponentially to equilibrium over the same relative distance in both cases (~9 element heights downwind). Quadrant analysis of the high-frequency wind flow data revealed that the grass clump induced a small recirculation zone in its lee, whereas the shrub did not. Also, higher Reynolds shear stress (Formula presented.) and higher ‘flow positivity magnitude’ [ratio of Q1 (outward interaction) and Q4 (sweep) quadrants to Q2 (ejection) and Q3 (inward interaction) quadrants] was generally observed in the wake of the grass. These differences arose because the porosity of the grass clump (53%) was lower than the porosity of the shrub (69%), and thus bleed flow through the shrub was more significant. The bluff-body behaviour of the grass resulted in a more intense and more extensive sheltering effect than the shrub, which implies that overall sediment transport potential is lower in the wake of the grass. The tree displayed a different wake structure to the grass and shrub, owing to the elevation of its crown. A ‘bottom gap’ effect was observed, whereby wind velocities increased possibly due to streamline compression in the gap between the ground and the underside of the tree crown. Differences in flow momentum between the bottom gap and the low-pressure leeward region of the crown are a probable explanation for the formation of a large recirculation vortex. The bottom gap effect led to decreased sheltering up to three tree heights downwind, but the surface became increasingly protected by the frontal impact of the crown over a further eight tree heights downwind (~30 m). The extraction of momentum from the air by the tree therefore resulted in a far more extensive sheltering effect compared to the grass and shrub. This study represents an important investigation of the impact of different vegetation types on turbulent wind flow, and results can be integrated as parameterizations into spatial sediment transport models that explore landscape-scale change on semi-vegetated desert surfaces

Measurements of windblown dust characteristics and ocean fertilization potential: the ephemeral river valleys of Namibia

Delivery of nutrients to the ocean by mineral aerosol deposition involves complex biogeochemical interactions that include atmospheric processing, dissolution and biotic uptake of available nutrients in the surface waters. Research into the fertilization potential of aeolian dust is currently constrained by a lack of understanding of the nutrient composition and bioavailability in dust source areas. Further, research into hot-spots of dust emission has largely focused on paleo-lacustrine sources and pans, to the detriment of other potential sources such as ephemeral river valleys in desert regions. Here, we investigate the sediment characteristics and nutrient content of windblown and surface sediments of a largely overlooked southern African dust source, Namibia’s ephemeral river valleys. We deployed monitoring equipment in three river valleys to capture deflated sediments and monitor airborne dust concentration and meteorological conditions throughout an annual dust season. Our results show that windblown dust within the river valleys is easily transportable offshore from Namibia over the Benguela Upwelling System, an intensely productive region of the South Atlantic Ocean. We demonstrate that the windblown dust contains iron, phosphorus and nitrogen nutrients, each of which may positively impact primary production rates when deposited in the complex upwelling system. The river valley dust has a significantly higher content of nutrients than either of southern Africa’s major dry lake bed dust sources Etosha and Makgadikgadi Pans. This aeolian work builds on previous source sediment findings proposing the ephemeral river valleys of Namibia as regionally important sources of dust with enhanced ocean fertilisation potential

Measurements of windblown dust characteristics and ocean fertilization potential: the ephemeral river valleys of Namibia

Delivery of nutrients to the ocean by mineral aerosol deposition involves complex biogeochemical interactions that include atmospheric processing, dissolution and biotic uptake of available nutrients in the surface waters. Research into the fertilization potential of aeolian dust is currently constrained by a lack of understanding of the nutrient composition and bioavailability in dust source areas. Further, research into hot-spots of dust emission has largely focused on paleo-lacustrine sources and pans, to the detriment of other potential sources such as ephemeral river valleys in desert regions. Here, we investigate the sediment characteristics and nutrient content of windblown and surface sediments of a largely overlooked southern African dust source, Namibia’s ephemeral river valleys. We deployed monitoring equipment in three river valleys to capture deflated sediments and monitor airborne dust concentration and meteorological conditions throughout an annual dust season. Our results show that windblown dust within the river valleys is easily transportable offshore from Namibia over the Benguela Upwelling System, an intensely productive region of the South Atlantic Ocean. We demonstrate that the windblown dust contains iron, phosphorus and nitrogen nutrients, each of which may positively impact primary production rates when deposited in the complex upwelling system. The river valley dust has a significantly higher content of nutrients than either of southern Africa’s major dry lake bed dust sources Etosha and Makgadikgadi Pans. This aeolian work builds on previous source sediment findings proposing the ephemeral river valleys of Namibia as regionally important sources of dust with enhanced ocean fertilisation potential

A coupled vegetation/sediment transport model for dryland environments

Dryland regions are characterized by patchy vegetation, erodible surfaces, and erosive aeolian processes. Understanding how these constituent factors interact and shape landscape evolution is critical for managing potential environmental and anthropogenic impacts in drylands. However, modeling wind erosion on partially vegetated surfaces is a complex problem that has remained challenging for researchers. We present the new, coupled cellular automaton Vegetation and Sediment TrAnsport (ViSTA) model, which is designed to address fundamental questions about the development of arid and semiarid landscapes in a spatially explicit way. The technical aspects of the ViSTA model are described, including a new method for directly imposing oblique wind and transport directions onto a cell-based domain. Verification tests for the model are reported, including stable state solutions, the impact of drought and fire stress, wake flow dynamics, temporal scaling issues, and the impact of feedbacks between sediment movement and vegetation growth on landscape morphology. The model is then used to simulate an equilibrium nebkha dune field, and the resultant bed forms are shown to have very similar size and spacing characteristics to nebkhas observed in the Skeleton Coast, Namibia. The ViSTA model is a versatile geomorphological tool that could be used to predict threshold-related transitions in a range of dryland ecogeomorphic systems