Study on Sand-Accumulation Changes of Highway and Formation Mechanism of Sand Damage in Drifting Dunes Areas

Booming Sand Dunes

Booming” sand dunes have a remarkable capacity to produce sounds that are comparable with those from a stringed instrument. This phenomenon, in which sound is generated after an avalanching of sand along the slip face of a dune, has been known for centuries and occurs in at least 40 sites around the world. A spectral analysis of the sound shows a dominant frequency between 70 and 110 Hz, as wel...

Hazards Analysis of Displacement of Sand Dunes in Sistan Plain

In Sistan plain, conditions for wind erosion and, consequently, sand spreads are provided. Due to the settlements in the wind erosion centers of this area, the necessity of determining the origin of sands, the analysis of the hazards caused by the displacement of sand dunes and factors creating these hazards are the goals of this study. It is a descriptive-analytical study based on both field a...

Great Sand Dunes

Endemic species are those that exist at only one location or area on Earth. They tend to be more numerous in habitats that are distinctly different from the surrounding areas. The Great Sand Dunes harbor at least seven endemic species of insects. Many of the insects here are ‘sand obligates’, meaning that they are adapted uniquely for sandy habitats. Currently, just over 1,000 different kinds o...

Sand Dunes on Mars and on Earth

Minimal model for sand dunes.

We propose a minimal model for aeolian sand dunes. It combines an analytical description of the turbulent wind velocity field above the dune with a continuum saltation model that allows for saturation transients in the sand flux. The model provides a qualitative understanding of important features of real dunes, such as their longitudinal shape and aspect ratio, the formation of a slip face, th...