We present measurements of wind velocity and sand flux performed on the windward side of a large barchan dune in Jericoacoara, northeastern Brazil. From the measured profile, we calculate the air shear stress using an analytical approximation and treat the problem of flow separation by an heuristic model. We find that the results from this approach agree well with our field data. Moreover, usin...

Horqin Sandy Land is located in northeast China (4241’-4515’N, 11835’-12330’E). The wind-sand topography in Horqin Sandy Land can be described as two series--sand deposition and wind erosion. Wind is the natural force for the formation of wind-sandy environment, under windsandy environment, the wind erosion processes such as sand drifting, dust-storm, etc. occurred frequently because of the fre...

We present a model for dune formation that takes saturation transients in the saltation layer into account. We show that these transients introduce a characteristic length scale that is crucial for dune formation and the macroscopic shape of dunes, albeit determined by intrinsic properties of the saltation kinetics. Finally, we demonstrate that our model can explain the scale dependence of the ...

Beach–dune system morphodynamics is probably one of the most classical coastal engineering problems. While topic has been studied extensively and literature plentiful considerable research contributions, from authors’ knowledge subject still challenging for environmental sciences. As a part Special Issue entitled “Beach–dune morphodynamics” this Journal, present paper reviews traditional issues...

In the past couple of years, new coastal-dune research has sprung up in the Netherlands. In this paper, we give an overview of ongoing projects at Wageningen UR, Deltares, TU Delft and UTwente: how these are connected and what type of questions are addressed. There is an increasing demand for the understanding and prediction of coastal dune dynamics, both on the short (year) and long (100 years...