Characteristics of particle size for creeping and saltating sand grains in aeolian transport

Creep and saltation are the primary modes of surface transport involved in the fluid‐like movement of aeolian sands. Although numerous studies have focused on saltation, few studies have focused on creep, primarily because of the experimental difficulty and the limited amount of theoretical information available on this process. Grain size and its distribution characteristics are key controls on the modes of sand movement and their transport masses. Based on a series of wind tunnel experiments, this paper presents new data regarding the saltation flux, obtained using a flat sampler, and on the creeping mass, obtained using a specifically designed bed trap, associated with four friction velocities (0·41, 0·47, 0·55 and 0·61 m sec^?1). These data yielded information regarding creeping and saltating sand grains and their particle size characteristics at various heights, which led to the following conclusions: (i) the creeping masses increased as a power function (q = ?1·02 + 14·19u_*³) of friction wind velocities, with a correlation (R²) of 0·95; (ii) the flux of aeolian sand flow decreases exponentially with increasing height (q = a exp(–z/b)) and increases as a power function (q = ?26·30 + 428·40 u_*³) of the friction wind velocity; (iii) the particle size of creeping sand grains is ca 1·15 times of the mean diameter of salting sand grains at a height of 0 to 2 cm, which is 1·14 times of the mean diameter of sand grains in a bed; and (iv) the mean diameter of saltating sand grains decreases rapidly with increasing height whereas, while at a given height, the mean diameter of saltating sand grains is positively correlated with the friction wind velocity. Although these results require additional experimental validation, they provide new information for modelling of aeolian sand transport processes.     

Influence of the saffman force,lift force,and electric force on sand grain transport in a wind–sand flow

Quasi-horizontal trajectories of salting sand grains were found using high-speed video-recording in the desertified territory of the Astrakhan region. The sizes and displacement velocities of the saltating sand grains were determined. A piecewise logarithmic approximation of the wind profile in a quasi-stationary wind–sand flow is suggested, which is consistent with the data of observations and modeling. It was established that, in the regime of stationary saltation, the wind profile in the lower saltation layer of the wind–sand flow depends only slightly on the wind profile variations in the upper saltation layer. The vertical profiles of the horizontal wind component gradient in a quasi-stationary wind–sand flow were calculated and plotted. It was shown using high-speed video recording of the trajectory of a sand grain with an approximate diameter of 95 μm that the weightlessness condition in the desertified territory of the Astrakhan region in a stationary wind–sand flow is satisfied at a height of approximately 0.15 mm. The electric parameters of a wind–sand flow, which can provide for compensation of the force of gravity by the electric force, were estimated. In particular, if the specific charge of a sand grain is 100 μC/kg, the force of gravity applied to the sand grain can be compensated by the electric force if the vertical component of the electric field in a wind–sand flow reaches approximately 100 kV/m. It was shown that the quasi-horizontal transport of sand grains in the lower millimeter saltation layer observed in the desertified territory can be explained by the joint action of the aerodynamic drag, the force of gravity, the Saffman force, the lift force, and the electric force.     

Estimation of some aeolian saltation transport parameters: a re-analysis of Williams' data

A new method for analysing observed aeolian sand transport rate profiles of the kind obtained by Williams is presented. The method involves a mathematical model of aeolian saltation. Detailed information about the saltation process can be calculated from the transport rate profile by means of this model. The method is used to perform a re-analysis of Williams' trap data. Among the main findings of this analysis is that the grain borne shear stress appears to be a smaller fraction of the total shear stress than assumed by Bagnold & Owen in their theories of aeolian saltation. Other findings are that the probability distribution of the jump height of the grains does not depend much on the wind speed once the saltation is established, and that the vertical component of the mean launch velocity decreases with the grain size. It is approximately inversely proportional to the grain diameter. Our estimates of the landing angles indicate that estimates of the impact angles obtained from photographically recorded trajectories are too small due to biased sampling. The influence of grain shape on the transport characteristics is mainly due to changes in the grains' ability to jump when hitting the bed. It is found that angular grains have a lower mean jump height than spherical grains.     

An experimental study of multiple grain-size ejecta produced by collisions of saltating grains with a flat bed

Collision data are presented from coloured high-speed films of three size fractions of sand grains saltating over a bed of the total grain population. Each fraction was colour tagged and the proportion of each size ejected by grains colliding with the surface was recorded on a number of films taken as the bed was progressively eroded. The results confirm earlier findings that V₃/V₁?0.5–0.6, V_n/V₁?.08 and the rebound angle increases with decreasing grain size. Ejected grains are examined in relation to their size, the impactor size, ejection speed and angle and the number of ejecta per collision. In addition, changes in grain parameters are observed with time. For fine impactors, ejection speeds generally increase with a decrease in ejecta size, but the fine fraction does not follow this trend for the coarse and medium impactors. Ejection angles are typically between 40° and 60°, with coarse grains having shallower mean angles than fine ejecta. The number of ejections per collision increases with a decrease in particle size for each impactor size. The general tendency for coarse particles to be ejected at lower speeds and shallower angles than fine particles will lead to sorting of the grain sizes. There is poor correlation between the forward momentum loss of the saltating grams at collision and both the forward momentum of the ejected grains and the number of ejected grains. Much of the forward momentum of the saltating grains is transfered to creeping grains. The composition and geometry of the bed are considered to be important factors in the evolution of the saltation cloud.     

Successive aeolian saltation: studies of idealized collisions

As observed by Bagnold and experimentally reconfirmed by other workers, the impact angles of saltating grains are remarkably constant over a wide range of conditions, lying between 10° and 16°. It can be shown that successive saltation contains a mechanism which very effectively confines impact angles to that range. This control mechanism is most effective at windspeeds less than about 15–30 m s^-1, depending on grain diameter and mass. The control mechanism is evaluated from model calculations of grain populations saltating over a level bed consisting of a layer of loose grains. The grains are assumed to be spherical and uniform in size and mass, also rigid and perfectly elastic. The model also describes distributions of maximum height of grain paths and of lift-off-angles. Compared to other processes involved in aeolian saltation, successive saltation is the only process with a high probability of transferring energy from horizontal into vertical grain movement. This fact, together with the calculations presented, strongly suggests that successive saltation plays a major role in saltation in air. Successive saltation of uniform grains is theoretically impossible if the ground over which saltation occurs is tilted by about 15° against wind direction. Values of tilt angles in this range are observed in nature as stoss-side angles of dunes and ripples, leading to the concept that stoss-sides are tilted up by deposition until successive saltation is subdued.     

Steady state saltation in air

Coupled equations of motion for steady state saltation over an infinite plane are derived and solved for a simplified model of the grain-surface impact process. Experimentally observed features of the wind velocity profile in saltation are qualitatively reproduced, including a diminution of the sub-saltation layer mean wind speed, as the friction speed increases. In this model the surface impact velocity of the saltating grains remains relatively constant over a wide range of free-stream shear stresses, and the grain mass flux increases with friction speed u_f* less rapidly than u_f³.     

Characterizing the height profile of the flux of wind-eroded sediment

Wind erosion causes severe environmental problems, such as aeolian desertification and dust storms, in arid and semiarid regions. Reliable prediction of the height profile of the wind-eroded sediment flux is crucial for estimation of transport rates, verification of computer models, understanding of particle-modified wind flows, and control of drifting sand. This study defined the basic height profile for the flux of wind-eroded sediment and the coefficients that characterize its equation. Nine grain-size populations of natural sand at different wind velocities were tested in a wind tunnel to measure the flux of sediment at different heights. The resulting flux profiles resemble a golf club with a small back-turn where the flux increases with increasing height within 20 mm above the surface. If the small back-turns are neglected, the flux profiles can be expressed by an exponential-decay function where q _r(z) is the dimensionless relative flux of sediment at height z, which follows the exponential-decay law proposed by previous researchers for aeolian saltation. Three coefficients (a creep proportion, a relative decay rate, and an average saltation height) are proposed to characterize the height profile. Coefficients a and b in the above equation represent the creep proportion and relative decay rate as a function of height, respectively. Coefficient a varies widely, depending on grain size and wind velocity, but averages 0.09. It is suggested that the grain size and wind velocity must be specified when discussing creep proportion. Coefficients a and b are nearly linearly correlated and decrease as grain size and wind velocity increase. The average saltation height (the average height sediment particles can reach) was a function of grain size and wind velocity, and was well correlated with coefficients a and b.     

The emission and vertical flux of particulate matter <10 μm from a disturbed clay-crusted surface

Arid and semi‐arid environments are important sources for the atmospheric loading of PM₁₀ (particulate matter <10 μm), although the emission of this material is often limited by surface crusts. This study investigates the emission and vertical flux of PM₁₀ from a clay‐crusted playa, with and without saltating grains to abrade the surface. Using a portable field wind tunnel, it was found that, despite disturbance to the surface, the emission of PM₁₀ decays rapidly without abrasion. Only in the presence of saltating grains was PM₁₀ continuously liberated from the surface, such that the emission rate (the total amount of PM₁₀ emitted from the surface expressed as a horizontal flux) varied linearly with the saltation transport rate. Although the emission of PM₁₀ was found to depend on saltation abrasion, past studies have tended to focus on the relationship between the vertical flux of PM₁₀ (the amount of PM₁₀ being transported vertically through the boundary layer) and the shear velocity. In this study, the vertical flux of PM₁₀ was found to vary with the shear velocity to the power of 2·14. Although the vertical PM₁₀ flux is a proportion of the emission rate (the horizontal flux), no statistically significant relationship was observed between the emission rate and the shear velocity. The disparity of these results is explained by the lack of a consistent relationship between the shear velocity and the saltation transport rate in this supply‐limited environment. This suggests that the observed relationship between the vertical PM₁₀ flux and the shear velocity is a spurious correlation, resulting from the use of shear velocity to calculate the vertical dust flux. It is thus concluded that shear velocity is not an appropriate variable for emission modelling in supply‐limited environments and that improvements in dust emission modelling will only be realized if the abrasion process is the focus of a concerted research effort.     

Field measurement and numerical modelling of aeolian mass flux distributions on a sandy beach

ABSTRACT The vertical and horizontal distributions of aeolian mass flux were measured at Oceano Dunes, California, and these data were used to evaluate a numerical model of saltation. Grain‐size analyses showed that the distributions of the modal sediment size class corresponded closely to those of the total sediment population, and modelling thus focused on replicating the distributions of the mean grain size. Although much previous work has assumed that the mean launch speed of saltating particles varies in proportion to shear velocity, simulations using a constant mean launch speed were found to yield the closest approximations to the mass flux distributions observed in the field. Both exponential and gamma distributions of launch velocity produced realistic simulations, although the latter approach required the inclusion of an additional reptation component to achieve good results. A range of mean launch angles and an equivalent sphere correction were also found to generate comparable results, providing the other input parameters could be varied freely. All the modelling approaches overestimated the proportion of mass flux occurring at the bottom of the vertical distributions, and underestimated the proportion occurring at the upwind end of the horizontal distributions. No theoretical shortcoming that would account for these small, but systematic, discrepancies could be identified, and experimental error thus represents a more plausible explanation. The conclusion that mean grain launch speeds are essentially constant and independent of shear velocity suggests that the additional kinetic energy extracted by grains under more energetic wind conditions is largely transferred to the bed, and that increases in the transport rate are therefore driven primarily by the ejection of additional grains. It is suggested that the kinetic energy of rebounding grains is constrained by the ability of the bed to resist deformation, equivalent to a plastic limit. Hence, grains of larger mass (diameter) rebound from the bed at lower speeds, and follow shorter, lower trajectories, as has been widely observed previously.     

The effects of atmospheric stability intensity on the movement of windblown sand

Using a model that couples wind flow with the motion of sand particles under different atmospheric stability intensities, this paper studied the effects of atmospheric stability on the trajectory and velocity of sand particles in the saltation layer, and the duration before a steady state was achieved. The vertical velocity, horizontal distance, and the maximum height of saltating sand particles increased with increasingly negative stability intensity under unstable conditions. The wind–sand flow reached equilibrium more quickly with increasingly negative stability intensity under unstable conditions, but reached equilibrium more slowly with increasing stability intensity under stable conditions.     

Development of deflation lag surfaces

A series of wind tunnel tests were carried out to investigate the development of deflation lags in relation to the non-erodible roughness element concentration. Glass spheres (18 mm in diameter) were placed along the complete length of the wind tunnel working section in regular staggered arrays using three different spacings (d=18, 30 and 60 mm) and completely covered with a 0.27-mm erodible sand. A pre-selected free stream velocity above threshold (8m s^?1) was established above the surface and the sediment transport measured at 2-s intervals using a wedge-shaped trap in which an electronic balance is incorporated. Throughout each test, the emerging lag surface was periodically photographed from above at two locations upwind of the trap. The photographs were electronically scanned and analysed to calculate the lag element coverage and location, as well as mean height and frontal area for each time period. Test results indicate that lag development has a profound effect on both the sediment flux and wind profile characteristics. Initially, there is an increase in sediment flux above that for a rippled sand bed because of increased erosion around and reduced kinetic energy loss in highly elastic collisions with the emerging roughness elements. With further emergence, a dynamic threshold is reached whereupon the sediment flux decreases rapidly, tending towards zero. At this point, the supply of grains to the air stream through fluid drag follows a reduction in aerodynamic roughness and, therefore, surface shearing stress. At least as important is the lesser potential for grain ejection at impact because of reduced momentum imparted from the air stream during saltation. Although recent shear stress partitioning models indicate when particle movement may commence on varying surfaces, our experimental results demonstrate that this partitioning has a further direct bearing upon the saltation flux ratio.     

Wind tunnel experiments on vertical distribution of wind-blown sand flux and change of the quantity of sand erosion and deposition above gravel beds under different sand supplies

Wind tunnel experiments were carried out with respect to the vertical distributions of wind-blown sand flux and the processes of aeolian erosion and deposition under different wind velocities and sand supplies above beds with different gravel coverage. Preliminary results revealed that the vertical distribution of wind-blown sand flux was a way to determine whether the gobi sand stream was the saturated one or not. It had different significances to indicate characteristics of transport and deposition above gobi beds. Whether bed processes are of aeolian erosion or deposition was determined by the sand stream near the surface, especially within 0–6 cm height, while the sand transport was mainly influenced by the sand stream in the saltating layer above the height of 6 cm. The degree of the abundance of sand supply was one of the important factors to determine the saturation level of sand stream, which influenced the characteristic of aeolian erosion and deposition on gravel beds. Given the similar wind condition, the sand transport rates controlled by the saturated flow were between 2 and 8 times of the unsaturated one. Those bed processes controlled by the saturated flow were mainly of deposition, and the amount of sand accumulation increased largely as the wind speed increased. In contrast, the bed processes controlled by the unsaturated flow were mainly of aeolian erosion. Meanwhile, there was an obvious blocking sand ability within the height of 0–2 cm, and the maximal value of sand transport occurred within the surface of 2–5 cm height.     

Air density effects on aeolian sand movement: Implications for sediment transport and sand control in regions with extreme altitudes or temperatures

Aeolian sand transport results from interactions between the ground surface and airflow. Previous research has focused on the effects on sand entrainment and mass transport of surface features and wind velocity, but the influence of air density, which strongly constrains airflow characteristics and the resulting sand flow, has not been widely considered. In the present study, entrainment, saltation characteristics and transport rates were examined at nine experimental sites ranging in elevation from ?154 m below sea‐level (Aiding Lake) to 5076 m above sea‐level (Tanggula Mountain pass on the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau). At each site, a portable wind tunnel and high‐speed camera system were set up, and the friction wind velocity, threshold friction velocity and sand flow structure were observed systematically. For a given volumetric airflow, lower air density increases the wind velocity. Low air density also creates a high threshold friction velocity. The Bagnold wind erosion threshold model remains valid, but the value of empirical parameter A decreased with decreasing air density and ranged from 0·10 to 0·07, the smallest values reported in the literature. For a given wind velocity, increased altitude reduced total sand transport and creeping, but the saltation rate and saltation height increased. The present results provide insights into the fundamental mechanisms of the initiation and transport of sand by wind in regions with an extreme temperature or altitude (for example, alpine deserts and low‐lying lake basins) or on other planets, including Mars. These results also provide theoretical support for improved sand‐control engineering measures. The data and empirical equations provided in this paper improve the ability to estimate threshold and transport conditions for wind‐blown sand.     

Thresholds of aeolian sand transport: establishing suitable values

This paper assesses the practical use and applicability of the time fraction equivalence method (TFEM; Stout & Zobeck, 1996) of calculating a wind speed threshold for sand grain entrainment in field situations. A modification of the original method is used and is applied to 1 Hz measurements of wind speed and sand transport on a beach surface. Calculated grain entrainment thresholds are tested in terms of the percentage of sand transport events that they explain. It was found that the calculated thresholds offered a poor representation of the occurrence of saltation activity, explaining only about 50% of the measured transport events. Results are discussed in terms of system response time, wind speed measurement height, undetected events and sampling period. A shear velocity threshold for grain entrainment was also calculated, but this also failed to explain a high proportion of the sand transport events. The best results (67–91% of transport events explained) were found by calculating a threshold based on time‐averaged (≈ 40 s) wind velocity measurements. The applicability of a single threshold to a natural grain population is discussed. A natural surface is likely to possess a range of thresholds varying over short time scales in response to parameters such as grain rearrangement and changes in moisture conditions. The results show that calculated thresholds based on 40 s time‐averaged data consistently explain a high proportion of the recorded sand transport events. This is because such a time‐averaged approach accounts for higher frequency variability inherent in the sand transport system.     

Variability in bedform morphology and kinematics with transport stage

Bedform geometry is widely recognized to be a function of transport stage. Bedform aspect ratio (height/length) increases with transport stage, reaches a maximum, then decreases as bedforms washout to a plane bed. Bedform migration rates are also linked to bedform geometry, in so far as smaller bedforms in coarser sediment tend to migrate faster than larger bedforms in finer sediment. However, how bedform morphology (height, length and shape) and kinematics (translation and deformation) change with transport stage and suspension have not been examined. A series of experiments is presented where initial flow depth and grain size were held constant and the transport stage was varied to produce bedload dominated, mixed‐load dominated and suspended‐load dominated conditions. The results show that the commonly observed pattern in bedform aspect ratio occurs because bedform height increases then decreases with transport stage, against a continuously increasing bedform length. Bedform size variability increased with transport stage, leading to less uniform bedform fields at higher transport stage. Total translation‐related and deformation‐related sediment fluxes all increased with transport stage. However, the relative contribution to the total flux changed. At the bedload dominated stage, translation‐related and deformation‐related flux contributed equally to the total flux. As the transport stage increased, the fraction of the total load contributed by translation increased and the fraction contributed by deformation declined because the bedforms got bigger and moved faster. At the suspended‐load dominated transport stage, the deformation flux increased and the translation flux decreased as a fraction of the total load, approaching one and zero, respectively, as bedforms washed out to a plane bed.     

Sand transport model of barchan dune equilibrium

Erosion and deposition over a barchan dune near the Salton Sea, California, is modelled by book-keeping the quantity of sand in saltation following streamlines of transport. Field observations of near-surface wind velocity and direction plus supplemental measurements of the velocity distribution over a scale model of the dune are combined as input to Bagnold-type sand-transport formulae corrected for slope effects. A unidirectional wind is assumed. The resulting patterns of erosion and deposition compare closely with those observed in the field and those predicted by the assumption of equilibrium (downwind translation of the dune without change in size or geometry). Discrepancies between the simulated results and the observed or predicted erosional patterns appear to be largely due to natural fluctuation in the wind direction. Although the model includes a provision for a lag in response of the transport rate to downwind changes in applied shear stress, the best results are obtained when no delay is assumed. The shape of barchan dunes is a function of grain size, velocity, degree of saturation of the oncoming flow, and the variability in the direction of the oncoming wind. Smaller grain size or higher wind speed produce a steeper and more blunt stoss-side. Low saturation of the inter-dune sandflow produces open crescent-moon-shaped dunes, whereas high saturation produces a whaleback form with a small slip face. Dunes subject to winds of variable direction are blunter than those under unidirectional winds. The size of barchans could be proportional to natural atmospheric scales, to the age of the dune, or to the upwind roughness. The upwind roughness can be controlled by fixed elements or by the sand is saltation. In the latter case, dune scale may be proportional to wind velocity and inversely proportional to grain size. However, because the effective velocity for transport increases with grain size, dune scale may increase with grain size as observed by Wilson (1972).     

The initiation of particle movement by wind

When air blows across the surface of dry, loose sand, a critical shear velocity (fluid threshold, ut), must be achieved to initiate motion. However, since most natural sediments consist of a range of grain sizes, fluid threshold for any sediment cannot be defined by a finite value but should be viewed as a threshold range which is a function of the size, shape, sorting and packing of the surface sediment. In order to investigate the initiation of particle movement by wind a series of wind-tunnel tests was carried out on a range of pre-screened fluvial sands and commercially available glass beads with differing mean sizes and sorting characteristics. A sensitive laser-monitoring system was used in conjunction with a high speed counter to detect initial grain motion and to count individual grain movements. Test results indicate that when velocity is slowly increased over the sediment surface the smaller or more exposed grains are first entrained by the fluid drag and lift forces either in surface creep (rolling) or in saltation (bouncing or hopping downwind). As velocity continues to rise, larger or less exposed grains may also be moved by fluid drag. On striking the surface saltating grains impart momentum to stationary grains. This impact may result in the rebound of the original grain as well as the ejection of one or more stationary grains into the air stream at shear velocities lower than that required to entrain a stationary particle by direct fluid pressure. As a result, there is a cascade effect with a few grains of varying size initially moving over a range of shear velocities (the fluid threshold range) and setting in motion a rapidly increasing number of grains. Results of the tests showed that the progression from fluid to dynamic threshold, based on grain movement, can be characterized by a power function, the coefficients of which are directly related to the mean size and sorting characteristics of the sediment.     

Particle size characteristics of aeolian ripple crests and troughs

Ripples are prevalent in aeolian landscapes. Many researchers have focused on the shape and formation of sand ripples, but few have studied the differences in the particle size of sand on crests and in troughs along bed, especially the variations caused by changes in friction velocity and the wind‐blowing duration. A particle size of 158 μm (d ) was used to create aeolian ripples in a wind tunnel under four friction velocities (u *) with different wind duration times (t ). Samples were collected from the surfaces of ripple crests and troughs, respectively, at seven sites, and particle sizes were measured using a Malvern Mastersizer 2000. The main results were: (i) The particle size distributions of sand in troughs are unimodal with slight variations of particle size parameters, including mean particle size, standard deviation, skewness and kurtosis, etc., under different conditions, while these particle size parameters of sand on crests change with friction velocity and deflation time. Moreover, some of the particle distribution curves for the sand on crests do not follow typical unimodal curves. (ii) With increasing friction velocity or deflation duration, the sand on the crests shows a coarsening process relative to those on the bed surface. The particle size of sand on crests at a 1 m bed increases linearly with friction velocity (d  =  344·27 + 34·54 u *) at a given wind‐blowing duration. The particle sizes of sand on crests at 1 m, 2 m and 4 m beds increase with a power‐law relationship (d  = a + t ^b, where a and b are fitting parameters) with deflation time at a given friction velocity. (iii) The probability cumulative curves of sand showed a three‐section pattern in troughs and on most of the crests but a four‐section pattern at crest locations due to increased influence by friction velocity and deflation time. The proportions of the sediment moved by suspension, saltation and creep in the three‐section pattern were within the ranges of 0·2% to 2·0%, 97·0% to 98·9%, and 0·8% to 3·0%, respectively. For the four‐section pattern, suspension accounted for 0·3% and 3·0%, and the proportion of creep increased with friction velocity and deflation time, while saltation decreased accordingly. Although these results require additional validation, they help to advance current understanding of the grain‐size characteristics of aeolian ripples.     

The effect of wind speed and bed slope on sand transport

This paper reports on a wind tunnel study of the effects of bed slope and wind speed on aeolian mass transport. The use of a sloping wind tunnel has enabled estimation of the friction angle α to be about 40° for saltating particles in the range 170–540 μm. A formula relating dimensionless mass transport to friction speed and bed slope is proposed, and mass transport data for five uniform sand samples and one non-uniform sand sample are shown to fit the equation well. In particular, the relationship reveals an overshoot in mass transport slightly above threshold collisions, a feature also evident when previous experimental data is re-examined. As the number of mid-air collisions between the saltating particles increases greatly with wind speed, the overshoot may occur as a result of increasing energy losses resulting from the collisions. Finally, it is demonstrated that data for saltating snow shows a similar overshoot in the dimensionless transport rate.     

A wind tunnel study of the parameters for aeolian sand transport above a wetted sand surface using sands from a tropical humid coastal region of southern China

In this study, wind tunnel tests were performed to determine the relationships between sediment transport, the surface moisture content, and wind velocity using beach sands from a tropical humid coastal area of China. The variation in the properties of the creep proportion, relative decay rate as a function of height, and average saltation height in the flux profile were determined. Sand transport was measured using a standard vertical sand trap. The creep proportion (i.e., the proportion of the particles that move along the surface rather than undergoing saltation) and relative decay rate decreased and more particles were ejected to higher positions as moisture content and wind velocity increased. The creep proportion ranged between 0.12 and 0.33, and averaged 0.22. The creep proportion and relative decay rate decreased abruptly at moisture contents between 0.587 and 1.448%; the latter value was close to 1.591%, the moisture content at a matric potential of ?1.5 MPa. This moisture content limit may indicate a change in the form of soil water from adsorbed films on particle surfaces to capillary forces created by inter-particle water bridges. The surface moisture content therefore appears to decisively determine the degree of the restraint on particle entrainment by the wind. The average heights, below which 25, 50, 75, and 90% of sand transport occurred, increased with increasing moisture content (except at 0.231% moisture content) and wind velocity. The mean saltation height at various wind velocities increased linearly with increasing moisture content.