Robust classification for the joint velocity‐intermittency structure of turbulent flow over fixed and mobile bedforms

Two datasets of turbulence velocities collected over different bedform types under contrasting experimental conditions show similarity in terms of velocity‐intermittency characteristics and suggest a universality to the velocity‐intermittency structure for flow over bedforms. One dataset was obtained by sampling flow over static bedforms in different locations, and the other was based on a static position but mobile bedforms. A flow classification based on the velocity‐intermittency behaviour is shown to reveal some differences from that based on an analysis of Reynolds stresses, boundary layer correlation and turbulent kinetic energy. This may be attributed to the intermittency variable, which captures the local effect of individual turbulent flow structures. Locations in the wake region or the outer layer of the flow are both shown to have a velocity‐intermittency behaviour that departs from that for idealized wakes or outer layer flow because of the superposition of localized flow structures generated by bedforms. The combined effect of this yields a velocity‐intermittency structure unique to bedform flow. The use of a time series of a single velocity component highlights the potential power of our approach for field, numerical and laboratory studies. The further validation of the velocity‐intermittency method for non‐idealized flows undertaken here suggests that this technique can be used for flow classification purposes in geomorphology, hydraulics, meteorology and environmental fluid mechanics. © 2014 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Structure of flow over alluvial bedforms: an experiment on linking field and laboratory methods

This paper presents results of a field study designed to examine the structure of flow over mobile and fixed bedforms in a natural stream and to compare the results with findings of previous laboratory studies within the framework of double time–space averaging approach. Measurements of turbulence were obtained in a small river in Illinois, USA, over a fine spatial grid of sampling points above a mobile sandy bedform and its artificially moulded replica. Flow structure over the artificial bedform is similar to that observed in laboratory studies, but is markedly different from the flow structure over natural bedforms. These differences are most pronounced in the roughness sublayer, whereas flow in the logarithmic layer over natural and artificial sand waves is fairly similar and exhibits spatial uniformity. The double time–space averaged distributions of turbulence statistics conform to the multilayer model of flow structure over bedforms. Mean velocity distributions indicate neither classical flow recirculation nor substantial reduction of velocities in the lee of bedform crests. However, vertical patterns of turbulence statistics over depth suggest that stacked wakes similar to those observed in laboratory studies exist above the bedforms. Thus, despite the absence of flow separation, wake development seems to be induced by the systematic influence of upstream bedforms on the vertical structure of turbulence. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Early‐stage aeolian protodunes: Bedform development and sand transport dynamics

Early‐stage aeolian bedforms, or protodunes, are elemental in the continuum of dune development and act as essential precursors to mature dunes. Despite this, we know very little about the processes and feedback mechanisms that shape these nascent bedforms. Whilst theory and conceptual models have offered some explanation for protodune existence and development, until now, we have lacked the technical capability to measure such small bedforms in aeolian settings. Here, we employ terrestrial laser scanning to measure morphological change at the high frequency and spatial resolution required to gain new insights into protodune behaviour. On a 0.06 m high protodune, we observe vertical growth of the crest by 0.005 m in two hours. Our direct measurements of sand transport on the protodune account for such growth, with a reduction in time‐averaged sediment flux of 18% observed over the crestal region. Detailed measurements of form also establish key points of morphological change on the protodune. The position on the stoss slope where erosion switches to deposition is found at a point 0.07 m upwind of the crest. This finding supports recent models that explain vertical dune growth through an upwind shift of this switching point. Observations also show characteristic changes in the asymmetric cross‐section of the protodune. Flow‐form feedbacks result in a steepening of the lee slope and a decline in lower stoss slope steepness (by 3°), constituting a reshaping of protodune form towards more mature dune morphology. The approaches and findings applied here, (a) demonstrate an ability to quantify processes at requisite spatial and temporal scales for monitoring early‐stage dune evolution, (b) highlight the crucial role of form‐flow feedbacks in enabling early‐stage bedform growth, alluding to a fluctuation in feedbacks that require better representation in dune models, and (c) provide a new stimulus for advancing understanding of aeolian bedforms. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A field study of mean and turbulent flow characteristics upwind,over and downwind of barchan dunes

Field‐measured patterns of mean velocity and turbulent airflow are reported for isolated barchan dunes. Turbulence was sampled using a high frequency sonic anemometer, deriving near‐surface Reynolds shear and normal stresses. Measurements upwind of and over a crest‐brink separated barchan indicated that shear stress was sustained despite a velocity reduction at the dune toe. The mapped streamline angles and enhanced turbulent intensities suggest the effects of positive streamline curvature are responsible for this maintenance of shear stress. This field evidence supports an existing model for dune morphodynamics based on wind tunnel turbulence measurements. Downwind, the effect of different dune profiles on flow re‐attachment and recovery was apparent. With transverse incident flow, a re‐attachment length between 2·3 and 5·0h (h is dune brink height) existed for a crest‐brink separated dune and 6·5 to 8·6h for a crest‐brink coincident dune. The lee side shear layer produced elevated turbulent stresses immediately downwind of both dunes, and a decrease in turbulence with distance characterized flow recovery. Recovery of mean velocity for the crest‐brink separated dune occurred over a distance 6·5h shorter than the crest‐brink coincident form. As the application of sonic anemometers in aeolian geomorphology is relatively new, there is debate concerning the suitability of processing their data in relation to dune surface and streamline angle. This paper demonstrates the effect on Reynolds stresses of mathematically correcting data to the local streamline over varying dune slope. Where the streamline angle was closely related to the surface (windward slope), time‐averaged shear stress agreed best with previous wind tunnel findings when data were rotated along streamlines. In the close lee, however, the angle of downwardly projected (separated) flow was not aligned with the flat ground surface. Here, shear stress appeared to be underestimated by streamline correction, and corrected shear stress values were less than half of those uncorrected. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dune deformation in a multi‐directional wind regime: White Sands Dune Field,New Mexico

As with most dune fields, the White Sands Dune Field in New Mexico forms in a wind regime that is not unimodal. In this study, crescentic dune shape change (deformation) with migration at White Sands was explored in a time series of five LiDAR‐derived digital elevation models (DEMs) and compared to a record of wind direction and speed during the same period. For the study period of June 2007 to June 2010, 244 sand‐transporting wind events occurred and define a dominant wind mode from the SW and lesser modes from the NNW and SSE. Based upon difference maps and tracing of dune brinklines, overall dune behavior consists of crest‐normal migration to the NE, but also along‐crest migration of dune sinuosity and stoss superimposed dunes to the SE. The SW winds are transverse to dune orientations and cause most forward migration. The NNW winds cause along‐crest migration of dune sinuosity and stoss bedforms, as well as SE migration of NE‐trending dune terminations. The SSE winds cause ephemeral dune deformation, especially crestal slipface reversals. The dunes deform with migration because of differences in dune‐segment size, and differences in the lee‐face deposition rate as a function of the incidence angle between the wind direction and the local brinkline orientation. Each wind event deforms dune shape, this new shape then serves as the boundary condition for the next wind event. Shared incidence‐angle control on dune deformation and lee‐face stratification types allows for an idealized model for White Sands dunes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sand settling through bedform-generated turbulence in rivers

Fluvial bedforms generate a turbulent wake that can impact suspended-sediment settling in the passing flow. This impact has implications for local suspended-sediment transport, bedform stability, and channel evolution; however, it is typically not well-considered in geomorphologic models. Our study uses a three-dimensional OpenFOAM hydrodynamic and particle-tracking model to investigate how turbulence generated from bedforms and the channel bed influences medium sand-sized particle settling, in terms of the distribution of suspended particles within the flow field and particle-settling velocities. The model resolved the effect of an engineered bedform, which altered the flow field in a manner similar to a natural dune. The modelling scenarios alternated bed morphology and the simulation of turbulence, using detached eddy simulation (DES), to differentiate the influence of bedform-generated turbulence relative to that of turbulence generated from the channel bed. The bedform generated a turbulent wake that was composed of eddies with significant anisotropic properties. The eddies and, to a lesser degree, turbulence arising from velocity shear at the bed substantially reduced settling velocities relative to the settling velocities predicted in the absence of turbulence. The eddies tended to advect sediment particles in their primary direction, diffuse particles throughout the flow column, and reduced settling likely due to production of a positively skewed vertical-velocity fluctuation distribution. Study results suggest that the bedform wake has a significant impact on particle-settling behaviour (up to a 50% reduction in settling velocity) at a scale capable of modulating local suspended transport rates and bedform dynamics. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Secondary flow deflection in the lee of transverse dunes with implications for dune morphodynamics and migration

Measurements of lee‐side airflow response from an extensive array of meteorological instruments combined with smoke and flow streamer visualization is used to examine the development and morphodynamic significance of the lee‐side separation vortex over closely spaced transverse dune ridges. A differential deflection mechanism is presented that explains the three‐dimensional pattern of lee‐side airflow structure for a variety of incident flow angles. These flow patterns produce reversed, along‐dune, and deflected surface flow vectors in the lee that are inferred to result in net ‘lateral diversion’ of sand transport over one dune wavelength for incident angles as small as 10° from crest‐transverse (i.e. 80° from the crest line). This lateral displacement increases markedly with incident flow angle when expressed as the absolute value of the total deflection in degrees. Reversed and multi‐directional flow occurs for incident angles between 90° and 50°. These results document the three‐dimensional nature of flow and sand transport over transverse dunes and provide empirical evidence for an oblique migration model. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Suspended sediment transport and deposition over a dune: Río Paraná, Argentina

Field data from the Rio Paraná, Argentina, are used to examine patterns of suspended sediment transport over a sand dune. Measurements of three‐dimensional velocity are made with an acoustic Doppler current profiler whilst suspended sediment concentration and particle size have been quantified using a laser in situ sediment scattering transmissometer. Suspended sediment concentration and streamwise and vertical sediment flux are highest close to the bed, with an upward vertical flux over the stoss side of the dune and downward flux over the lee side. Suspended sediment concentrations are higher over the crest compared with the trough and suspended sediment is coarsest near the bed. About 17% of the suspended‐load transported over the crest is deposited in the lee side before it reaches the trough. Most of this deposited sand is coarser sediment that originates close to the bed over the crest, a result consistent with simulations based on the model of Mohrig and Smith (Water Resources Research 1996; 32: 3207–3217) for the excursion lengths of sediment dispersed in the lee side of a dune. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modeling river dune development and dune transition to upper stage plane bed

Large asymmetric bedforms known as dunes commonly dominate the bed of sand rivers. Due to the turbulence generation over their stoss and lee sides, dunes are of central importance in predicting hydraulic roughness and water levels. During floods in steep alluvial rivers, dunes are observed to grow rapidly as flow strength increases, undergoing an unstable transition regime, after which they are washed out in what is called upper stage plane bed. This transition of dunes to upper stage plane bed is associated with high transport of bed sediment in suspension and large decrease in bedform roughness. In the present study, we aim to improve the prediction of dune development and dune transition to upper stage plane bed by introducing the transport of suspended sediment in an existing dune evolution model. In addition, flume experiments are carried out to investigate dune development under bed load and suspended load dominated transport regimes, and to get insight in the time scales related to the transition of dunes to upper stage plane bed. Simulations with the extended model including the transport of suspended sediment show significant improvement in the prediction of equilibrium dune parameters (e.g. dune height, dune length, dune steepness, dune migration rate, dune lee side slope) both under bed load dominant and suspended load dominant transport regimes. The chosen modeling approach also allows us to model the transition of dunes to upper stage plane bed which was not possible with the original dune evolution model. The extended model predicts change in the dune shapes as was observed in the flume experiments with decreasing dune heights and dune lee slopes. Furthermore, the time scale of dune transition to upper stage plane bed was quite well predicted by the extended model. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

How do bedform patterns arise? New views on the role of bedform interactions within a set of boundary conditions

One explanation for bedform patterns is self‐organization in which the pattern emerges because of interactions among the bedforms themselves. Models, remote images, field studies and lab experiments have identified bedform interactions that involve whole bedforms, only bedform defects, or that are remote interactions between bedforms. It is proposed that bedform interactions form a spectrum from constructive to regenerative in pattern development. Constructive interactions, including merging, lateral linking, cannibalization, and remote transfer of sediment, push the system toward fewer, larger, more widely spaced bedforms. Regenerative interactions, including bedform splitting, defect creation and calving, push the system back toward a more initial state. Other interactions, including off‐center collision, defect migration, and bedform and defect repulsion, cause pattern change, but may not be strongly constructive or regenerative. Although bedform interactions are ubiquitous to any field of bedforms, their dynamics, flow‐field modification, and impact upon measurable pattern parameters are yet poorly understood. Most bedform interactions span bedform types and fluids, supporting the hypothesis that pattern emerges from dynamics at the bedform level in a hierarchy that includes lower levels of bedform‐flow and grain–fluid interactions. Bedform interactions alone, however, cannot account for the rich diversity of bedform patterns in nature. It is proposed that field diversity arises because of boundary conditions, which are the environmental variables within which a field evolves. Conceptually, boundary conditions modify the shape of the attractor toward which a field evolves, possibly by altering the type and frequency of bedform interactions. Boundary conditions are broadly similar within system types, but are unique for each bedform field so that no two are ever exactly alike. Although aeolian and fluvial systems share some types of boundary conditions, flow depth is a unique boundary condition in shallow fluvial systems. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Migration and internal architecture of marine dunes in the eastern English Channel over 14 and 56 year intervals: the influence of tides and decennial storms

Submarine dune dynamics are controlled by tidal currents and wind forces. According to the relative influence of these forces and the nature of dune sediment, different bedform behaviors can be observed. The footprint of the different hydrodynamic agents is recorded into the internal architecture of dunes. This paper is concerned with bedforms that compose the thick sediment wedge located in the eastern English Channel, off the Bay of Somme. This sedimentary archive constitutes an interesting feature to achieve a better understanding of seabed sediment dynamics and its timeline building stages. The dynamics of large submarine dunes, which are organized in fields, are studied thanks to bathymetric and seismic data over the periods 1937–1993 and 1993–2007. Dune morphology presents low lee and stoss side slopes (on average 8° and 3°, respectively) and dune migration rate is not very high. Dune movements are in the direction of residual tidal currents, i.e. toward the east, with mean migration rates around 0·8 to 5 ± 0·25 m yr^?1 and up to 6·6 ± 0·7 m yr^?1, respectively, at multi‐decennial and decennial time scales. The dune internal architecture is complex with superimposed eastward prograding units, displaying locally opposite progradation. Second‐order discontinuities (dip of 0·5°–4° perpendicular to dune crests) constitute dune master bedding. By counting the number of second‐order reflectors between 1937–1993 and 1993–2007, the formation periodicity of these bounding surfaces is estimated to range from 4 to 18 years. These time intervals coincide with the long‐term tidal cyclicities and also with the inter‐annual to decennial variability of storm activity in northern Europe. Two theories were made to interpret the dune internal structures: the second‐order surfaces are interpreted either as the depositional surfaces corresponding to the marks of weak energy periods (weak tidal and storm action), or as erosive surfaces due to an opposite direction of dune migration provoked temporarily by exceptional storms from the northeast. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Morphology of riffle–pool sequences in the River Severn,England

Despite the occurrence of riffle–pool sequences in many rivers there are few data concerning riffle–pool unit morphology. Of many criteria proposed to identify riffle–pool units, only three methods can be regarded as objective and robust. These are the ‘zero‐crossing’, the ‘spectral analysis’ and the ‘control‐point’ methods. In this paper statistics are developed using the first two of these methods to describe the streamwise morphology of 275 riffles and 285 pools which form a continuous 32·1 km reach of the bed of the River Severn in Shropshire, England. Yalin's theoretical relationship between the average riffle:pool unit length ( λ _p) and channel width ( W ), λ _p = 3 W , applies to the River Severn. Reach‐average riffle height ( H ) is a constant proportion of bankfull depth ( h ); typically H ≅ 0·16 h . Riffle height is a positive function of riffle length. Pool depth is a positive function of pool length. However, both riffle length and pool length increase more rapidly than the bed‐level amplitude, such that long riffles or pools are relatively ‘flat’. As channel gradient reduces, bedforms flatten and become more asymmetric as riffle stoss sides and the proximal slope of pools lengthen at the expense of riffle lee sides and pool distal slopes. The statistical relationships between riffle steepness (H/L) and water depth are similar to those for equilibrium subaqueous dunes. The Severn data are consistent with Yalin's theoretical analysis relating riffle bedform length (L _r) to water depth, i.e. L _r = α2π h, wherein α ≅ 1 for steep near‐equilibrium bedforms but α ≅ 2 to 3 as the relative depth decreases and riffles become long, low features. Theoretical consideration and turbulence data indicate that the frequency of coherent turbulent‐flow structures associated with the riffle–pool mixing length in the Severn should be of the order of 50 to 100 s. The morphological similarity of the steepest River Severn riffles with dunes raises intriguing questions with respect to self‐similar, convergent organization of periodic alluvial bedforms and to bedform dynamic classification particularly. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A method for semi‐automated objective quantification of linear bedforms from multi‐scale digital elevation models

The increasing availability of large, detailed digital representations of the Earth's surface demands the application of objective and quantitative analyses. Given recent advances in the understanding of the mechanisms of formation of linear bedform features from a range of environments, objective measurement of their wavelength, orientation, crest and trough positions, height and asymmetry is highly desirable. These parameters are also of use when determining observation‐based parameters for use in many applications such as numerical modelling, surface classification and sediment transport pathway analysis. Here, we (i) adapt and extend extant techniques to provide a suite of semi‐automatic tools which calculate crest orientation, wavelength, height, asymmetry direction and asymmetry ratios of bedforms, and then (ii) undertake sensitivity tests on synthetic data, increasingly complex seabeds and a very large‐scale (39 000 km²) aeolian dune system. The automated results are compared with traditional, manually derived, measurements at each stage. This new approach successfully analyses different types of topographic data (from aeolian and marine environments) from a range of sources, with tens of millions of data points being processed in a semi‐automated and objective manner within minutes rather than hours or days. The results from these analyses show there is significant variability in all measurable parameters in what might otherwise be considered uniform bedform fields. For example, the dunes of the Rub' al Khali on the Arabian peninsula are shown to exhibit deviations in dimensions from global trends. Morphological and dune asymmetry analysis of the Rub' al Khali suggests parts of the sand sea may be adjusting to a changed wind regime from that during their formation 100 to 10 ka BP. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development of bedforms due to waves blocked by a counter current

Experiments are conducted in a laboratory flume on the propagation of a surface wave against unidirectional flow with a sediment bed. This article presents the spatial variation of bedforms induced by the wave-blocking phenomenon by a suitably tuned uniform fluid flow and a counter-propagating wave. The occurrence of wave-blocking is confirmed by finding a critical wave frequency in a particular flow discharge in which the waves are effectively blocked and is established using the linear dispersion relation. The purpose of this work is to identify wave-blocking and its influence on the development of bedforms over the sediment bed. Interestingly bedform signatures are observed at a transition of bedforms in three zones, with asymmetric ripples having a steeper slope downstream face induced by the incoming current, followed by flat sand bars beneath the wave-blocking zone and more symmetric ripples below the wave-dominated region at the downstream. This phenomenon suggests that the sediment bed is segmented into three different regions of bed geometry along the flow. The deviations of mean flows, Reynolds stresses, turbulent kinetic energy, and power spectral density due to the wave-blocking phenomenon are presented along the non-uniform flow over sediment bed. The bottom shear stress, bed roughness and stochastic nature of the bedform features are also discussed. The results are of relevance to engineers and geoscientists concerned with contemporary process as well as those interested in the interpretation of palaeoenvironmental conditions from fossil bedforms. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Secondary airflow and sediment transport in the lee of a reversing dune

Lee-side windspeed and sediment transport were measured over a small (1·2 m) transverse ridge in the Silver Peak dunefield, west-central Nevada, USA, using an intensive array of 25 cup anemometers and seven total flux traps. During crest-transverse and transporting flow conditions (u_0·3crest ≈ 8·4 m s⁻¹), windspeed near the surface of the lee slope averaged half (48 per cent) that of crest speeds. Dimensionless speeds in the separation zone ranged from 0·2 to 0·8 that of the outer flow (u₁₂). Along the boundary of the separation cell, windspeed increased by 10 per cent of the crest speed before separation. Equilibrium of upper and lower wake regions was not observed by the documented eight dune heights, suggesting that wake recovery may not occur over closely spaced dunes. Sediment transport measured directly on both the lee slope and interdune surfaces averaged approximately 15 per cent of crest inputs. This suggests that a significant amount (c. 70–95 per cent) of sediment transported over the crest moved as fallout. For this data set, flux was approximately proportional to the cube of the near-surface windspeed (u_0·3) and in general there was an order of magnitude difference between flux measured at the crest and that measured within the separation zone. Transport direction in the separation zone was acutely oblique to the incident direction owing to secondary flow deflection. Beyond the interdune, transport direction progressed from oblique to crest-transverse. This indicates that an appreciable amount of sediment may move laterally along the lee slope and interdune corridor under crest-transverse flows. Regarding the grain size and sorting properties of transported sediment, there was no significant difference in mean grain size over the dune, although in general particles were finer and more poorly sorted in the lee. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of surface roughness of dune bedforms on flow and turbulence characteristics

The current paper investigates the flow and turbulence characteristics over dune bedforms by means of laboratory experiments, where spatially dense and temporally high frequency velocity measurements were done. Although similar studies are available in the literature, the focus and novelty of the current study is to assess the influence of surface roughness of the dune bedforms on the nearbed flow. For direct comparison, two different surface roughness heights over idealized, fixed-shaped, high-angled dune bedforms were tested; one with a hydraulically-smooth surface, and the other with a fully-rough surface. Spatial variation of time-averaged flow as well as turbulence statistics were examined, which was complemented by streamline plots and spectral analyses. The results are interpreted from sediment entrainment and sediment transport points of view. The results show that increased dune surface roughness reduces the nearbed flow velocity, but increases the flow velocities at upper regions. The upward directed flow near the dune crests becomes stronger in the case of smooth surface, while the re-attachment point moves further downstream compared to the rough wall case. It is concluded that the roughness of the dune surface affects the nearbed flow and turbulence characteristics qualitatively and quantitatively, which is shown to have direct consequences on sediment entrainment characteristics.     

Turbulence fields in the lee of two‐dimensional transverse dunes simulated in a wind tunnel

The turbulence field of airflow in the lee of a dune has significant impacts on dune dynamics and related processes. We used particle image velocimetry in a wind tunnel simulation to obtain detailed velocity measurements in the lee of two‐dimensional transverse dune models, then used the results to analyse their turbulence fields. The dune models used in this study had a single lee angle of 30°, and a total of six stoss angles: 3°, 5°, 10°, 15°, 20° and 25°. We used vorticity, turbulence intensity, Reynolds stress and turbulent kinetic energy to characterize the turbulence fields. These parameters were functions of stoss angle, wind velocity, distance from the dune crest and height above the ground surface. The stoss angles could generally be divided into two groups based on the profiles of mean velocity, turbulence and Reynolds stress. Stoss angles of 3° and 5° usually had similar profiles, and angles of 15°, 20° and 25° formed a second group with similar profiles. The profiles for the stoss angle of 10° were usually transitional and were intermediate between the two groups. Vorticity, Reynolds stress and turbulent kinetic energy increased monotonically with increasing free‐stream wind velocity, but their variations with respect to the stoss angle were complex. The stoss angles of 15° and 20° had the maximum values of these three parameters, thus these angles may have special significance in dune development given the characteristics of the mean velocity fields and turbulence fields they produce within the lee airflow. It is the streamwise velocity component and its turbulence that determine the surface shear stress. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.     

Simulation and measurement of surface shear stress over isolated and closely spaced transverse dunes in a wind tunnel

Topographic interactions generate multidirectional and unsteady air?ow that limits the application of velocity pro?le approaches for estimating sediment transport over dunes. Results are presented from a series of wind tunnel simulations using Irwin‐type surface‐mounted pressure sensors to measure shear stress variability directly at the surface over both isolated and closely spaced sharp‐crested model dunes. Findings complement existing theories on secondary air?ow effects on stoss transport dynamics and provide new information on the in?uence of lee‐side air?ow patterns on dune morphodynamics. For all speeds investigated, turbulent unsteadiness at the dune toe indicates a greater, more variable surface shear, despite a signi?cant drop in time‐averaged measurements of streamwise shear stress at this location. This effect is believed suf?cient to inhibit sediment deposition at the toe and may be responsible for documented intermittency in sand transport in the toe region. On the stoss slope, streamline compression and ?ow acceleration cause an increase in ?ow steadiness and shear stress to a maximum at the crest that is double that at the toe of the isolated dune and 60–70 per cent greater than at ?ow reattachment on the lower stoss of closely spaced dunes. Streamwise ?ow accelerations, rather than turbulence, have greater in?uence on stress generation on the stoss and this effect increases with stoss slope distance and with incident wind speed. Reversed ?ow within the separation cell generates signi?cant surface shear (30–40 per cent of maximum values) for both spacings. This supports ?eld studies that suggest reversed ?ow is competent enough to return sediment to the dune directly or in a de?ected direction. High variability in shear at reattachment indicates impact of a turbulent shear layer that, despite low values of time‐averaged streamwise stress in this region, would inhibit sediment accumulation. Downwind of reattachment, shear stress and ?ow steadiness increase within 6 h (h = dune height) of reattachment and approach upwind values by 25 h. A distance of at least 30 h is suggested for full boundary layer recovery, which is comparable to ?uvial estimates. The Irwin sensor used in this study provides a reliable means to measure skin friction force responsible for sand transport and its robust, simple, and cost‐effective design shows promise for validating these ?ndings in natural dune settings. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.