Mobility of a remobilised parabolic dune in Kennemerland, The Netherlands

A parabolic dune in the Netherlands was remobilised in December 1998 by removing vegetation and soil. The main aim of the experiment was ecological: to investigate whether permanent rejuvenation at the landscape scale is possible by restoration of natural processes. If processes can be reactivated at coarse scale, periodic rejuvenation of the landscape over the long term is possible, without the need for managers to interfere further. The experiment provides the opportunity to address another important question: can large parabolic dunes in the Netherlands be mobile in the present climate? Mobility of the dune is investigated by means of erosion pins, aerial photography and measurement of cross sections. Activity indices are derived from erosion pin recordings and correlated to weather conditions. From 1999 to 2001, displacement of the dune ranged from 0 to 12 m in east–northeasterly direction. Activity of the dune is related to wind conditions, but the relationship is strongly influenced by precipitation and therefore differs for wet and dry periods. Periods with extreme wind speeds resulted in much less geomorphic change than expected.     

Mysterious circles in the Namib Desert: review of hypotheses on their origin

Circular, slightly concave depressions, devoid of vegetation and often surrounded by a fringe of tall grasses occur in a broken belt in the pro-Namib zone of the west coast of southern Africa. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the origin of these so-called fairy circles. The most important of these relate to areas of localized radioactivity; termite activity; or allelopathic compounds released by dead Euphorbia damarana plants. No evidence of increased radioactivity could be detected in soil samples collected from these sites. Although termites occur at these localities no evidence was found to link termite activity directly to the formation of barren patches. Bioassays conducted on soil collected from the centre of the barren patch clearly demonstrated an inhibition of plant growth, while soil collected from the edge of the barren patch had a stimulatory effect on plant growth. No indication of growth inhibition was found in soil collected beneath E. damarana plants. At this stage none of the proposed hypotheses can satisfactorily explain the origin of the fairy circles.     

Sand dune movement in the Victoria Valley, Antarctica

We use vertical aerial photographs and LiDAR topographic survey data to estimate dune migration rates in the Victoria Valley dunefield, Antarctica, between 1961 and 2001. Results confirm that the dunes migrated an average of 1.5 m/year. These values are consistent with other estimates of dune migration from cold climate deserts and are significantly lower than estimates from warm deserts. Dune migration rates are retarded by the presence of entrained ice, soil moisture and a reversing wind regime. Dune absorption, merging and limb extension are apparent from the time-series images and account for significant changes in dune form and the field-scale dune pattern. Dune-field pattern analysis shows an overall increase in dune-field organization with an increase in mean dune spacing and a reduction in total crest length and defect density. These data suggest that dunes in other cold desert environments on Earth, Mars or Titan, that may also have inter-bedded frozen laminae, still have the potential to migrate and organize, albeit at lower rates than dunes in warm deserts.     

Dynamic processes of a simple linear dune—a study in the Taklimakan Sand Sea, China

Samples of dune sands, surveys of the morphology and field measurements of wind velocity and direction of a simple linear dune in Taklimakan Sand Sea show that the airflow and sand flux vary with the change of wind direction on the dune surface. Decrease of the airflow stress on the lee flank does not result in much decrease of the sand flux because of the low threshold shear velocities and the airflow conditions. There are no significant relations between the sand flux on the lee flank and the angle of incidence of the airflow. The low threshold shear velocities and the maintenance of the sand flux at the lee flank are the main mechanisms keeping the linear shape of the dunes. Measurements of the sand flux shows that it reaches a maximum on the crest of the dune. The grain size of the transported sands has some differences compared to that of the dune surface. The sands transported are finer than that on the dune surface, but better sorted under the influence of the medium to low wind activity. The field experiment results exhibit that it is possible for the dunes to be shaped as linear dunes during the processes of accumulation and elongation.     

The dynamic effects of moisture on the entrainment and transport of sand by wind

There is an increasing awareness of the influence of surface moisture on aeolian entrainment and transport of sediment. Existing wind tunnel studies have shown the impact of a limited range of moisture contents on entrainment thresholds but similar investigations are lacking in the field. The research reported here investigated the influence of changes in surface moisture content on sand entrainment and transport on a meso-tidal beach in Anglesey, North Wales.High frequency (1 Hz) wind velocities measured with hot-wire anemometers were combined with grain impact data from a Sensit monitor and mass flux measurements from a standard sand trap. Surface and near-surface moisture contents were assessed gravimetrically from surface sand scrapes and also directly by using a ThetaProbe. Critical threshold values for entrainment were specified using a modified form of the time fraction equivalence method (Stout, J.E., Zobeck, T.M., 1996a. Establishing the threshold condition for soil movement in wind-eroding fields. Proceedings of the International Conference on Air Pollution from Agricultural Operations. MWPS C-3, Kansas City, 7–9 February 1996, pp. 65–71).Results indicate a time-dependent change in dominant control of the sand transport system from moisture to wind speed, dependent upon the moisture content of the surface sediment. This interchange between controlling parameters on both entrainment and transport was very sensitive to prevailing moisture conditions and took place over a period of minutes to hours. Under conditions experienced in the experiments presented here, the critical moisture threshold for sediment entrainment was determined to be between 4% and 6%, higher than the 1–4% specified in previous wind tunnel experiments. Furthermore, a moisture content of nearly 2% (where moisture was adhered to transported sediment) appeared to have little or no impact on the rate of sand flux.     

On the rate of aeolian sand transport

A simple explicit formula for the transport rate of windblown sand is derived based on physical reasoning. The curve relating the dimensionless transport rate to the dimensionless friction speed exhibits the empirically well-established peak. In fact, the theory developed in the paper can explain the peaked shape of this curve. Three empirically determined coefficients in the formula can be given a physical interpretation. The formula is shown to fit transport rates measured in wind-tunnel experiments well, except for very coarse sand. Formulae for the wind profile in the saltation layer and for the grain dislodgement rate in dependence on the friction speed are obtained as part of the theory.     

Recovery rates of microbiotic crusts within a dune ecosystem in the Negev Desert

Despite the important role played by microbiotic crusts in desert ecosystems, data concerning their recovery rates are scarce and are mainly based on estimates that fluctuate between several years to a few hundred years. In order to study the recovery rates of microbiotic crusts inhabiting sand dunes in the western Negev Desert, Israel, annual measurements of chlorophyll, protein, carbohydrates and moss counts were carried out during 1990–1995. Measurements were taken in two pairs of plots (1.5–6.3 m²) established in each north- and south-facing aspect from which the upper 10 cm surface from one plot of each pair was removed. Recovery of the crusts was fast with surface-removed plots showing a complete recovery of chlorophyll a within 6–7 years, of protein within 6–8 years and of carbohydrates within 8–9 years. Recovery of the mosses was slightly longer at 17–22 years. The data are higher than the lower estimates of recovery but much lower than the higher estimates proposed in the literature. The data also suggest that upon prohibition of goat and sheep grazing (and consequently trampling) a relatively rapid stabilization process may take place in the north-eastern Sinai dune field.     

巴丹吉林沙漠高大沙山湿沙层水分特征

湿沙层水分及其运移过程是沙漠地区水循环的重要环节。巴丹吉林沙漠高大沙山湿沙层规模巨大,本文对巴丹吉林沙漠高大沙山湿沙层水分特征进行了初步分析。结果表明：湿沙层水分具有区域相似性特征,含水量多小于3%;吸附水和沙粒空隙间的水汽是湿沙层水分两种主要的类型,沙粒粒级级配影响吸附水水量变化,两种水分在沙山垂直剖面上的运移过程及相互转化可能维持了湿沙层水分的相对平衡状态;沙丘表层形成的“逆温层”以及由此引起的沿沙丘表层向沙丘内部的热量传递,形成与湿沙层水分蒸发相反的空气运动方向,使得湿沙层水分在夏季晴朗的白天受到保护;夏季受温度梯度影响,湿沙层中的水汽和膜状水向沙山底部缓慢运移;冬季受温度梯度和水势的双重影响,沙山底部潜水面附近的水汽和膜状水向上缓慢运移,补给湿沙层;湿沙层水分来源包括大气降水、大气水汽、凝结水及地下水等。     

Challenges of calculating dunefield mobility over the 21st century

Attention has been directed towards both the impacts of future climate change on environmental systems and dunefield activity in the past, but there has been relatively little consideration of potential dune mobility in a future and possibly warmer world. This paper considers the use and limitations of four Global Circulation Models (GCMs) (Hadcm3, Hadcm2, CSIRO-mk2b and CGCM1), in combination with simple dune mobility indices to predict the activity of the Kalahari dunefield. It is clear that uncertainties surround GCM resolution and accuracy, mobility index robustness for the calculation of intra-annual dune mobility and data collection for mobility index calibration. Macro-scale studies that look at large areas of the world over long time scales are well suited to GCM and mobility index use, but dune mobility can be variable within a dunefield, and it is the extreme sand transporting events, occurring at high temporal resolutions, that are the most important for short term studies. To investigate intra-annual changes in dune mobility over a specific dunefield techniques such as downscaling, weather generators and probability curve fitting can help provide climate predictions for smaller areas over shorter time frames. However, these methods introduce uncertainty of their own, and they often rely on the accuracy of original GCM predictions or the climate parameter relationships observed at present. Analysis of intra-annual changes also requires mobility indices that can model monthly mobility patterns well, although existing indices have only been used for calculating annual dune mobility potential. When they are used for intra-annual predictions, the lack of lag response between precipitation decreases and the assumed vegetation dieback leads to an exaggerated amplitude pattern of dune mobility throughout the year. Calibration of dune mobility indices to dune mobility observed on the ground is therefore important but is hampered by a lack of observed measurements for individual months. Solutions are available to overcome some of the outlined problems, but they can provide their own set of uncertainties, which combine to further reduce the confidence given to future dune mobility predictions.     

A parameterisation for the threshold shear velocity to initiate deflation of dry and wet sediment

A new parameterisation for the threshold shear velocity to initiate deflation of dry and wet particles is presented. It is based on the balance of moments acting on particles at the instant of particle motion. The model hence includes a term for the aerodynamic forces, including the drag force, the lift force and the aerodynamic-moment force, and a term for the interparticle forces. The effect of gravitation is incorporated in both terms. Rather than using an implicit function for the effect of the aerodynamic forces as reported earlier in literature, a constant aerodynamic coefficient was introduced. From consideration of the van der Waals force between two particles, it was further shown that the effect of the interparticle cohesion force between two dry particles on the deflation threshold should be inversely proportional to the particle diameter squared. The interparticle force was further extended to include wet bonding forces. The latter were considered as the sum of capillary forces and adhesive forces. A model that expresses the capillary force as a function of particle diameter squared and the inverse of capillary potential was deduced from consideration of the well-known model of Fisher and the Young–Laplace equation. The adhesive force was assumed to be equal to tensile strength, and a function which is proportional to particle diameter squared and the inverse of the potential due to adhesive forces was derived. By combining the capillary-force model and the adhesive force model, the interparticle force due to wet bonding was simplified and written as a function of particle diameter squared and the inverse of matric potential. The latter was loglinearly related to the gravimetric moisture content, a relationship that is valid in the low-moisture content range that is important in the light of deflation of sediment by wind. By introducing a correction to force the relationship to converge to zero moisture content at oven dryness, the matric potential–moisture content relationship contained only one unknown model parameter, viz. moisture content at −1.5 MPa. Working out the model led to a rather simple parameterisation containing only three coefficients. Two parameters were incorporated in the term that applies to dry sediment and were determined by using experimental data as reported by Iversen and White [Sedimentology 29 (1982) 111]. The third parameter for the wet-sediment part of the model was determined from wind-tunnel experiments on prewetted sand and sandy loam aggregates. The model was validated using data from wind-tunnel experiments on the same but dry sediment, and on data obtained from simulations with the model of Chepil [Soil Sci. Soc. Am. Proc. 20 (1956) 288]. The experiments showed that soil aggregates should be treated as individual particles with a density equal to their bulk density. Furthermore, it was shown that the surface had to dry to a moisture content of about 75% of the moisture content at −1.5 MPa before deflation became sustained. The threshold shear velocities simulated with our model were found to be in good agreement with own observations and with simulations using Chepil's model.     

Short-term beach–dune sand budgets on the north sea coast of France: Sand supply from shoreface to dunes, and the role of wind and fetch

Three experimental plots, covering the transition from the upper beach to the dune, on the North Sea coast of France were monitored at various intervals over a period of 18–24 months via high resolution terrain surveys in order to determine inter-site sand budget variability, as well as patterns and processes involved in sand exchanges between the upper beach and dune. The wind regime consists of a fairly balanced mix of moderate (80% of winds are below 8 m/s) onshore, offshore and shore-parallel winds. Sustained dune accretion over several years depends on the periodic local onshore welding of shoreface tidal banks that have developed in the storm- and tide-dominated setting of the southern North Sea. The only site where this has occurred in the recent past is Calais, where bank welding has created a wide accreting upper beach sand flat. At this site, significant sand supply from the subtidal sand bank reservoir to the upper beach flat occurred only once over the 18-month survey following a major storm. The bulk of the sand deposited over this large flat is not directly integrated into the adjacent embryo dunes by onshore winds but is progressively reworked in situ into developing dunes or transported alongshore by the balanced wind regime, thus resulting in alongshore stretching of the embryo dune system. The Leffrinckoucke site near Belgium shows moderate beach–dune mobility and accretion, while the Wissant site exhibits significant upper beach bedform mobility controlled by strong longshore currents that result in large beach budget fluctuations with little net budget change, to the detriment of the adjacent dunes. Accretion at these two sites, which are representative of the rest of the North Sea coast of France, is presently constrained by the absence of a shore-attached sand bank supply reservoir, while upper beach–dune sand exchanges are further limited by the narrow wave-affected upper beach, the intertidal morphology of bars and troughs which segments the aeolian fetch, and the moderate wind energy conditions. The balanced wind regime limits net sand mobilisation in favour of either the beach or the dune, and may explain the relatively narrow longshore morphology of the dune ridges bounding this coast.     

巴丹吉林沙漠及其高大沙山研究评述

亚洲内陆干旱化是国际古环境研究的热点问题.巴丹吉林沙漠是亚洲内陆第二大流动沙漠,拥有世界最高大的风积地貌——沙山,是亚洲内陆干旱化研究的重要载体.沙山的形成演化与其所在沙漠的环境变迁有关,且真实地记录了区域与全球的气候变化.沙山形成过程研究应从区域地质和环境演化入手.本文从地质演化、环境演化、沙漠沉积、沙漠水文、沙山地...     

巴丹吉林沙漠高大沙山沉积物地球化学元素组成及其环境意义

地球化学元素不仅反映地球表层沉积物的组成特征,并在分析物源、沉积过程及重建古环境等方面有积极意义。通过野外采样、室内实验,对巴丹吉林沙漠伊和吉格德湖、巴丹湖高大沙山区沉积物地球化学特征进行了分析。结果表明：沙山沉积物元素组成特征和含量略有区域差异;与上部陆壳平均化学组成（UCC）相比,常量元素中仅Si富集,其余均亏损;趋向迎风坡上部剖面,Si、K富集程度相对增加,其他常量元素（除Na）亏损程度增加。常量元素间的关系表明SiO₂影响沙山沉积物的地球化学组成及性质;迎风坡底部剖面沉积物呈现出多源性特征,可能是不同外力作用的结果。两湖区沙山的沙源属局部范围混合的结果,就近供应;干旱气候下沙山沉积物缺少较高等化学风化产生的条件,基本处在大陆风化早期阶段的初期。     

巴丹吉林沙漠高大沙山沉积物粒度特征及其与植被、地貌关系

沙丘形成演变是风-沉积物-其他地理因子相互反馈作用的一个动态系统过程,粒度可以揭示其中包含的部分环境信息并被广泛应用于风沙地貌研究。本文分析了巴丹吉林沙漠伊和吉格德湖高大沙山区沉积物粒度特征及其与植被、地貌形态的关系。结果表明:迎风坡中上部及中部剖面各层沉积物主粒径均一,分别为中沙、细沙;迎风坡中下部及底部剖面细沙、中沙及粗沙等不同主粒径层交替,粒配复杂,其成因与粗沙粒保护作用、风向季节变化及地质时期气候变迁等因素有关;背风坡表层沉积物以细沙为主,趋向底部粗沙、中沙及极细砂增多,说明不同粒径对风及重力作用的响应存在差异;粒度参数散点图可以区分不同部位样品,趋向迎风坡底部剖面,沙粒分选性变差,正偏、负偏及近对称沙层交替,说明风力分选作用在不同部位差异明显及存在其他外力作用;沙层粒配影响植被多样性,迎风坡中上部中沙含量高,背风坡表层中部偏上极细沙及大于2.65 Φ细沙含量突然增加,是植被影响粒配的反映;迎风坡沉积环境的差异,说明随地质时期气候变迁,沙山形成可能经历了两个重要阶段,一是早期风力和水动力交替影响、具有风成与非风成环境交替特征的基底形成时期,二是以风力作用为主的现代沙山形成时期。     

Particle size and sorting characteristics of sand in transport on the stoss slope of a small reversing dune

Studies of the particle size and sorting characteristics of sand on the stoss slope of a 6-m high reversing dune show that the sand in transport is generally finer and better sorted than surface sand at the same position on the slope. The sand in transport becomes coarser and more poorly sorted as wind speed and rates of mass transport increase toward the dune crest. These patterns reflect changes in the competence of the wind, which is capable of transporting larger grains and a wider range of grain sizes as its speed increases in space and time. Our field observations suggest that the particle size and sorting characteristics of surface sand are highly dependent on antecedent wind conditions and are not an invariant property of the dune, as is widely assumed. The wide range of particle sizes on the surface, as well as its change through time, also has important implications for modeling sediment transport on dunes. Transport thresholds may vary by as much as 30% on the stoss slope of the study dune.     

乌兰布和沙漠西南部风况对穹状沙丘形成的影响

风是塑造沙丘形态的主要动力,目前对穹状沙丘的形成动力学过程尚不清楚.为探讨风况对穹状沙丘形成和演化的影响,以乌兰布和沙漠西南部穹状沙丘为例,利用吉兰泰气象站风速风向数据和Google Earth影像测量沙丘形态参数,分析风况对穹状沙丘形成的影响.结果表明:(1)乌兰布和沙漠西南部主风向为西北风,次风向为西南风和东北风,...     

Micromycetes from the Saline Arubotaim Cave: Mount Sedom, The Dead Sea Southwestern Shore, Israel

We examined the soil microfungal community of the saline Arubotaim Cave, Israel. A total of 68 species from 28 genera were isolated. The most prominent features of the cave mycobiota were: the prevailing number of melanin-containing micromycetes; the abundant presence of the Aspergillus species; a comparatively large share of sexual ascomycetes; and the spatial and temporal variation of the mycobiota composition. Nine species were considered as a characteristic micromycete core for the cave. Many of the micromycetes isolated are distributed worldwide. This confirms the conclusion of many mycologists working in areas with saline and arid soils that there is no specific halophilous mycobiota characteristic for these soils.     

Mineralogical maturity in dunefields of North America, Africa and Australia

Studies of dunefields in central and western North America show that mineralogical maturity can provide new insights into the origin and evolution of aeolian sand bodies. Many of the world's great sand seas in Africa, Asia and Australia are quartz-dominated and thus can be considered to be mineralogically mature. The Algodones (California) and Parker (Arizona) dunes in the southwestern United States are also mature, but have inherited a high degree of mineralogical maturity from quartz-rich sedimentary rocks drained by the Colorado River. In Libya, sediments of the Zallaf sand sea, which are almost pure quartz, may have originated in a similar fashion. The Fort Morgan (Colorado) and Casper (Wyoming) dunefields in the central Great Plains of North America, and the Namib sand sea of southern Africa have an intermediate degree of mineralogical maturity because their sources are large rivers that drained both unweathered plutonic and metamorphic rocks and mature sedimentary rocks. Mojave Desert dunefields in the southwestern United States are quite immature because they are in basins adjacent to plutonic rocks that were their sources. Other dunefields in the Great Plains of North America (those in Nebraska and Texas) are more mature than any possible source sediments and therefore reflect mineralogical evolution over time. Such changes in composition can occur because of either of two opposing long-term states of the dunefield. In one state, dunes are stable for long periods of time and chemical weathering depletes feldspars and other weatherable minerals in the sediment body. In the other state, which is most likely for the Great Plains, abrasion and ballistic impacts deplete the carbonate minerals and feldspars because the dunes are active for longer periods than they are stable.     

柴达木盆地察尔汗盐湖北侧沙丘黏性沉积物特征

柴达木盆地察尔汗盐湖周边黏性沉积物被认为是单风向风况条件下线形沙丘和新月形沙丘两类沙丘共存的主要原因。为进一步探究察尔汗盐湖周边沙丘黏性沉积物特征,实地调查采集并测量了察尔汗盐湖北侧新月形沙丘/线形沙丘和丘间地沉积物的粒度特征、盐分含量和纵剖面水分含量变化,以期为明确黏性沉积物对沙丘地貌形成演化影响的研究提供参考。结果表明:丘间地沉积物平均粒径最大约为2.39Φ,新月形沙丘沉积物(2.41Φ)略粗于线形沙丘(2.54Φ)。沉积物以细沙为主(84%),中沙和极细沙含量都很少,丘间地中沙含量略高(18%)。区内沉积物都表现出极好的分选性,线形沙丘沉积物略优于新月形沙丘;丘间地沉积物的可溶性盐含量最高平均约为6.88%,线形沙丘(平均2.78%)明显高于新月形沙丘(平均0.80%);丘间地沉积物水分含量最高,在30cm深垂直范围内约为1.93%。新月形沙丘沉积物水分含量(平均0.12%)在1m深垂直范围内明显低于线形沙丘(平均0.55%)。除黏性沉积物(盐、粉沙和黏土)外,沉积物水分含量的空间差异也是引起沙丘形态发生变化的重要环境要素。     

Temporal patterns of arid-humid transitions in the south-eastern Arabian Peninsula based on optical dating

The Rub Al Khali aeolian system of the Arabian Peninsula is the world's largest erg. While the region is presently hyper-arid, evidence for multiple past humid periods has been documented in previous studies. Radiocarbon dating of lacustrine, travertine and palaeogroundwater deposits suggests that the climate was humid at 10–6 and 35–25 ka. These phases have been associated with summer rainfall increases occurring in tandem with an intensification and northward migration of the monsoon system during Northern hemisphere precessional maxima. Published optical dating studies have focused on preserved sand dune and aeolianite deposits to establish ages for the intervening arid phases. Here we present a summary of this work and additional optical dating results for samples of aeolian sediment from a deep drill core, which provides insights into the style of barchan dune accretion in the Liwa region of the United Arab Emirates. The large dune accreted rapidly during the mid-late Holocene. The results suggest that the transitions from humid to arid conditions and resulting accumulation of aeolian sediment in the form of large bedforms occurred abruptly at around 6 ka. Further aeolian sedimentation has not been constant since that time, with initial gradual dune growth followed by rapid vertical accretion, and possible termination of accumulation around c. 2 ka.