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FIELD STUDIES OF SAND PATCH INITIATION PROCESSES ON THE NORTHERN MARGIN OF THE NAMIB SAND SEA
Author(s) -
LANCASTER NICHOLAS
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
earth surface processes and landforms
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.294
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1096-9837
pISSN - 0197-9337
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9837(199610)21:10<947::aid-esp634>3.0.co;2-7
Subject(s) - geology , geomorphology , beach morphodynamics , sand dune stabilization , biological dispersal , sediment transport , aeolian processes , sediment , population , demography , sociology
Field studies of protodunes (sand patches) on the northern margin of the Namib Sand Sea suggest that they are initiated in a zone of spatially and temporally fluctuating winds on the distal plinth of one of the south–north linear dunes and migrate northward across granule to gravel substrates. The sand patches disperse as surface roughness increases in the net migration distance. Dispersal of the sand patches is also constrained by sand supply. These studies suggest the importance of interactions between surface and aerodynamic roughness, transport thresholds, and sand supply in the initiation of dunes.