CAREER: Interpreting dune-field evolution from aeolian bedform patterns

University Of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

Dune fields cover more than 2.3 million square miles on Earth. Blowing sand and migrating dunes disrupt agriculture and transport, causing economic and logistical problems for local populations. The behavior of individual dunes is well-studied, but understanding and predicting how whole dune-fields migrate remains a complex and unsolved problem. In this work, the research team will study the large-scale patterns that arise in dune fields, and then use those patterns to develop a numerical model of dune migration. Measurements from three dune fields in the southwestern United States and dune fields created experimentally in a wind tunnel will inform the development of the numerical model. This strategy has been successfully applied in other systems, and will improve scientists’ ability to predict and mitigate dune encroachment near populated areas. As part of this work, the team will also develop a library of virtual field trips that can be experienced using commercial virtual reality headsets. These publicly available virtual field trips will leverage improvements in virtual technology to enhance the quality and accessibility of geoscience education. This project is co-funded by the Geomorphology and Land-use Dynamics and the EAR Education and Human Resources Programs. To study dune field migration through the lens of dune patterns, this research will take advantage of the strengths of field, modeling, experimental, and remote sensing methods. The three dune fields will be monitored using high-frequency measurements collected by meteorological stations and precise spatial measurements of dune position. Wind tunnel experiments will also be conducted to test how dune patterns can be influenced in controlled experimental settings. Measurements from both dunes in nature and wind tunnel experiments will be integrated into an open-source model of dune-field development to set the timescales and length scales in the simulation. The virtual field trips developed to improve geoscience education will be captured using 360 degree stereo video cameras. Overall this work will answer fundamental questions about dunes and improve geoscience education. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.