A two-dimensional model for the dynamics of sand patches
- 1Physique et Mécanique des Milieux Hétérogènes, ESPCI Paris, Paris, France (camille.rambert@espci.fr)
- 2Institut de physique du Globe de Paris, Université de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France (narteau@ipgp.fr )
- 3School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK (j.nield@soton.ac.uk)
- 4School of Geography and the Environment, Univeristy of Oxford, Oxford, UK (giles.wiggs@bnc.ox.ac.uk)
- 5Energy and Environment Institute, University of Hull, Hull, UK (P.M.Delorme@hull.ac.uk)
- 6Geography and Environment, Loughborough University of Technology, Loughborough, UK (m.c.baddock@lboro.ac.uk)
- 7Physique et Mécanique des Milieux Hétérogènes, CNRS, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, Paris, France (claudin@pmmh.espci.fr)
Sand patches are one of the early stages of aeolian bedforms. They form on
non-erodible surfaces in both desert and coastal environments. Their initiation is associated with the
change of saltation transport law on rigid and granular beds [1]. Here we
present a two-dimensional model that couples these surface-dependent
transport laws with the feedback of the bed elevation on the wind flow.
Analysing the spatio-temporal evolution of an initial very flat sand
patch, we emphasise the central role of the input flux as well as the
lengthscale over which occurs the transition between the two transport
laws. We also show that, for adjusted parameters of the model, we are able
to reproduce the growth and the propagation of these small metre-scale
bedforms over time, in quantitative comparison with field measurements.
[1] P. Delorme, J.M. Nield, G.F.S. Wiggs, M.C. Baddock, N.R. Bristow, J.
Best, K.T. Christensen and P. Claudin, Field evidence for the initiation
of isolated aeolian sand patches, Geophys. Res. Lett. 50 , e2022GL101553
(2023).
How to cite: Rambert, C., Narteau, C., Nield, J., Wiggs, G., Delorme, P., Baddock, M., and Claudin, P.: A two-dimensional model for the dynamics of sand patches, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-16020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-16020, 2024.
