Morphogenesis of star dunes

Statistics – Computation

Scientific paper

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[0515] Computational Geophysics / Cellular Automata

Scientific paper

Dunes constantly adapt their shapes in response to the flow. Under multi-modal wind orientation, this permanent reorganization may result in the formation of star dunes, a highly complex structure with multiple arms, crests and slip faces oriented in different directions. Here, we show that this majestic dune feature can be described as a superposition of longitudinal dunes. In a 3D cellular automaton for sediment transport, star dunes form by amalgamation or by nucleation and growth of secondary longitudinal dunes. When the dune shape reaches a steady state, individual arms continue to propagate and detach from the main structure to feed other dunes in the neighborhood. From the sedimentary structures produced by the model we show that arm elongation is strongly dependent on the frequency at which the wind oscillates. This demonstrates that the elongation/propagation of dunes is a highly non-linear process that should account for crest reorientation over different time scales. We conclude that such a behavior needs to be taken into account when estimating climatic conditions from sedimentary structures on Earth or satellite images on other planetary bodies.

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