@article{838e0fb3118e4e26ab5110425cfa4e6f,
title = "Field Evidence for the Initiation of Isolated Aeolian Sand Patches",
abstract = "Sand patches are one of the precursors to early stage protodunes and occur widely in both desert and coastal aeolian environments. Here we show field evidence of a mechanism to explain the initiation of sand patches on non-erodible surfaces, such as desert gravels and moist beaches. Changes in sand transport dynamics, directly associated with the height of the saltation layer and variable transport law, observed at the boundary between non-erodible and erodible surfaces lead to sand deposition on the erodible surface. This explains how sand patches can form on surfaces with limited sand availability where linear stability of dune theory does not apply. This new mechanism is supported by field observations that evidence both the change in transport rate over different surfaces and in situ patch formation that leads to modification of transport dynamics at the surface boundary.",
author = "P. Delorme and Nield, \{J. M.\} and Wiggs, \{G. F.S.\} and Baddock, \{M. C.\} and Bristow, \{N. R.\} and Best, \{J. L.\} and Christensen, \{K. T.\} and P. Claudin",
note = "This work was funded by the TOAD (The Origin of Aeolian Dunes) project (funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, UK and National Science Foundation, USA; NE/R010196NSFGEO-NERC, NSF-GEO-1829541, and NSF-GEO-1829513). Research was undertaken at GSD under a Scientific Research and Collection permit GRSA-2018-SCI-004, and we are very grateful for support from A. Valdez and F. Bunch. For the Huab fieldwork, we acknowledge Gobabeb Namib Research Institute, J. Kazeurua, I. Matheus, L. Uahengo, MET and NCRST (permits 1913/2014; 2051/2015; 2168/2016, RPIV00022018). Data processing used the IRIDIS Southampton Computing Facility. J. M. Nield was supported by a Department of Geology and Geophysics, Texas AM University, Michel T Halbouty Visiting Chair during the GSD field campaign. We thank B. Andreotti, C. Gadal, C. Narteau and TOAD project partners for useful discussions. We also thank Patrick Hesp and an anonymous reviewer for their careful reading of our manuscript and their insightful comments and suggestions. This work was funded by the TOAD (The Origin of Aeolian Dunes) project (funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, UK and National Science Foundation, USA; NE/R010196NSFGEO‐NERC, NSF‐GEO‐1829541, and NSF‐GEO‐1829513). Research was undertaken at GSD under a Scientific Research and Collection permit GRSA‐2018‐SCI‐004, and we are very grateful for support from A. Valdez and F. Bunch. For the Huab fieldwork, we acknowledge Gobabeb Namib Research Institute, J. Kazeurua, I. Matheus, L. Uahengo, MET and NCRST (permits 1913/2014; 2051/2015; 2168/2016, RPIV00022018). Data processing used the IRIDIS Southampton Computing Facility. J. M. Nield was supported by a Department of Geology and Geophysics, Texas AM University, Michel T Halbouty Visiting Chair during the GSD field campaign. We thank B. Andreotti, C. Gadal, C. Narteau and TOAD project partners for useful discussions. We also thank Patrick Hesp and an anonymous reviewer for their careful reading of our manuscript and their insightful comments and suggestions.",
year = "2023",
month = feb,
day = "28",
doi = "10.1029/2022GL101553",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "50",
journal = "Geophysical Research Letters",
issn = "0094-8276",
publisher = "John Wiley \& Sons, Ltd.",
number = "4",
}