The effect of slopes on sand transport — numerical modelling

Most aeolian sediment transport models and experiments have been conducted on flat horizontal surfaces. Very little numerical or analytical research has been carried out for aeolian sand transport on slopes. The current work presents numerical modelling of saltating sand for a climbing dune which has a slope angle of 20 °. The model utilised wind fields predicted from the FAA complex terrain model for two dimensional escarpment and field data and wind-tunnel measurements for flow over a scaled model. Results suggest that only particles smaller than 0.230 mm are able to climb this slope under a wind shear velocity of 30 cm s−1. The field observations and measurements confirm the numerical results.