The potential response of eolian sands to greenhouse warming and precipitation reduction on the Great Plains of the U.S.A.

Sand dunes and sand sheets are extensive on the semi-arid Great Plains but are at present stabilized by a sparse vegetation cover. Use of a dune mobility index, which incorporates wind strength and the ratio of mean annual precipitation to potential evapotranspiration, shows that under predicted greenhouse climate effects of increased temperature and reduced precipitation, sand dunes and sand sheets on the Great Plains are likely to become reactivated over a significant part of the region.