Sand Dunes Reviewing: Wind Effect and Dunes Classification

Abstract

Drylands are distributed in many parts of the world. The combined effects of land mismanagement, unsustainable use of water, and climate change have caused the transformation of many areas into drylands, and as a result, increase desert areas and the formation of aeolian sand dunes. Due to the increase in construction activities in drylands areas, more descriptions of the formation of soils in aired zones, the effect of wind erosion on these soils, and their classification and movement are required so as to assess their effect on such activities. This paper described the wind action on aeolian dunes, it's reviewed the occurrence, movement, and classification of dunes. The effect of direction and intensity of the wind on the length, height, and location of dunes was presented. The saltation, suspension, and creep movements of sand grains were discussed. The challenges of the classification of the sand dunes were, also, included as a part of this review. It was found that there is a significant effect of the dune morphology on sediment movement and "wind flow lines". The determination of dune morphology is related to many interdependent factors, the assessment of these factors is difficult. Due to their varying sizes and shapes, sand dunes classification was found to be a challenging.