GY4027

Topic 8: Aeolian Landscapes

This topic, we will explore landscapes shaped by aeolian processes - the wind.

By the end of this topic you should be able to:

1. Explain the main processes operating in arid landscapes
2. Describe the general properties of aeolian sediments
3. Describe common aeolian landforms and geomorphological features

Lecture

Lecture slides: L8 Aeolian Landscapes

Reading

Suggested Textbook

I suggest reading Chapter 12 of Huggett, R. (2017) Fundamentals of Geomorphology, 4th Edition. Routledge, London.

This is the chapter on aeolian landscapes.

Available online.

Academic papers

• Herzog, M., Henselowsky, F., and Bubenzer, O. 2021. Geomorphology of the Tafilalt Basin, South-East Morocco – implications for fluvial–aeolian dynamics and wind regimes. Journal of Maps 17, 682–689. doi: 10.1080/17445647.2021.1990805

Nice mapping paper about the region of Morocco which includes the Erg Chebbi dune field, of which there’s a few photos in the lecture.

• Delgado-Fernandez, I. and Davidson-Arnott, R. 2011. Meso-scale aeolian sediment input to coastal dunes: The nature of aeolian transport events. Geomorphology 126, 217–232. doi: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2010.11.005

A really nice paper looking at aeolian transport in a coastal dune system in Canada.