The effect of wind speed and bed slope on sand transport

Abstract

This paper reports on a wind tunnel study of the effects of bed slope and wind speed on aeolian mass transport. The use of a sloping wind tunnel has enabled estimation of the friction angle α to be about 40°for saltating particles in the range 170-540 μm. A formula relating dimensionless mass transport to friction speed and bed slope is proposed, and mass transport data for five uniform sand samples and one non-uniform sand sample are shown to fit the equation well. In particular, the relationship reveals an overshoot in mass transport slightly above threshold collisions, a feature also evident when previous experimental data is re-examined. As the number of mid-air collisions between the saltating particles increases greatly with wind speed, the overshoot may occur as a result of increasing energy losses resulting from the collisions. Finally, it is demonstrated that data for saltating snow shows a similar overshoot in the dimensionless transport rate.