@article{04d8fa0e17cb4dceb1f8826c87874245,
title = "Circadian Rhythm of Dune-Field Activity",
abstract = "Wind-blown sand dunes are both a consequence and a driver of climate dynamics; they arise under persistently dry and windy conditions, and are sometimes a source for airborne dust. Dune fields experience extreme daily changes in temperature, yet the role of atmospheric stability in driving sand transport and dust emission has not been established. Here, we report on an unprecedented multiscale field experiment at the White Sands Dune Field (New Mexico, USA), where by measuring wind, humidity and temperature profiles in the atmosphere concurrently with sediment transport, we demonstrate that a daily rhythm of sand and dust transport arises from nonequilibrium atmospheric boundary layer convection. A global analysis of 45 dune fields confirms the connection found in situ between surface wind speed and diurnal temperature cycles, revealing an unrecognized climate feedback that may contribute to the growth of deserts on Earth and dune activity on Mars.",
keywords = "aeolian, atmospheric boundary layer, dune fields, geomorphology",
author = "A. Gunn and M. Wanker and N. Lancaster and Edmonds, {D. A.} and Ewing, {R. C.} and Jerolmack, {D. J.}",
note = "Funding Information: We thank David Bustos and White Sands National Monument for field support, Scott R. David for field assistance, and Keaton Cheffer for constructing equipment. Funding provided by; National Science Foundation NRI INT award #1734355 to D. J. Jerolmack; White Sands National Monument through NPS‐GC‐CESU Cooperative Agreement #P12AC51051 to R. C. Ewing; and International Society of Aeolian Research through the Elsevier Aeolian Research Scholarship to A. Gunn, Conceptualization, D. J. Jerolmack, A. Gunn, D. A. Edmonds, and R. C. Ewing; Methodology, all authors; Software, A. Gunn; Validation, all authors; Formal Analysis, A. Gunn; Investigation, A. Gunn, M. Wanker, and N. Lancaster; Resources, all authors; Data Curation, A. Gunn and N. Lancaster; Writing – Original Draft, A. Gunn; Writing – Review & Editing, D. J. Jerolmack, D. A. Edmonds, R. C. Ewing, N. Lancaster, and A. Gunn; Visualization, A. Gunn; Supervision, D. J. Jerolmack, D. A. Edmonds, and R. C. Ewing; Project Administration, all authors. The authors declare no competing interests and thank two anonymous reviewers for comments that improved the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.",
year = "2021",
month = mar,
day = "16",
doi = "10.1029/2020GL090924",
language = "English",
volume = "48",
journal = "Geophysical Research Letters",
issn = "0094-8276",
publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",
number = "5",
}
