Abstract
This study uses an airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) survey, historical aerial photography and historical climate data to describe the character and dynamics of the Nogahabara Sand Dunes, a sub-Arctic dune field in interior Alaska’s discontinuous permafrost zone. The Nogahabara Sand Dunes consist of a 43-km2 area of active transverse and barchanoid dunes within a 3200-km2 area of vegetated dune and sand sheet deposits. The average dune height in the active portion of the dune field is 5.8 m, with a maximum dune height of 28 m. Dune spacing is variable with average crest-to-crest distances for select transects ranging from 66–132 m. Between 1952 and 2015, dunes migrated at an average rate of 0.52 m a−1. Dune movement was greatest between 1952 and 1978 (0.68 m a−1) and least between 1978 and 2015 (0.43 m a−1). Dunes migrated predominantly to the southeast; however, along the dune field margin, net migration was towards the edge of the dune field regardless of heading. Better constraining the processes controlling dune field dynamics at the Nogahabara dunes would provide information that can be used to model possible reactivation of more northerly dune fields and sand sheets in response to climate change, shifting fire regimes and permafrost thaw.
Highlights
Active dune fields and sand sheets occur on all seven continents of the globe and cover an area of approximately 5,000,000 km2 [1]
Large, now-inactive Pleistocene-aged dune fields and sand sheets found across the globe suggest that increased availability of fine-grain material and atmospheric conditions conducive to aeolian transport were characteristic of that time [6]
This study describes the morphometry and dynamics of the Nogahabara dunes using a recent airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) dataset, historical aerial photographs and climate data analysis
Summary
Active dune fields and sand sheets occur on all seven continents of the globe and cover an area of approximately 5,000,000 km2 [1]. Given the abundance of stabilized, cold-region sand dunes and sand sheets, this study provides useful information pertaining to active and stable cold-climate dunes with respect to ongoing climate change, increases in the frequency and severity of wildfires in Arctic and Boreal regions and permafrost thaw. These results could provide insight for other cold-climate dunes on Earth, as well as extraterrestrial bodies including Mars. Denutr,ibnogththTiesrprarSoccaenssa,ntdheTeprorianMt ocdloeuledr dwaetrae were classiufiteildizetdo atochanieavlyezae apnsdeucdlaoss-bifayrteheearratwh pdoiginitacloeuledv. aDtuiorinngmtohdiseplruoscienssg, athceopmoibnitncalotiuodndoaftaauwteorme ated bare-celaarstshifiaedlgtooriatchhmievseaandpsceoumdop-breahreeenasritvhedmigaitnalueallevcraotisosn-smecotdieolnuesidnigtsa. cTohmebcionarrtieocnteodf aauntdompartoecdessed pointbcalroeu-edardthataalgworeitrhemcsonanvderctoemdptoreahe2n-smiveremsoanluutailocnroDssE-Msecftioornfeudritths.eTr haenacolyrrseicst.eAd earnidalpprohcoetsosegdraphy was spimoinutltcalonuedoudsaltya cwoelrleecctoendvuerstiendgtoa Na 2ik-monreDso8l0u0tiopnaiDreEdMwfoitrhfuthrtehsearmanealGysPiSs./AIMeriUalupnhiottoagsruaspehdy with the LwtihDaeAsLsRiiDmsAcuaRltnasnncaeenoruntoeslryptorcoopldlreuocdcteeudcaeunasoninrogthratohNmomiokoossanaiciDcw8w0i0itthhpaaairffiienndaawllhihtohorirtzihzoenostnaatlmarleersGeoslPuoStl/iuIoMtnioUonfu1on0fict1ma0s.cumse.d with
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