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Abstract: Characterization of dune morphology has historically been based on relationships between dune forms and wind regimes with dune height shown to be sensitive to atmospheric boundary layer depth, sand availability and sediment properties. While these parameters have been used in numerical simulations to model the occurrences of some types of dunes, they cannot alone explain the great diversity in form and size seen on Earth and on other solar system bodies. Here we present results from our studies of dune formation in the Badain Jaran Desert in western China, where Earth''s tallest dunes occur. We measured the variability of the dune morphology in this desert on the basis of LANDSAT ETM+ data, and we detected the bedrock landforms beneath the aeolian sands by applying gravity methods. Wind records from stations at the periphery of the desert and SRTM topographical data were examined also to augment the interpretation. Our studies demonstrate that in addition to average wind parameters, dune height is highly sensitive to local geology, subsurface characteristics, and topography, and interactions between changing climate conditions and aeolian and fluvial processes. These additional factors need to be considered in the interpretation and simulation of dunes on Earth. We anticipate that analysis of anomalous dune heights like those seen in the Badain Jaran may also provide critical information on subsurface characteristics and environmental conditions on Earth and on other planetary bodies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Analysis of over 400 fluvial megafans (>30km in length) in aggradational continental sedimentary basins reveals that geomorphic channel and floodplain changes on these distributive fluvial systems (DFS) generally behave in predictable ways with increasing distance from the apex. These changes can include: a decrease in discharge, a decrease in bed material transport and calibre of sediment, a decrease in stream power, an overall decrease in channel width, an overall decrease in channel depth, an increase in avulsive behaviour, and sinuosity becomes more variable. Three generic geomorphic element models are proposed – reflecting observed changes in channel behaviour – based on measurable changes in channel width and planform characteristics with increasing distance downstream. The three models are derived from (1) a single braided channel that bifurcates downstream into low sinuosity channels; (2) a dominant, sinuous, single-thread channel that anabranches and bifurcates with distance downstream, creating smaller channels with varying sinuosity; and (3) a dominant multi-thread channel that anabranches and bifurcates with distance downstream, creating smaller channels with varying sinuosity. The changes in fluvial behaviour and landforms on DFS are in response to variable discharge and sediment supply ratios from the upstream catchment. In contrast to examples described in hydrogeomorphological literature for tributary fluvial systems where channel dimensions tend to increase downstream, observations from DFS suggest that – where the formative DFS channel does not retain the same dimensions – intrinsic geomorphic thresholds lead to the breakdown of the main trunk channel into smaller anabranching and distributary channels with distance downstream; in some instances the majority of channelised flow at the DFS termination may even be disintegrated. The observed range of termination types and floodplain soils for each DFS type are interchangeable dependent on local conditions. The modern geomorphic elements and floodplain soils are dependent on climate in the upstream catchment and in the downstream receiving sedimentary basin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The formation of cracks is a fundamental first step in the physical weathering of rocks in desert environments. In this study we combine new field data from the Mojave (U.S.), Gobi (Mongolia) and Strzelecki (Australia) deserts that collectively support the hypothesis that meridional cracks (cracks with orientations not readily attributable to rock anisotropies or shape) in boulders or cobbles form due to tensile stresses caused by directional heating and cooling during the sun''s daily transit. The new studies indicate that rock size, surface age, and latitude play important roles with respect to their influence on rock fracture. Rock size and pavement surface age exert an influence on the development of rock cracks as the average clast size of mature desert pavements may be at or below the threshold-clast size for thermal cracking of rocks. Latitude-controlled seasonal temperature variations play a key role, as demonstrated by: 1) tightly clustered mean resultant orientations that differ by latitude, as predicted in McFadden et al. (2005), and 2) very cold wintertime temperatures and strong diurnal gradients that may favor crack development in wintertime, given the likelihood for strong clast heating during early morning hours. The consistent evidence for meridional cracks in surfaces of diverse age and desert environments, climate, vegetation, and distance of clast transport indicate that directional insolation may play the key role in initially generating and propagating rock fractures, rather than a secondary role as implied in recent field and modeling studies of physical weathering in deserts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]