The barchan dunes race
Briefly
We study the interactions between dunes that structure sand deserts on a large scale
Some details
You can observe a field of barchan dunes (crescent-shaped dunes) reproduced underwater in the laboratory on a small scale (the dunes are centimetric). The smaller the dunes, the faster they migrate, causing collisions between dunes of different sizes. Collisions redistribute the sand between the dunes, and we can observe coalescence of dunes, or fragmentations that create new dunes. The type of collision depends on the size ratio and misalignment of the colliding dunes. These collisions organise the structure of the dune field and regulate the size of the dunes (self-organisation).
Video by Sylvain Courrech du Pont.
We study the shape and dynamics of dunes using laboratory experiments, full-scale experiments (in deserts) and numerical simulations.
Collaboration between MSC-lab, the Institut Physique du Globe de Paris and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
References
Complementary classifications of aeolian dunes based on morphology, dynamics, and fluid mechanics, S. Courrech du Pont, D. M. Rubin, C. Narteau, M. G.A. Lapôtre, M. Day, P. Claudin, I. Livingstone, M. W Telfer, J. Radebaugh, C. Gadal, A. Gunn, P. A Hesp, S. Carpy, C. S. Bristow, A. C.W. Baas, R. C. Ewing, G. F.S. Wiggs, Earth-Science Reviews, 255 (2024)
Curious movie #2
Marangoni flows induced by soluble surfactants
Curious movie #1
A cell aggregate is aspired through a constriction.
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