About the project
This project will examine how wind-blown avalanches are controlled by sediment transport dynamics including dune size, wind speed and grain characteristics. It involves laboratory experiments and field work. Research outcomes will provide unique, cutting-edge insight into the influence of avalanche dynamics on aeolian dune migration, critical for management in deserts.
Avalanching is responsible for wind-blown dune migration on Earth and because avalanches are preserved in dune stratigraphy, they are the most direct way that we can interpret past wind-climate conditions. Recent evidence suggested avalanche magnitude is driven by grainfall dynamics which link to wind speed. However, without a better grasp of the process-form feedbacks between dune size and avalanche drivers, it is impossible to interpret formative wind climates of ancient or planetary dunes.
This PhD research will use the latest technology to measure avalanches remotely and supplement field experiments with laboratory replicates within the SoGES aeolian avalanche slope facility. Field evidence will be collected from White Sands, New Mexico, USA and Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, USA.
You will undertake active process measurements, using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) to characterize avalanche morphology and grainfall zone dynamics, along with sonic anemometry to measure flow and sediment samples for grain size analysis.
This PhD will make a significant contribution to our understanding of the feedbacks between dune migration and climate that will impact how we interpret modern and ancient desert environments and how we manage these environments in the future.
This project has the following external supervisor, in addition to the University of Southampton's supervisory team:
