Parabolic dune distribution, morphology and activity during the last 20 000 years: A global overview

Abstract

Parabolic dunes form and migrate in almost every climate and geographic zones of the world, ranging from the tropical coastlines to the arid continental deserts. Despite their extensive distribution and their importance within the aeolian sediment landscape, the understanding of their morphological development, activity and link with climates remains somewhat limited to local or regional scales. A good understanding of the present climate conditions under which parabolic dunes are formed and/or reactivated would be significantly helpful to constrain past climate models. Similarly, an improved knowledge of parabolic dunes behaviour during past climatic episodes would provide some valuable long‐term data to better predict their future activity. This review first aims at providing a non‐exhaustive global database on parabolic dune morphology and the present wind regimes with which they are associated. To do so, the morphology of 750 dunes distributed worldwide was first analysed using a high‐resolution global digital elevation model, suggesting an intrinsic relationship between the different measured morphoparameters. The analysis of the associated local wind regimes shows that parabolic dunes develop under strong unidirectional winds, which are more conspicuous in coastal than continental environments. Dunes of different ages are globally aligned with present prevailing winds, which suggests a prevalent control of long‐term global atmospheric circulation on dune orientations. Finally, this study explores the link between parabolic dune activity and climates over the past 20 000 years by reviewing ages from the literature and combining them with the ones compiled in the INQUA Dunes Atlas Chronologic Database. Overall, it appears that changes towards drier conditions have triggered dunes migration during both warm and cold periods of the Last Glacial Maximum, Holocene Climate Optimum, Roman Climate Optimum, Medieval Climate Optimum and Little Ice Age. The present day aeolian activity is predominantly linked with deteriorating environmental conditions caused by human disturbances.

The fault in our TARs: A critical review of research paradigms for intermediate‐scale bedforms on Mars

“…Given that TAR and LMR have been used with increasing frequency and are debated in the literature, it is clear that a systematic review of these terms is needed. Typical approaches to reviewing a bedform KOS would involve enumerating the types of bedforms under consideration and all of the hypotheses for their formation (e.g., Filhol & Sturm, 2015; Zhao & Gao, 2021; Vimpere, 2023). However, while reviewing the literature on TARs and LMRs, we found that this conventional review structure was not productive because, as we will argue in this critical review, these terms do not actually represent types of bedform.…”

Detection of Beach–Dune Geomorphic Changes by Means of Satellite and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Data: The Case of Altamura Island in the Gulf of California

“…Such information can be used not only to enhance our understanding of natural processes but also to develop effective strategies for safeguarding coastal areas [5]. By examining dune dynamics, researchers can gain a greater understanding of how environmental factors have impacted the evolution of arid dune formations over time [7]. Ultimately, the knowledge from such studies can inform critical decisions related to land use, resource management, conservation efforts, and risk control [8,9].…”

“…For instance, it has been reported that over extended periods of time, variations in wind direction have the potential to result in a noticeable left-or right-handed asymmetry in the morphology of dunes. Conversely, short-term changes such as those occurring daily tend to produce smaller and wider shapes [7]. Consequently, the ground slope of dunes can differ considerably, giving rise to an ideal environment for the growth of vascular plants.…”