Abstract:

Wind is the main dynamic factor in shaping dune morphology. The kinetics in the formation of dome dune is unclear. In this paper， taking the dome dune in the southwest edge of the Ulan Buh Desert as an example， we used wind regime of the Jartai weather station and Google Earth satellite images to measure morphological parameters of dome dunes to further analyze the influence of wind regime on the formation of dome dune. The results showed that： （1） The wind speed in the southwest edge of the Ulan Buh Desert is relatively stable and the wind direction is uniform and variable， while the prevailing wind direction is northwest wind and secondary prevailing wind direction is southwest wind and northeast. The sand drift potential is 172.90 VU and RDP/DP is 0.39， which is belonging to low wind energy environment and high wind direction variability. （2） The ration of the wind long and short axes of dome dunes in the study area is 1.31∶1， which is elliptic， and the average trend of dome dunes is 110.66°， almost paralleling to the prevailing wind direction and closing to the resultant drift direction. The prevailing wind direction has a significant influence on the trend of dome dune. （3） The dome dune in the southwest edge of the Ulan Buh Desert develops under the condition of low wind energy and more windy directions. The northwest wind in spring， northeast wind in summer and southwest wind in summer and winter act together with three groups of winds with different directions and same strength， which inhibits the formation of sliding surface and frustrates the evolution of the dune， so that the morphology of the dune remains stable for a long time.

Key words: dome dune, morphology, wind regime, drift potential, Ulan Buh Desert