Location 1

Western Sahara

 

The area is rocky and slightly elevated.

(Source: Your dot com for Africa)

The Western Sahara is rocky and not like the eastern side at all. There are oases. There are two main types of dunes that are found in the western Sahara, these are linear and barchan, both of these being free dunes. Another Aeolian feature found in the Western Sahara is sands sheets and streaks these make up 45% of the western Sahara.

Linear Dunes - These are a type of free dune which are primarily derived from the wind. A linear dune is elongate and have two opposing slip faces. They are thought to form from bi directional wind processes and have a symmetric ridge. They can be tens of kilometers long and they may join downwind forming Y shaped junctions. The long axes of the dunes extend in the resultant direction of sand movement. The dunes form as simple and compound dunes.

(Source: environment news service)

In Western Sahara in the town of Nouakchott, capital of Mauritania, the dunes were reported to be moving toward the capital in November 2000. The dunes were migrating.

 

Barchan Dunes - These are also a type of free dune but they are classed as a transverse dune. The Barchan dune has a crescentic form and is formed from unidirectional wind regime. They have one unidirectional slip face orientations.

 

Barchan Dunes - 1-2km from each horn

(Source: Science Museum of Minnesota)

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