AQA A-Level Geography 7037
Water and Carbon Cycles
Hot Desert Systems and LandscapesLandscape
Coastal Systems and LandscapesLandscape
Glacial Systems and LandscapesLandscape
HazardsHazards or ecosystems
Ecosystems Under StressHazards or ecosystems
Global Systems and Global Governance
Changing Places
Contemporary Urban EnvironmentsHuman option
Population and the EnvironmentHuman option
Resource SecurityHuman option
Hot Desert Systems and Landscapes
Barchan and Seif Dunes
- 4 things to know
- Component 1
Overview
Recall questions on the shape of a barchan dune, why its horns advance faster and how sand moves up, over and down it, and on seif dunes, the two-directional wind regime that forms them and the direction in which they elongate.
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
How does sand move down the leeward side of a barchan dune?
In which direction does a seif dune elongate relative to wind patterns?
Explain how sand moves across a barchan dune.
Questions from this subtopic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Define a barchan dune.
Model answer
A crescent-shaped dune with horns pointing downwind, formed where sand supply is limited and wind direction is consistent.
- 2
Why do the horns of a barchan dune advance faster than the centre?
Model answer
The horns have less sand volume, so they move more quickly.
- 3
How is sand transported up a barchan dune?
Model answer
Sand is transported up the gentle windward slope via saltation.
- 4
What happens to sand when it reaches the crest of a barchan?
Model answer
Sand accumulates at the crest.
- 5
How does sand move down the leeward side of a barchan dune?
Model answer
Sand avalanches down the steep leeward slip face.
- 6
What are seif dunes?
Model answer
Linear, elongated dunes aligned parallel to the dominant wind direction, often formed by bidirectional winds.
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