Wind-tunnel experiments of Aeolian sand transport reveal a bimodal probability distribution function for the particle lift-off velocities

The probability distribution function (PDF) of the lift-off velocities of Aeolian (wind-blown) sand particles - i.e., the velocities with which the particles rebound or are ejected from the bed owing to a granular-bed collision - is an important parameter in models of sediment transport and dust emission. However, in order to reliably describe this distribution function, measurements of the individual particle trajectories near the sand bed during sediment transport are required. Such measurements are challenging due to the high particle concentration near the bed, which makes it difficult to track the dynamics of the particles involved in the lift-off process. Here we seek to overcome this difficulty by applying an experimental method for grain trajectory detection, which allows us to obtain a large number of near-bed lift-off particle trajectories during sand transport in a boundary layer wind tunnel. The PDFs of horizontal and vertical lift-off velocities all were found to display a bimodal distribution at a height smaller than 1 mm from the bed. The first and second maxima in the distribution curve of horizontal and vertical lift-off velocities occur at around 0.25 and 1.0 ms(-1), and at 0 and 1.0 ms(-1), respectively. Moreover, the first maximum is mainly associated with splashed particles, whereas the second peak is mainly caused by rebound particles. However, the lift-off velocities far from the bed follow a unimodal distribution, in agreement with previous experiments. Our results are providing, thus, unprecedented insights about near-bed transport processes over wind-blown soils, and have implication for modelling granular-bed interactions in Aeolian sand transport and geomorphodynamic models.

Automated summary

This study investigates the probability distribution function (PDF) of the lift-off velocities of wind-blown sand particles during sediment transport. The results show that the horizontal and vertical lift-off velocities display a bimodal distribution near the bed, with the first peak associated with splashed particles and the second peak caused by rebound particles. However, the lift-off velocities far from the bed follow a unimodal distribution.