Topographic changes of a supply-limited inland parabolic sand dune during the incipient phase of stabilization

Topographic surveys on an inland parabolic sand dune over a six-year period provide insight into the effects of diminishing local sand supply on dune stabilization. During the interval (2003-2009) sparse vegetation cover (Psoralea lanceolata) increased despite drier than normal moisture conditions and steady wind power during the growing season. Whereas these climatic conditions are typically ascribed to sustaining or increasing dune activity, here they coincide with stabilization. Through the use of geographic information system (GIS) analysis of volumetric changes it is shown that the increase of P. lanceolata can be attributed to the reduction of local sand supply from two blowouts along the arms of the parabolic dune during the six-year period. These results show that climate is not the only control on dune activity in vegetated inland dunefields. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.