Topography influences megadune distribution and morphology

Abstract

Dunes are widely distributed on Earth and other extraterrestrial bodies, yet relatively little is known about what controls their maximum size. Earth’s megadunes (>100 m tall) have traditionally been attributed to constraints including atmospheric boundary layer depth, substrate bedrock type, and sediment supply. However, global mapping results presented here reveal that megadunes preferentially occur near mountains and within dunefield depressions. Megadune height-spacing transition from a power-law relationship to a near-normal distribution, and their aspect ratio (R a ) with height shifts from inverse to direct proportionality. To investigate their underlying formation mechanisms, we focus on how topography influences megadune development under conditions of sufficient sand supply and constant wind regime, using a dune simulation model. Simulation results indicate that both positive (mountain-like) and negative (basin-shaped) topographies generate abrupt shear stress gradients, triggering rapid localized sand accumulation. Compared to gradual evolution on flat terrains, mountain-depression settings accelerate the dune coarsening process and megadune growth through enhanced sand flux convergence and increased collision rates between migrating dunes. Critically, surrounding topography modifies wind regimes, elevating dune aspect ratios (R a ) as shear stress intensifies. Our proposed topography–aerodynamics–sediment redistribution mechanism for megadune formation on Earth and other extraterrestrial bodies demonstrates that terrain-induced wind regime heterogeneity is the fundamental control governing the formation and evolution of massive aeolian landforms.