This paper shows that the growth of aeolian giant dunes, ascribed to the non-linear interaction between small-scale superimposed dunes, is limited by the confinement of the flow over the average depth of the atmospheric boundary layer. The findings explain the mean spacing of aeolian giant dunes ranging from 300 metres in coastal deserts to 3.5 kilometres.
- Bruno Andreotti
- Antoine Fourrière
- Philippe Claudin
