Aeolian Processes and Geomorphology in Arid Environments

Arid landscapes are sculpted predominantly by wind, whose capacity to erode, transport and deposit sediment underpins the diversity of desert landforms. Aeolian processes encompass the mobilisation of loose particles through saltation, suspension and creep, leading to the formation of features such as sand dunes, loess blankets and yardangs. Interactions between surface roughness, sediment availability and atmospheric boundary‐layer dynamics govern transport thresholds and fluxes, while regional climate systems—monsoonal flows, westerlies and episodic storm events—dictate sediment provenance and dispersal pathways. Over millennial timescales, wind‐driven sediment redistribution influences soil fertility, dust emissions to the atmosphere and the evolution of arid ecosystems. Modern research integrates field measurements, petrographic and geochemical tracing, remote sensing and numerical modelling to unravel sediment budgets, reconstruct past wind regimes and anticipate responses to climatic shifts. Insights gained are critical for managing desertification, mitigating dust hazards and interpreting palaeoclimatic archives embedded in loess and dune stratigraphy.

Research from Nature Portfolio

New zircon U–Pb geochronology applied to late Miocene–Pleistocene aeolian sequences on the Chinese Loess Plateau reveals a stepwise increase in spatial provenance contrasts. Tectonic uplift of adjacent mountain belts, intensification of monsoonal winds and shifts in fluvial networks together modulated sediment supply and wind strength, challenging previous models that linked loess accumulation solely to aridification. In another seminal study, detailed provenance analyses of Yellow River sediment demonstrate substantial storage within terrestrial loess deposits and neighbouring desert basins, revising assumptions about direct riverine export to the ocean. This work highlights the importance of continental sediment sinks and calls for refined interpretations of marine–terrestrial coupling in global sedimentary cycles.

Aeolian Processes and Geomorphology in Arid Environments publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in aeolian processes and geomorphology in arid environments across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Aeolian processes: Wind-driven erosion, transport and deposition of sediment.

Saltation: The hopping movement of sand grains near the surface under wind shear.

Suspension: Atmospheric transport of fine particles within the air column over long distances.

Creep: Rolling or sliding of coarse particles along the ground under wind force.

Loess: Extensive deposits of wind-blown silt forming thick, fertile blankets.

Yardang: Streamlined ridge sculpted in cohesive sediments by persistent wind erosion.

Provenance: The original source area of sedimentary particles traced via mineralogical or geochemical signatures.

References

1. Stepwise increased spatial provenance contrast on the Chinese Loess Plateau over late Miocene-Pleistocene. Communications Earth & Environment (2023).
2. Loess Plateau storage of Northeastern Tibetan Plateau-derived Yellow River sediment. Nature Communications (2015).
3. Mongolian Dust Activity Over the Last 25 Kyr Predominantly Driven by the East Asian Winter Monsoon: Insights From the Geochemistry of Lake Tuofengling Sediments. Geophysical Research Letters (2023).
4. Provenance of Aeolian Sediments in the Ordos Deserts and Its Implication for Weathering, Sedimentary Processes. Frontiers in Earth Science (2021).
5. Extraction of Yardang Characteristics Using Object-Based Image Analysis and Canny Edge Detection Methods. Remote Sensing (2020).