A prospectus for future geomorphological investigation of the Namib Sand Sea

Abstract

The Namib Sand Sea in southern Africa offers an ideal location in which to consider general questions about the evolution of sand seas, about the fluxes of sand through contemporary dune fields and about the patterns of dune form that are created. This paper aims to provide a concise account of the approaches and techniques that are currently being used and will be used in the future to address these questions. The paper considers the techniques employed to investigate wind climate, the morphometry of the dunes, the internal structure of dune sediments, the age of the dunes and the potential to model dune development.

Keywords:

• Namib Desert
• sand dune
• remote sensing
• morphometry
• terrestrial laser scanner
• ground-penetrating radar
• cellular automaton model