Studies of the Dry Surface Layer in a Sand Dune Field

(1) Modeling of the Dry Surface Layer of Sand under Isothermal Steady Conditions

Abstract

A simple model for the dry surface layer of sand under isothermal steady conditions was formulated, and an experiment was conducted to verify the model, using the Tottori Dune sand. The experimental results show that the proposed model yields the essential features of the dry surface layer.
The present model can relate the thickness of the dry surface layer to the soil temperature and the upward water flux in the layer. The flux can be identified with the evaporation rate, which is important from a practical point of view but is difficult to measure. Thus, this model could be used to estimate the evaporation rate in a sand dune field from the thickness and the temperature of the dry surface layer.