Climate change impacts on sand supply and the formation of desert sand dunes in the south-west USA

The formation of desert sand dunes has often been used as an indicator of periods of aridity. Application of luminescence dating techniques to determine the timing of sand dune formation in the Mojave Desert has shown that 94% of dated sands were deposited at times when pluvial lakes filled many desert basins, and floods were recorded in Arizona and Utah rivers. Climate change can trigger a supply of sediment for entrainment along sand transport corridors and subsequent accretion on dunes and sand ramps. In a supply-limited system, storm events associated with climate change and resulting in overland flow are the controlling factor for periods of sand dune formation in desert areas of the south-western U.S.A. (C)1998 Academic Press Limited.