Monash University scientist Dr. Andrew Gunn has created a complete digital map of Earth’s wind-blown dunes.
Distribution of wind-blown sand dunes on Earth. Image credit: Andrew Gunn, doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-75466-y.
“Sand dunes can serve as natural archives of climate and geological history,” said Dr. Gunn, author of the book. paper Published in a magazine nature communications.
“A consistent world map would give us a deeper understanding of how wind-shaped landforms evolve on Earth today, giving us a clearer benchmark when analyzing the rock record and similar features on planets like Mars.”
In the study, Dr. Gunn used satellite imagery and elevation data to manually map the presence of dunes across 0.1 degree grid squares around the world, identifying dunes on approximately 7.8% of the Earth’s surface across all continents.
He discovered that the formation of dunes could not be explained by dryness or wind strength alone.
Rather, dunes are most common where sand is actively accumulating without being eroded.
Researchers have clearly demonstrated this in Africa. In Africa, parts of the Sahara Desert have arid terrain and strong winds, but there are no sand dunes because the sand is carried away faster than it can reach the desert.
He also investigated how the shape of crescent-shaped “Balkan” dunes (long used to infer wind direction on Earth, Mars, and even in the ancient rock record) is distorted by the type of sediment involved.
The new global dataset should help improve predictions of desertification under climate change and improve interpretation of wind landscapes on other planets.
“As global climate patterns change, this map provides a baseline for tracking how wind systems and drylands are changing in real time,” Dr. Gunn said.
“This not only looks back at Earth’s history, but also provides climate modelers with an important tool to predict how desertification and wind erosion will reshape local communities in the coming decades.”
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A. Cancer. 2026. Distribution of wind-blown sand dunes on Earth. Nat Commune 17, 8468; doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-75466-y
Source: www.sci.news
