Article
Environmental Sciences
Luca Gallitelli, Martina D'Agostino, Corrado Battisti, Andres Cozar, Massimiliano Scalici
Summary: This study analyzes the capture of litter by dune vegetation at a multi-species level and reveals that different plant species have varying efficiency in trapping litter in different areas of the dune. The study also highlights the importance of the 'Plant-edge litter effect' in the distribution of litter. The findings suggest that the species Anthemis maritima and Salsola kali could be used for litter monitoring and collection.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Maciej Dluzewski, Joanna Rotnicka, Patrick A. Hesp, Joanna O. Tomczak
Summary: This study analyzes wind flow and sediment transport in a sand dune in Morocco, and finds that the topography of the dune has a significant influence on the flow. The sand transport rate on the upper slope of the climbing dune is four times higher than on the beach. In addition, the grain size of the sand in aeolian transport increases up the slope.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fahad Almutlaq, Faten Nahas, Kevin Mulligan
Summary: This study uses geospatial technology to analyze satellite imagery and global Digital Elevation Models to identify and map different dune forms, estimate sand volume, and explore sand sources in the Rub' al Khali desert. The analysis of dune color suggests that the sand is not completely reworked and intermixed, and the yellow sand may have both local and regional sources.
Article
Plant Sciences
Pua Bar (Kutiel), Ofir Katz, Michael Dorman
Summary: Spatial heterogeneity influences plant community composition and diversity, especially in annual plant communities, forming meta-communities at the regional scale. This study focused on the coastal dune ecosystem in Nizzanim nature reserve, Israel, and aimed to analyze the impact of spatial heterogeneity on the characteristics and temporal stability of the annual plant meta-community. The results showed that the transition from mobile dunes to fixed dunes led to an increase in plant cover, species richness, species diversity, changes in plant communities, and stability driven by asynchrony of species population fluctuations.
Article
Mathematics, Applied
Noureddine Igbida, Fahd Karami, Driss Meskine
Summary: The aim of this paper is to introduce and study a mathematical model for traveling sand dunes, which describes the surface flow process of sand under the influence of wind and gravity. The model is based on a nonlinear diffusion-transport equation that couples the transportation of sand by wind with avalanches due to gravity and the repose angle. The avalanche flow is governed by the surface evolution model, with a nonlocal term used to handle sand transport in the direction of the wind.
NONLINEAR ANALYSIS-REAL WORLD APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Morteza Khaleghi, Masood Heidarvand
Summary: This study used Salep biopolymer to stabilize dune sandy soil in the Kerman desert. The results showed that the highest dry unit weight was obtained with 5% replacement by weight of Salep biopolymer. The saturated CBR strength of the biopolymer-treated dune sand increased three times compared to untreated sand.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Luca Gallitelli, Corrado Battisti, Massimiliano Scalici
Summary: Coastal vegetation serves as a barrier against macroplastics, acting as a reservoir for human litter and organic wrack. Our study examined the abundance of macroplastics in different zones along the coast and found that halopsammophilous plants in the foredunes played a crucial role in intercepting litter before it reached the backdunes. These findings have important implications for beach clean-ups, suggesting that efforts should be focused on the foredunes and backdunes, while also cautioning against potential damage to the vegetation during clean-up operations.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Elhadj Guesmia Daheur, Zhong-Sen Li, Abdellah Demdoum, Said Taibi, Idriss Goual
Summary: The goal of this experimental research is to determine the suitability of Saharan soils (dune sand and tuff) for pavement construction in arid areas. After discovering the optimal geotechnical characteristics of a tuff and dune sand mixture (referred to as TDSopt) for low-traffic pavements, it was found that the rise of groundwater level and aggressive sulphate caused a decrease in mechanical properties. To address this issue, treatment with sulphate-resistant binders was proposed and laboratory testing was conducted. The results validated the effectiveness of the treatment, improving various properties of the TDSopt mixture.
CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Stefano Chelli, Fabio Conti, Luca Bracchetti
Summary: Climate change and human activities have significant impacts on coastal sand dunes, particularly on the spatial distribution and patterns of plant populations. This study reveals that different plant species have species-specific responses to coastline variation, likely dependent on their functional strategies. The findings also emphasize the importance of frequent diachronic surveys and highlight the serious threat of coastal erosion to dune ecosystems.
ESTUARIES AND COASTS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhenmin Niu, Nai'ang Wang, Nan Meng, Jiang Liu, Xueran Liang, Hongyi Cheng, Penghui Wen, Xinran Yu, Wenjia Zhang, Xiaoyan Liang
Summary: Mega-dunes in the lake group area of the Badain Jaran Sand Sea in China are taller and have steeper slopes compared to those in the non-lake group area. The study proposes a conceptual model suggesting that moisture exchange between lakes and soil via non-rainfall water could explain the formation of abnormally tall dunes in the lake group area. This research provides new insights into the basis of dune formation and groundwater utilization in deserts.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Euibae Lee, Jeongwon Ko, Jaekang Yoo, Sangjun Park, Jeongsoo Nam
Summary: The study investigated the effects of different aggregates on the compressive strength of concrete, revealing that the compressive strength increases until the volumetric ratio of dune sand reaches 20%, after which it decreases. Experimental data under two specific conditions showed distinct impact factors of crushed sand and coarse aggregate on compressive strength.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
Maria Carla de Francesco, Francesco Pio Tozzi, Gabriella Buffa, Edy Fantinato, Michele Innangi, Angela Stanisci
Summary: Invasive alien plants pose a major threat to biodiversity, particularly in Mediterranean dunes. This study found that there are three critical thresholds related to invasive plant cover, Oenothera stucchii Soldano abundance, and distance from dune paths, which can cause a decline in diagnostic species cover in shifting and transition dunes.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Euibae Lee, Jeongwon Ko, Jaekang Yoo, Sangjun Park, Jeongsoo Nam
Summary: This study investigated the drying shrinkage cracking characteristics of concrete containing 30% fly ash for different dune sand replacements and unit water contents. The results showed that considering DS replacement is necessary to achieve the required performance of concrete.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zheyi Guo, Yongjun Qin, Yifei Zhang, Xiangyang Li
Summary: An experimental study was conducted to analyze the shear behavior of dune sand reinforced concrete (DSRC) deep beams. The results showed that the shear strength and ductility of DSRC deep beams increased with a 30% DS replacement rate but decreased with a 50% DS replacement rate. The effects of various factors on the shear strength of DSRC and normal reinforced concrete (NRC) deep beams were analyzed through shear experimental tests. Furthermore, four national codes were evaluated and compared, with ACI 318-11 providing the most reliable predictions.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2023)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Xiaobao Luo, Guohua Xing, Lei Qiao, Pengyong Miao, Xiaoguang Yu, Kaize Ma
Summary: Dune sand concrete (DSC) has been optimized by considering factors such as the fine aggregate ratio, basalt fiber dosage, water to cement ratio, and sand to aggregate ratio. Response surface method (RSM) was used to analyze the effects of these factors on slump, compressive strength, and splitting tensile strength. The optimal mix proportions for achieving different strength grades of DSC were determined using the desirability function. This research provides valuable insights for the development of engineered DSC.
CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Oceanography
Yael Amitai, Yosef Ashkenazy, Hezi Gildor
DEEP-SEA RESEARCH PART II-TOPICAL STUDIES IN OCEANOGRAPHY
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ehud Strobach, Golan Bel
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2020)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Salvatore Campisi-Pinto, Kaushal Gianchandani, Yosef Ashkenazy
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Hezi Yizhaq, Zhiwei Xu, Yosef Ashkenazy
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Maayan Levin, Golan Bel, Yael Roichman
Summary: The diffusion of a tracer particle in a viscoelastic material can be influenced by the ratio of tracer particle size to the characteristic length scale of the network. The type of diffusion performed by the tracer particles varies based on this ratio, showing features of fBm when the particle is large compared to the mesh size, normal diffusion when much smaller, and CTRW in between. A new model combining fBm and power-law distributed caging events has been proposed to describe the motion of tracer particles in actin networks.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Yongwen Zhang, Yosef Ashkenazy, Shlomo Havlin
Summary: This study focuses on the asymmetry of interevent time series in earthquake catalogs, finding that there is a significant crossover from high to low asymmetry as lag index increases. Different earthquake triggering processes are associated with the two distinct regimes of asymmetry, and a new generalized ETAS model better reproduces the observed asymmetry compared to the standard ETAS model.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yosef Ashkenazy, Eli Tziperman
Summary: The deep ocean of Europa, covered by a thick icy shell, has the potential to harbor extraterrestrial life. This study added critical elements to previous ocean dynamics research, revealing that the ocean is weakly stratified and dominated by salinity variations, exhibiting strong transient convection and eddies.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Mathematics, Applied
H. Yizhaq, Y. Ashkenazy
Summary: This article proposes a model to study the spatiotemporal dynamics of the coupling between biocrust and vegetation cover on sand dunes. The model demonstrates that the front connecting the dominance of biocrust and vegetation is mainly propagated by wind advection. In the presence of low wind drift potential values, spatially oscillatory domains develop as the front advances downwind, while higher wind drift potential values result in more complex dynamics with irregular spatial patterns.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gal Weissman, Ofer Dahan, Golan Bel
Summary: Groundwater recharge is crucial for water resource management, especially in arid and semi-arid areas under agricultural fields. However, estimating the recharge fluxes is challenging due to soil heterogeneity and complex flow processes. This study presents a new method that takes into account soil heterogeneity to estimate the probability distribution of recharge fluxes.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
G. Bel, B. S. Alexandrov, A. R. Bishop, K. O. Rasmussen
Summary: Nonlinear oscillators and their synchronization have been extensively studied. This study focuses on the synchronization and stability of coupled driven-damped Helmholtz-Duffing oscillators in bi-stability regimes. The results show that the stability of the two states to spatial perturbations is different, and the final stable states are determined by both the wavelength of the perturbing mode and the coupled oscillator phases.
CHAOS SOLITONS & FRACTALS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Yosef Ashkenazy, Hezi Yizhaq
Summary: In this study, the researchers analyze the global pattern of surface winds using ERA5 reanalysis data. They find that the maximum wind speed occurs during midday over land and especially over sand dune regions, while over the ocean, the wind peaks at night. The weakening of winds over land at night is attributed to nocturnal cooling, which decouples upper atmospheric levels from the surface. Comparisons with meteorological stations show that ERA5 underestimates real winds but exhibits similar temporal patterns.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yosef Ashkenazy, Eli Tziperman, Francis Nimmo
Summary: It is suggested that the ice shell of Jupiter's moon Europa can drift non-synchronously due to tidal torques, but our study argues that torques from the underlying ocean are also influential and can cause non-synchronous rotation. We developed an ice shell rotation model considering ocean stress and viscoelastic deformation of the ice shell. Our results indicate sluggish ice shell convection and the possibility of negligible drift or oscillatory drift. Future spacecraft observations can test these predictions and provide insights into the properties of the ice shell and underlying ocean.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Tuvia Turkeltaub, Golan Bel
Summary: A better understanding of the effects of rainfall and evapotranspiration statistics on groundwater recharge requires long time series of these variables, which are often scarce. To overcome this limitation, rainfall and evapotranspiration time series are synthesized using different methods. In this study, we investigate the dependence of estimated groundwater recharge on the synthesis methods used in semi-arid regions. The results show that the estimation of groundwater recharge is sensitive to the synthesis method, and the correction of monthly mean and standard deviation of the synthesized time series produces the best agreement with independent estimates.
HYDROLOGY AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gal Weissman, Golan Bel, Alon Ben-Gal, Uri Yermiyahu, Boian Alexandrov, Kim Orskov Rasmussen, Ofer Dahan
VADOSE ZONE JOURNAL
(2020)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Dan Wexler, Nir Gov, Kim O. Rasmussen, Golan Bel
PHYSICAL REVIEW RESEARCH
(2020)