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Desert dunes pose more danger as Earth warms

Some dune fields and sand seas will move faster and even expand as wind patterns shift because of climate change.
Golden sand dunes and blue sky in the Thar desert in Rajasthan, India

Dunes in the Thar Desert of India will expand if a worst-case emissions scenario leads to runaway climate change. Credit: Getty

Desert dunes naturally evolve and move with the wind. But in some areas global warming could increase the threats dunes pose to ecosystems and infrastructure such as train lines and roads1.

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Nature 611, 207 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-03527-5

References

  1. Baas, A. C. W. & Delobel, L. A. Nature Clim. Change https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01507-1 (2022).

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