TITLE:
The Effect of a Single Shrub on Wind Speed and Nabkhas Dune Development: A Case Study in Kuwait
AUTHORS:
Jasem M. Al-Awadhi
KEYWORDS:
Nabkhas; Sediment; Porosity; Wind Tunnel
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Geosciences,
Vol.5 No.1,
January
21,
2014
ABSTRACT: Thirty coastal nabkhas were selected for morphometrical
measurements. The studied nabkhas were mostly elongated, with an average total
length of about 12.9 m, an average width of 3.4 m, and an average
height of 1.2 m. Optical porosity of nabkha shrub crown was measured and no
apparent relationship with the horizontal size of trapped wind laden sand was found. A simple wind tunnel experiment was carried out to investigate the horizontal
wind-flow distribution across a pro-typed shrub. The results of the experiment
revealed that the degree of wind sheltering might extend up to a
downwind distance approximately equal to 4.5 times the height of the shrub,
where an effective velocity recovery started.