THE SEARCH FOR THE WORLD’S FASTEST SAND DUNE: GOOGLE EARTH HISTORICAL IMAGERY AS AN ACCESSIBLE TOOL FOR PUBLIC GEOMORPHOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT

Sand dune migration is an important risk for many communities, and migration may become more of an issue with desertification from anthropogenic climate change. However, the public lacks the key tools needed to assess individual sand dune migration risks. In addition, there is a lack of a global study of dune movement is necessary to better understand what constrains migration. We wanted to demonstrate that Google Earth historical imagery provides sound scientific understanding of sand dune migration in an accessible manner open to all regardless of scientific or socio-economic background. We measured sand dune velocities from several locations using Google Earth historical satellite images. We used a grid measurement technique to assess dune migration rates. The results we obtained in this study match published dune rates for different geographical areas and environments. Therefore, the use of Google Earth imagery provides quantitatively similar results to less publicly accessible remote sensing methods. We determined that small barchan dunes in the Sanlongsha Dune Field in the Kumtagh Sand Sea of northwest China are likely the world’s fastest dunes. Fast dune systems come from disparate geographic locations, but all are in generally drier areas with relatively strong winds. We conclude that, in the face of increased desertification, there may be a future global increase in the rate of dune migration. We highlight how anyone can use Google Earth to do similar investigations of local sand dune migration and obtain meaningful results that closely match previously published work. Therefore, Google Earth can be a powerful tool in making the public more aware of risks associated with geomorphologic processes.