AIRSAR views of aerolian terrain

The Stovepipe Wells Dune Field provides a unique opportunity to observe several dune forms in one scene. These forms include reverse dunes, star dunes, transverse, and linear dunes. A sand mantle surrounds the dune field and can also be observed in the radar image. Dune types were discriminated best in co-polarized channels. Three major wind directions are responsible for the various dune forms. Winds from the north and south are responsible for the reverse dunes, winds from north for the transverse dunes, and the north - south and westerly winds for the star dunes. The winds also reflect the topographic configuration of this part of Death Valley. Vegetation over the dunes was most pronounced in the cross-polarized images. Lancaster et al. (1992) find that cross-polarized images are most useful in differentiating active from inactive dunes. This is because the vegetation backscatter signature is present over inactive dunes. Future studies should include multiple look and incidence angles to determine if the dune forms can still be seen at other angles.