Sand dunes are inanimate objects, so they don't think or feel, but they can communicate with their neighbors and let them know they need space, according to research published by scientists at Cambridge University
The scientists made the discovery after putting two identical piles of sand in a special, 6.5 feet across rotating tank that generated enough water flow to move the particles. Sand dunes are known to move around, or migrate, in rivers, oceans and deserts and smaller dunes generally move faster than larger ones, Karol Bacik, a PhD candidate in Cambridge's Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics told CNN.
Sand dunes tend to occur in vast dune fields or corridors, so understanding how they interact will help scientists understand the long term evolution of landscapes, Bacik said.He said this phenomenon has been seen in satellite images of deserts, but scientists didn't know what caused the dunes to repel each other.They found that when the flow of water hits the first dune it generates turbulent swirls and curls that are similar to the wake of a boat.
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