@article{fdi:010055777,
  title = {{I}nter-annual variability of southerly winds in a coastal area of the {A}tacama {D}esert : implications for the export of aeolian sediments to the adjacent marine environment},
  author = {{F}lores-{A}queveque, {V}. and {A}lfaro, {S}. {C}. and {C}aquineau, {S}andrine and {F}oret, {G}. and {V}argas, {G}. and {R}utllant, {J}. {A}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}he analysis of the aeolian content of marine cores collected off the coast of the {A}tacama {D}esert ({M}ejillones {B}ay, {C}hile) suggests that marine sediments can record inter-annual to inter-decadal variations in the regional southerly winds responsible for particle entrainment at the surface of the nearby desert. {H}owever, the establishment of a simple and direct correlation between the sediment and wind records is complicated by the difference of time scales between the erosion and accumulation processes. {T}he aim of this work is to: (i) assess the inter-annual variability of the surface winds responsible for the sand movements; and (ii) determine whether the integration over periods of several months completely smoothes the rapid changes in characteristics of the transported and deposited aeolian material. {T}o accomplish this aim, 14 years of 10 m hourly wind speed, measured at the {C}erro {M}oreno ({A}ntofagasta) {A}irport between 1991 and 2003 and at the {O}rica {S}tation between 2000 and 2004, were analyzed. {F}or each year, the wind speed statistical distribution can be represented by a combination of two to three {W}eibull functions. {W}inds of the lowest {W}eibull mode are too weak to move the sand grains at the surface of the pampa; this is not the case for the intermediate mode and especially for the highest speed mode which are able to erode the arid surface and transport particles to the bay. {I}n each individual year of the period of study, the highest speed mode only accounted for a limited number of strong erosion events. {Q}uantitative analysis of the distribution of the friction velocities and of their impact on erosion using a saltation model suggests that, although all wind speeds above threshold produce erosion events, values around 0.45 m sec-1 contribute less to the erosion flux. {T}his gap allows separation of the erosion events into low and high saltation modes. {T}he correlation (r = 0.997) between the importance of the third {W}eibull mode and the extent of higher rate saltation indicates that the inter-annual variability of the erosion at the surface of the pampa, as well as the transport of coarse particles (>100 mu m), are directly related to inter-annual variations in the prevalence of the strongest winds. {F}inally, a transport and deposition model is used to assess the possible impact of the wind inter-annual variability on the deposition flux of mineral particles in the bay. {T}he results suggest that inter-annual differences in the wind speed distributions have a quantifiable effect on the intensity and size-distribution of this deposition flux. {T}his observation suggests that a detailed analysis of the sediment cores collected from the bay could be used for reconstructing the inter-annual variability of past winds.},
  keywords = {{A}tacama {D}esert ; dust transport and deposition ; wind erosion ; wind variability},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{S}edimentology},
  volume = {59},
  numero = {3},
  pages = {990--1000},
  ISSN = {0037-0746},
  year = {2012},
  DOI = {10.1111/j.1365-3091.2011.01288.x},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010055777},
}