Barchan swarm dynamics from a Two-Flank Agent-Based Model

Abstract

Abstract. We perform simulations of barchan swarms using the Two-Flank Agent-Based model investigating the effects of changing the angular separation between primary and secondary modes of wind, the density at which new dunes are injected, and the parameter q_shift which controls the rate at which sediment is reorganised to restore symmetry in an asymmetric dune. Unlike previous agent-based models, we are able to produce longitudinally homogeneous size distributions and, for sparse swarms, steady longitudinal number density. We are able to constrain q_shift by comparing the range of values for which longitudinally stability is observed with the range of values for which the width of asymmetry distributions is consistent with real-world swarms. Furthermore, we demonstrate dune size, asymmetry, dune density, spatial alignment, and collision dynamics are all strongly influenced by the angular separation of bimodal winds.