Chercheurs

Physique / DURAN, ORENCIO

duran

Position

PhD student in sand dunes simulations
Institute for Computational Physics
University of Stuttgart
Stuttgart, Germany.

Thèmes de recherche

Recent and current topics of the ICP's dune group include collisions of Barchan (crescent-shaped) dunes, transformation of dune shapes in the presence of vegetation and formation of Barchans and transverse dunes from a sand bed.

Orencio Durán and Hans Herrmann of the University of Stuttgart in Germany developed their equations using scientific observations of sand-dune behaviour in desert regions. The two devised a mathematical model describing how and under what conditions a migrating dune, known as a barchan dune, can be turned by vegetation into an inactive parabolic dune, a dune that stays put. The dune behaviour predicted by their model fits well with what has been observed in nature and also gives a way of predicting who wins the battle in a given circumstance — plant or sand.

Prix et récompenses

Publications

O. Duran and H.J. Herrmann, Vegetation against dune mobility, Phys. Rev. Lett. accepted (2006)

O. Duran and H.J. Herrmann, Modelling of saturated sand flux, J. Stat. Mech. P07011 (2006)

O. Duran, V. Schwaemmle and H.J. Herrmann, Breeding and solitary wave behavior of dunes, Phys. Rev. E 72 021308 (2005)

O. Duran and R. Mulet, Evolutionary prisoner's dilemma in random graphs, Physics D 208 257-265 (2005)

O. Duran, V. Schatz, H.J. Herrmann and H. Tsoar, Transformation of barchans into parabolic dunes under the influence of vegetation, Proc. Powders and Grains 2005, 951-954 (2005)

H.J. Herrmann, O. Duran, E.J.R. Parteli and V. Schatz, Model for dunes with vegetation and dunes on Mars, for J. of Coastal Res. (ICS proceedings, 2005)