Protodune Dynamics and Meteorological Measurements from the Namib Desert, 2023

Raw point cloud data from repeat terrestrial laser scans (TLS) tracks the development, migration, and erosion of early-stage protodunes on a gravel surface. The dataset also includes wind speed measurements from a CSAT 3D sonic anemometer and sediment transport data from a Sensit sensor. Data was collected by the British Geological Survey at Helga's Interdune Area in the Gobabeb, Namib Desert, Namibia from September to December 2023.

Use Cases

• Modeling protodune migration and erosion patterns based on repeat terrestrial laser scan data.
• Analyzing the relationship between wind speed and sediment transport based on anemometer and Sensit sensor measurements.
• Studying early-stage dune development on gravel surfaces in hyper-arid environments.

Strengths

• Includes multi-modal data: terrestrial laser scans, wind speed, and sediment transport.
• Data collection covers a specific four-month period (September-December 2023) for temporal analysis.
• Focuses on a specific, well-defined geographic location: Helga's Interdune Area, Gobabeb, Namib Desert.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale modeling.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

British Geological Survey (BGS)

Collection Method

Terrestrial laser scans (TLS), CSAT 3D sonic anemometer, and Sensit sensor.

Time Range

September to December 2023

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04 09 08:28:03.296050; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Helga's Interdune Area (north), Gobabeb, Namib Desert, Namibia