Electric fields in unsteady wind-blown sand.

The electrification of wind-blown sand has been widely confirmed by field and wind-tunnel measurements. It plays an important role in the lifting and transport of sand particles. In this study we investigated the behavior of electric fields in unsteady saltation by adopting periodic variation wind sequences. The influence of electric fields on sand transport rate was also discussed. The results show that both horizontal and vertical electric fields exist in unsteady saltation, and the transport rate in unsteady saltation is less than that in steady saltation. An interesting result is that the directions of vertical electric field fluctuate upward and downward-pointing with time in the unsteady saltation. This provides a possible explanation for the bipolar pattern of the vertical electric field in wind-blown sand.