U-SHAPED DUNES AND EFFECTIVE WIND DIRECTIONS IN ALBERTA

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Abstract
Studies were made of aerial photographs of sand dune areas outlined by the Alberta Soil Survey. The presence of U-shaped, V-shaped, blow-out parabolic dunes indicated the direction of the effective wind responsible for their formation. Descriptions, pictures of such dunes and a sketch map showing the probable effective wind directions are included in the report. The shapes of these dunes indicate that the effective wind direction in the Grande Prairie area was from the southwest. In the central portion of Alberta the effective wind direction was from the northwest, while in the southern and southeastern portion of the province the effective winds were from the southwest. Comparison of the indicated effective wind directions with the average pattern of the direction of strong winds shows a very marked similarity.