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UP: Fachverband Umweltphysik

UP 3: Air Quality, Exposure and Atmospheric Dynamics

UP 3.2: Vortrag

Dienstag, 10. März 2026, 11:45–12:00, MER/0002

Stratification patterns of soil particle electric charge distribution boost wind-blown sand transport — •Danilo da Silva Borges, Sandesh Kamath, Gerhard Wurm, and Eric Josef Ribeiro Parteli — Faculty of Physics, University of Duisburg-Essen

Since the pioneering studies by Michael Faraday in the 19th century, it is known that wind-blown sand transport generates electric fields reaching various MV/m. Such fields are caused by contact electrification of sand particles during wind-blown transport, but their effect on the minimal threshold wind velocity (u_ft) required for wind-blown sand transport initiation remains controversial. Elucidating this effect is of utmost relevance for a broad range of fields, from desertification research to the geology of Mars. Here we show, by means of CFD–DEM simulations, that u_ft can be substantially affected not only by the presence of a particle charge distribution, but also by the spatial distribution of the charges within the granular soil. While a random spatial distribution of charges enhances u_ft, the presence of domains of like electric charges in the soil lowers the onset for sand transport. In a general fashion, our simulations suggest that the total electrostatic to gravitational potential energy ratio, C₀, is the most important control parameter, with u_ft increasing (decreasing) with the charge magnitude when C₀ is negative (positive). Our findings provide a theoretical framework for the interpretation of wind-tunnel and field data, and demonstrate that spatial charge patterns constitute a key parameter for wind-blown sand transport.

Keywords: CFD-DEM simulations; granular matter; aeolian sand transport; tribocharging