Aeolian saltation transport rate: an example of the effect of sediment supply

The channel of the Whitewater River near Palm Springs, California, is an excellent location to assess the effect of sand supply and mobility on the quantity of material moved by aeolian saltation. Saltation fluxes at the site taken by Sharp (1964) were compared to the fluxes that would have been produced under ideal conditions for the spectrum of winds inferred for the site. The discrepancy between the two fluxes is, in general, consistent with whose observed elsewhere for similar surfaces. Variations are linked to runoff in the Whitewater River and, hence, the supply of fresh sand.