Snow megadune fields on the East Antarctic Plateau: extreme atmosphere-ice interaction

Large dune fields occupy more than 500,000 km(2) of the East Antarctic Plateau. The "megadunes", or long-wavelength surface ripples, have amplitudes of only a few meters, wavelengths of a few kilometers, and parallel crests which can extend one hundred kilometers. They occur in areas characterized by low accumulation, extensively recrystallized snow, and strong scattering of the microwave part of the spectrum. Dune crests are oriented perpendicular to the regional katabatic wind direction. Snow megadunes are unlikely to be formed by simple wind transport of snow particles.