Ripples versus giant dunes in a saltation-avalanche model
A simple stochastic cellular automaton model is proposed for ripples and dunes formation. Saltation and avalanches are the unique ingredients of the model. The dynamics of ripple formation is found to be logarithmic in time while the ripple merging as well as the dune growth is faster and occurs by bursts. The ripple state turns out to be metastable.
ripples avalanches granular media