barchan

[bahr-kahn]

noun

1. a crescent-shaped sand dune with the convex side in the direction of the wind.

barchan

/ bɑːˈkɑːn /

noun

1. a crescent-shaped shifting sand dune, convex on the windward side and steeper and concave on the leeward

Word History and Origins

Origin of barchan¹

1885–90; < Russian barkhán, said to be < Turkic

Example Sentences

Stump described the memorial’s future appearance as having two barchan dune forms that would create an oasis in the middle, and a wall color and texture that would evoke the desert where Desert Storm took place.

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Some curved peaks here, for instance, look like so-called barchan dunes, which form when the wind blows steadily in a single direction—a feature common in Earth deserts as well as those on Mars.

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Their shape is why they are known as "barchan dunes."

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The crescent-shaped barchan dunes of Lagoa dos Barros on southern Brazil’s Atlantic coast.

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This post was cowritten by Margareta Barchan of Business School Lausanne, who recently sat down with Paul Polman at Unilever Unilever headquarters in London.

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