The Ar Rub’ al Khali

Dune Formation

Types of Dunes

• Star Dunes
• Dome Dunes
• Barchan Dunes

How The Dunes have Changed

Plants

• Floral Plants
• East African Plants
• Grass species
• wet season ephemerals

Plants habitat

• leeward sides of dunes
• shifting sand
• wetter cooler areas

Plant Adaptations

• low rainfall
• temp., humidity, water availability, salinity control
• deep root systems

Animal Life

• most common are ungulates
• threatened

Adaptations

• Oryx-lowest mass-specific water-influx rate
• Allometric relationship
• Tightly regulates efflux

Human Use

Conservation Efforts

References

• http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/51cbecf37896bb431f68eb30/
• http://www.100-beautiful-sites-in-the-world.com/rub-al-khali.html
• http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0140196301908936/1-s2.0-S0140196301908936-main.pdf?_...
• Bishop, Mark, A. (2010). “Nearest Neighbor analysis of mega-barchanoid dunes, Ar Rub’ al Khali, sand sea: The application of geographical indices to the understanding of the dune field self-organization, maturity and environmental change”. Geomorphology. Clark, Arthur. (1989). “”. Saudi Aramco World. https://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/198903/lakes.of.the.rub.al-khali.htm
• Vincent, Peter. (2008). “Saudi Arabie: An Environmental Overview”. New York: Taylor and Francis.
• http://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/pa1303
• http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~patches/publication/Ostrowski_JM_2002.pdf
• chrome-extension://laookkfknpbbblfpciffpaejjkokdgca/dashboard.html