Transverse dunes, which form under unidirectional winds and have fixed profile in the direction perpendicular to the wind, occur on all celestial objects of our solar system where dunes have been detected. Here we perform a numerical study of the ave
rage turbulent wind flow over a transverse dune by means of computational fluid dynamics simulations. We find that the length of the zone of recirculating flow at the dune lee --- the {em{separation bubble}} --- displays a surprisingly strong dependence on the wind shear velocity, $u_{ast}$: it is nearly independent of $u_{ast}$ for shear velocities within the range between $0.2,$m$$s and $0.8,$m$$s but increases linearly with $u_{ast}$ for larger shear velocities. Our calculations show that transport in the direction opposite to dune migration within the separation bubble can be sustained if $u_{ast}$ is larger than approximately $0.39,$m$$s, whereas a larger value of $u_{ast}$ (about $0.49,$m$$s) is required to initiate this reverse transport.
Barchan dunes --- crescent-shaped dunes that form in areas of unidirectional winds and low sand availability --- commonly display an asymmetric shape, with one limb extended downwind. Several factors have been identified as potential causes for barch
an dune asymmetry on Earth and Mars: asymmetric bimodal wind regime, topography, influx asymmetry and dune collision. However, the dynamics and potential range of barchan morphologies emerging under each specific scenario that leads to dune asymmetry are far from being understood. In the present work, we use dune modeling in order to investigate the formation and evolution of asymmetric barchans. We find that a bimodal wind regime causes limb extension when the divergence angle between primary and secondary winds is larger than $90^{circ}$, whereas the extended limb evolves into a seif dune if the ratio between secondary and primary transport rates is larger than 25%. Calculations of dune formation on an inclined surface under constant wind direction also lead to barchan asymmetry, however no seif dune is obtained from surface tilting alone. Asymmetric barchans migrating along a tilted surface move laterally, with transverse migration velocity proportional to the slope of the terrain. Limb elongation induced by topography can occur when a barchan crosses a topographic rise. Furthermore, transient asymmetric barchan shapes with extended limb also emerge during collisions between dunes or due to an asymmetric influx. Our findings can be useful for making quantitative inference on local wind regimes or spatial heterogeneities in transport conditions of planetary dune fields hosting asymmetric barchans.
