Because the dune field lies in an area once occupied by ancient lakes, LiDAR sampling may also help determine erosion rates for paleontologically-rich shoreline deposits and locate and monitor unique archaeological gypsum hearth mounds. This information helps White Sands National Park managers understand how changing climate and large-scale groundwater withdrawal projects in the region may affect dune field integrity. These shrub coppice Global climate change has become a prominent concern dunes and the mesquite shrubs that grow on them may in the arid and semiarid portions of the southwestern be considered roughness elements. Vegetation and groundwater monitoring occurs along with dune monitoring to help clarify the potential cause and effect relationships between dune activity, vegetation, and the shallow water table. We monitor dunes using repeated LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) surveys. Infiltration rate after 25 min was signifi-cantly greater for coppice dunes than for dune interspaces under both frozen and unfrozen soil conditions (Fig.
![coppice dune coppice dune](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/2b/ad/54/2bad5465f879275cc974b719c6123092--geology-dune.jpg)
Vegetation and water stabilize the dunes. 12 coppice dune and 6 interspace plots were classified as porous concrete frost. Strong prevailing winds push the sand into dunes that constantly change shape as they move downwind. Water sinks into the ground or forms shallow pools that dry out under the desert sun, leaving behind the gypsum crystals that break down into sand when exposed to the weather. Chihuahuan Desert dune fields are located in closed basins-meaning water does not flow out of the basins.
![coppice dune coppice dune](https://i0.wp.com/gabrielhemery.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/sweet-chestnut-coppice-products.jpg)
It is unusual to find gypsum in the form of sand because it dissolves in water. White Sands National Park in New Mexico protects a portion of the largest dune field, the second largest field is located in Cuatro Cienegas in the Mexican state of Coahuila, and the third largest is in Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas. The three largest gypsum dune fields in the world are located in the Chihuahuan Desert. Aerial view of gypsum sand dunes at White Sands National Park The infiltration rate ofthe coppice dune soil was greater.