Dune-field pattern similarity across planetary bodies

Aeolian dune-fields form on a wide range of planetary bodies and generate similar patterns across these systems. Over time, dune-field patterns evolve toward fewer, larger, and more widely spaced dunes, giving rise to the hypothesized end product of a "perfect pattern." In this work, the spatial density of dune interactions was measured to quantify and compare patterns of different scales on Earth, Mars, and Titan. Results demonstrate that linear and crescentic dune morphologies follow statistically distinct but parallel trends, which can be modeled by an inverse quadratic relationship between interaction density and spacing. When parameterized in non-dimensional terms, these two curves collapse to a constant and the relative spatial density of interactions (termed the interaction index) does not change with spacing. Dune fields rapidly form patterns associated with their morphology, and that these patterns are maintained as the pattern coarsens over time. Agreement between terrestrial fields and dune fields on Mars and Titan further suggests that dune field patterns are independent of the planetary boundary conditions that do not contribute to dune morphology.