EN
The aim of the study was to determine the impact of climatic and meteorological conditions on aeolian sand transport within barchans. The study area was located at Western Sahara, around the towns of Tarfaya and Laâyoune. Particular attention was paid to the factors that increase the moisture content of the surface and subsurface layers of sand dunes. It could be one of the important factors to have an influence on threshold wind velocity. Western Sahara dune fields are situated in the zone of the dominant wind direction from the northern sector, which determines the barchan dunes shape and orientation, as well as the supply of moisture from the Atlantic Ocean. The results of investigations confirm that dunes receive quite a lot of moisture from rainfall and such phenomena as fog as well. Studies have confirmed that the water supply from the fog is comparable to, or even exceeds the amount of water from rainfall in the area. Wetted surface layer reduces the transport of aeolian material, even in case of a wind speed greater than 4-5 ms⁻¹. The presence of fog and dew does not affect the moisture of the deeper sand layers, which occurs after rainfall. Analysis of aeolian sand transport within the barchan dunes in the areas such a Western Sahara, should not be therefore limited to the measurement of wind speed and its direction. It must include the investigations on other meteorological elements, especially air temperature and humidity conditions, responsible for the amount of atmospheric deposits on the dune surface.