The side of a sand dune facing the ocean is called leeward.
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The upwind direction of a sand dune has a gentle slope. A steep slope is on the downwind side. The pronounced slope of a sand dune is called a slip face. Sand erodes from the wind off the slip face. To learn more about sand dunes, visit http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/geol111/deserts.htm.
A sand dune that got blown away
Imagine a landscape made almost entirely of sand. A sand dune is a deposit of wind-blown sand.
A longitudinal dune is a large, elongated dune lying parallel to the prevailing wind direction.
role in formation of sand dunes (in sand dune: Formation and growth of dunes)...sand brought up the windward slope. When this depositional slope is steepened to the angle of repose of dry sand (about 32°), this angle is maintained and the added sand slips down the slope or slip face. When this happens, the dune form is in equilibrium, and the dune moves forward as a whole, sand being eroded from the windward side and deposited on the lee.