I guess the movies about being buried by sandstorms are no joke. One researcher found a 30 mph wind to blow 6,000 lbs of sand across a 100 foot line in one hour.
http://www.nps.gov/archive/whsa/Sand%20Dune%20Geology.htm
In scientific terms, that’s 2 lb•ft–1•mph–1•hr–1 Whoa!!!
One reseacher defined sand as between .02 mm and 1.0 mm in diameter, while another used the range of .1 mm to 1.6 mm. Averaging the two methods, we obtain 0.68 mm per grain. Then dig a smallish vertical shaft, one grain in diameter, down through the dune until you reach "non-dune". You'll need to keep count of the grains you remove. Then multiply the total grains removed by 0.68 mm per grain, convert to the English system if desired, and you have your answer. [::)]
I recommend using a hand tally counter for improved accuracy.
(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sieves-india.co.in%2FHand%2520Tally%2520Counter.jpg&hash=6c7ffe369e35a30941d63d0a6afc6bcc)
Thank ewe DiscoverDave ...phew !!..that's a lot of sand across that one line !..was that at ground level then ? ie it's just the sand that crossed the line literally just above it ?.....
I did try to use the hand tally counter but unfortunately it staggeringly lost count after 9999 and so I had to count in my head...I lost count at 10,000....DOH !