SABAKURAKU
Wind draws the sand.
Wind shapes the sand, and water decides the land. From dune formation to desertification, oasis groundwater, flash floods, dry belts, and rain shadows — understand the science of drylands by watching and interacting. An iOS / Android education app.
Modules
Dune Formation
Change the sand supply and the spread of wind directions to grow four dune types: barchan, transverse, linear, and star. With long low-sun shadows and a phase diagram that shows where you are.
Water Balance & Desertification
The aridity index (UNEP classes) is the ratio of rainfall to potential evapotranspiration. Raise grazing pressure until vegetation suddenly collapses, and find that easing off does not bring it back.
Oases & Groundwater
Recharge from distant mountains and pumping from wells move the water table, and springs run dry. See salt build up in irrigated fields, and how drainage channels prevent it, in cross-section.
Flash Floods (Wadis)
Rain that exceeds the infiltration capacity becomes runoff, races down a dry riverbed, and strikes a village downstream under clear skies. Read the arrival time and peak flow on a hydrograph.
Why Dry Belts Form
Hadley circulation and the subtropical high, the seasonal shift of the ITCZ and the Sahel rainy season, and coastal deserts where a cold current brings only fog, never rain.
Rain Shadow
Follow an air parcel over a mountain range through dry and moist adiabatic changes. It drops its rain on the windward side and descends warm and dry (foehn), turning the far side into desert.
Features
How-to Guide on Every Screen
Each screen has a guide and an explanation that show what each control does and what to watch for.
Landscape, Large Text, Screen Readers
Supports landscape orientation, large text sizes, and screen readers (VoiceOver / TalkBack).
Nine Languages
Japanese, English, Chinese (Simplified / Traditional), Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Korean, German, and French.
Free, No Purchases
Free with banner ads only. No in-app purchases or subscriptions. iOS 15.0+ / Android 7.0 (API 24)+.
Series
The "extreme environments" pair with HYOURAKU, which covers the cryosphere. Learn Earth from both extremes: cold and dry.