  The simplest type of dune is the transverse one, which propagates with
invariant profile orthogonally to a fixed wind direction. Here we show
numerically and with a linear stability analysis that transverse dunes are
unstable with respect to along-axis perturbations in their profile and decay on
the bedrock into barchan dunes. Any forcing modulation amplifies exponentially
with growth rate determined by the dune turnover time. We estimate the distance
covered by a transverse dune before fully decaying into barchans and identify
the patterns produced by different types of perturbation.
