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Sand Dune Stabilization is a coastal management technique for preventing erosion. Sand dunes may be stabilized through the planting of vegetation. Sand dunes trap sand and beach material washed and blown up, the rate of erosion is slowed and an effective flood barrier is created. Footpaths will also have to be introduced to stop trampling. Sand dunes stabilisation is economical, environmentally friendly, does not disrupt the coastline, creates natural habitats for animals and plants and is not regarded as unattractive. However, for successful dunes to be placed it must be thoroughly researched beforehand and will take a long time to establish.

Vegetation

Sand dunes which already exist on the upper beach but lack vegetation can be stabilized by Transplanting plants onto the dune. What type of plants used is generally dictated by where on the dune the plants are going to be placed. A coastal dune is comprised of the foredune, which is the angled side of the linear dune which faces the ocean, the broad sand plain which may or may not be present on some coastal dunes, but is the flat expanse on the top of the dune, and the backdune which is the other angled side of the dune which faces away from the ocean.

Foredune Flora

Plants that thrive on the foredune must be tolerant to salt spray, strong winds, and sand burial. Vegetation typically found on the foredune are Ammophila arenaria, Honckenya peploides, Cakile maritima, and Spartina coarctata.

Backdune Flora

Plants which thrive on the broad dune plain and backdune have characteristics which cause the grasses to grow together into dense vegetation termed a "Dune Mat" that firmly holds the sand dune together. Vegetation typical of the broad sand plain and backdune are Hudsonia tomentosa, Spartina patens, Iva imbricata, and Eregeron glaucus. Sometimes these species can be invasive to native plant and animal life, however in dunes where no habitat currently exists, they pose no great threat.

After the Herbaceous plant species mentioned above have taken root and developed fully on the dune, the next stage of stabilization, or "shrub stage" can begin. During this phase, larger shrubs with deeper extending root systems are introduced to the habitat. Some examples are Empetrum nigrum, Ilex vomitoria, and Vaccinium ovatum. The shrub stage is usually the final phase of stabilization and may last for short or long periods of time depending on microclimatic conditions such as distance from the shoreline, availability of groundwater, or salt spray effects.

Public and Private Coastal Management

Often, long stretches of shoreline are not owned by a single owner, but but are instead divided into segments usually owned by many separate owners. Because of this, it is sometimes difficult to stabilize an entire linear dune which may run the length of the beach due to private unwillingness to cooperate or from extended deliberation when deciding if and how to best stabilize the dune. Vegetation on private lots is chosen at the discretion of the lot owner and thus can be decided based on aesthetic appearance and personal taste rather than on traits that would best characterize the plant for that position. Because of this, dune integrity can be segmented, known as a fragmented or decoupled gradient which creates weak points in the dune that are ineffective against mitigating floods. Fragmented dune gradients are in an environmentally degraded state, however they can provide unique opportunities for nature to grow where it otherwise may not have.

References

1. "A guide to managing coastal erosion in beach/dune systems". Scottish Natural Heritage. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
2. Martinez, M. L. (2004). Coastal Dunes: Ecology and Conservation. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. ISBN 3-540-40829-0. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
3. Nordstrom, Karl F. (2008). Beach and Dune Restoration. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-85346-0.

External Links

• Sand Dune Stabilization And Reclamation In Southeastern Colorado
• Monitoring sand dune stabilization along the coastal dunes of Ashdod-Nizanim Israel
• [http://www.vetiver.org/KUW_WORKSHOP_papers/KUW_6TTV.pdf Vetiver System for Sand Dune Stabilization

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