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Revision as of 11:34, 30 May 2010 by 82.43.158.190 (talk) (→Backdune flora)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)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, thereby slowing the rate of erosion and creating an effective flood barrier. Footpaths will also have to be introduced to stop trampling. Sand dune stabilization 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 can generally take long periods of time until established.
Vegetation
Sand dunes which already exist on the upper beach but vegetation can be stabilized by transplanting plants onto the dune. What type of plants are used is generally dictated by where on the dune the plants are going to be placed. A coastal dune is composed 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. penis
Public and private coastal management
Often, long stretches of shoreline are not owned by a single owner, 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
- "A guide to managing coastal erosion in beach/dune systems". Scottish Natural Heritage. Retrieved December 12 2009.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - Nordstrom, Karl F. (2008). Beach and Dune Restoration. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-85346-0.
See also
- Coastal management
- Sand dune ecology
- Coastal erosion
- Coastal geography
- Integrated coastal zone management
- Beach evolution
- Longshore transport
External links
- Sand Dune Stabilization And Reclamation In Southeastern Colorado
- Monitoring sand dune stabilization along the coastal dunes of Ashdod-Nizanim Israel
- Vetiver System for Sand Dune Stabilization A Vietnamese Experience
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