Coastal Dunes

Nordstrom, Karl F.

doi:10.1002/9781119117261.ch8

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Due to the important role of climatic parameters in determining the vegetation pattern, coastal grasslands may suffer the influence of climate change more than other coastal habitats (Bakker et al., ; Prisco, Carboni, Jucker, & Acosta, ). Rising temperatures and changes in precipitation can substantially alter the composition, distribution and abundance of species, which can eventually lead to shifts in the distribution of native plant communities (Nordstrom, ) and make dune perennial grasslands a key habitat for assessing the long‐term impact of global warming on coastal biodiversity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogeographic variability of coastal perennial grasslands at the European scale

Vecchio

Fantinato

Janssen

et al. 2018

Applied Vegetation Science

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Question: Coastal environments have often been described as azonal. While this characteristic is clear for the foredune system, it seems less evident for more inland fixed dunes, which host habitats of major conservation concern, whose features seem to be more related to local climatic conditions. We hypothesized that, unlike other coastal habitats, dune perennial grasslands differ floristically and structurally across their European range and that patterns of variation are linked to the corresponding climate. Location: European coasts (Atlantic Ocean, Baltic, Mediterranean, Black Sea). Methods: We used a large data set of phytosociological relevés, representative of coastal grasslands throughout their European range. The role of climatic variables (temperature, precipitation and continentality) in determining the variability in species composition and vegetation structure (by means of life forms) was investigated through CCA, DCA and GLM. The degree of concentration of species occurrences within groups was calculated through the Phi coefficient.Results: Through multivariate analyses we identified seven major types of coastal grassland, corresponding to different geographic areas. The groups significantly differed in their climatic envelope, as well as in their species composition and community structure. Conclusion:Our results confirm the hypothesis that coastal dune perennial grasslands are subjected to local climate, which exerts significant effects on both floristic composition and community structure. As a consequence, coastal grasslands are particularly prone to the effect of possible climate change, which may alter species composition and distribution, and lead to shifts in the distribution of native plant communities. K E Y W O R D S

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogeographic variability of coastal perennial grasslands at the European scale

Vecchio

Fantinato

Janssen

et al. 2018

Applied Vegetation Science

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“…Multiple additional factors have been identified as driving the location and development of dunes [46], which also confounds the development of predictive models. A strong link exists between dune morphodynamics and vegetation, the evolution of which is complex [14,37,47].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and Application of an Empirical Dune Growth Model for Evaluating Barrier Island Recovery from Storms

Dalyander

Mickey

Passeri

et al. 2020

JMSE

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Coastal zone managers require models that predict barrier island change on decadal time scales to estimate coastal vulnerability, and plan habitat restoration and coastal protection projects. To meet these needs, methods must be available for predicting dune recovery as well as dune erosion. In the present study, an empirical dune growth model (EDGR) was developed to predict the evolution of the primary foredune of a barrier island. Within EDGR, an island is represented as a sum of Gaussian shape functions representing dunes, berms, and the underlying island form. The model evolves the foredune based on estimated terminal dune height and location inputs. EDGR was assessed against observed dune evolution along the western end of Dauphin Island, Alabama over the 10 years following Hurricane Katrina (2005). The root mean square error with EDGR (ranging from 0.18 to 0.74 m over the model domain) was reduced compared to an alternate no-change model (0.69–0.96 m). Hindcasting with EDGR also supports the study of dune evolution processes. At Dauphin Island, results suggest that a low-lying portion of the site was dominated by overwash for ~5 years after Katrina, before approaching their terminal height and becoming growth-limited after 2010. EDGR’s computational efficiency allows dune evolution to be rapidly predicted and enables ensemble predictions to constrain the uncertainty that may result if terminal dune characteristics are unknown. In addition, EDGR can be coupled with an external model for estimating dune erosion and/or the long-term evolution of other subaerial features to allow decadal-scale prediction of barrier island evolution.

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“…However, variations in topography within dunes provide differences in exposure to overwash, flooding, wind, sediment transport and salt spray, a variability inextricably linked to the variety of microhabitats and landscape diversity (Figure 1b). Therefore, in some regions of the world, actively managed coastal dunes, sometimes so-called "dune dykes" [13], lost the ecosystem values and services offered by natural coastal dunes through a reduction in vegetation dynamics and natural community diversity [14]. Aerial photographs in Southwest France of (a) a reprofiled coastal dune designed as an alongshore-uniform feature with limited natural community diversity at Truc Vert, contrasted with (b) an alongshore-variable dune field with more natural community diversity at Anse du Gurp, Southwest France (Ph.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nature-Based Solution along High-Energy Eroding Sandy Coasts: Preliminary Tests on the Reinstatement of Natural Dynamics in Reprofiled Coastal Dunes

Castelle

Laporte-Fauret

Marieu

et al. 2019

Water

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This paper describes a large-scale experiment designed to examine if reinstating natural processes in the coastal dune systems of Southwest France can be a relevant nature-based adaptation in chronically eroding sectors and a nature-based solution against coastal hazards, by maintaining the coastal dune ecological corridor. An experiment started in late 2017 on a 4-km-long stretch of coast at Truc Vert, where experimental notches were excavated and intensively monitored in the incipient and established foredunes. Preliminary results indicate that most of the excavated notches did not develop into blowout. Only the larger elongated notches subsequently excavated in the established foredune in 2018 showed evidence of development, acting as an effective conduit for aeolian landward transport into the dunes. All notches were found to have a statistically significant impact on vegetation dynamics downwind, even those that did not develop. The area of bare sand landward and within the elongated notches notably increased implying a loss of vegetation cover during this first stage of development. Observations of a nearby coastal dune system that has been in free evolution over the last 40 years also indicate that, although the dune migrated inland by more than 100 m, it is now mostly made of bare sand. Further work is required to explore if and how dunes maintained as dynamic systems can become an efficient nature-based solution along this eroding coastline.

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Coastal Dunes

Cited by 6 publications

References 22 publications

Biogeographic variability of coastal perennial grasslands at the European scale

Biogeographic variability of coastal perennial grasslands at the European scale

Development and Application of an Empirical Dune Growth Model for Evaluating Barrier Island Recovery from Storms

Nature-Based Solution along High-Energy Eroding Sandy Coasts: Preliminary Tests on the Reinstatement of Natural Dynamics in Reprofiled Coastal Dunes

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