Restoration of coastal dunes breached by pipeline landfalls in north-east Scotland

1989 ◽  
Vol 96 ◽  
pp. 231-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Ritchie ◽  
C. H. Gimingham
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Coastal Dunes ◽  
Sandy Beaches ◽  
Dune System ◽  
Surface Stability ◽  
North East ◽  
Marram Grass

SynopsisSix major oil and natural gas pipelines make landfalls on the coastline of north-east Scotland. Four land at St Fergus, one at Cruden Bay and one at Shandwick. The Cruden Bay line dates from 1973: at St Fergus landfalls were made in 1975, 1976 and 1984: and at Shandwick in 1979. With the exception of the Shandwick landfall, the pipelines cross relatively wide sandy beaches with associated dune ridges. All the pipelines were laid using a simple trenching technique whereby a beach trench was dug and a large V-shaped cut made through the main foredune ridge and interior backslope, inner dunes or slack environments. All these landforms were replaced quickly by backfilling. Thereafter, physical devices such as nets, brushwood, sand trapping fences and bitumen sprays ensured surface stability. Equally important was a replanting programme which had two main components: – hand-planted marram grass and agriculturally seeded grass mixtures. Topsoil was added, fertiliser was applied and other cultivation practices were used.Since 1973, several surveys of the progress and success of these restoration procedures have been made. On the whole, landform stability has been very satisfactory. Re-vegetation has met with mixed success, especially with regard to those changes which could be described as the gradual re-invasion of natural or local plant associations to replace the artificially planted species. Various lengths of time have ensued, and in some examples the rate and pattern of re-vegetation have been examined by means of periodic sampling. This has made possible reasonable assessments of the influence of local environment factors on the ability of sown species to establish and create a sward, the extent to which they persist over a period of years, and the ability of native species from the neighbouring dune system to re-invade and compete successfully in the developing turf. Standard methods have been used for planting marram grass to stabilise the steeper seaward sand slopes, but these are reviewed in the light of results of recent experimental studies of various planting techniques. The possibilities for exploiting these findings in the rehabilitation of any future pipeline crossings of dunes are considered. Since slightly different re-vegetation procedures were adopted in the several dune crossings under review, it is also possible to comment on the optimum solutions to restoration problems of this kind which are associated with mature coastal sand dunes.

scholarly journals Genetic Structure of Invasive Baby’s Breath (Gypsophila paniculata L.) Populations in a Michigan Dune System

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hailee B. Leimbach-Maus ◽  
Eric M. McCluskey ◽  
Alexandra Locher ◽  
Syndell R. Parks ◽  
Charlyn G. Partridge
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Geographic Distance ◽  
Genetic Distances ◽  
Ecosystem Dynamics ◽  
Dune System ◽  
Chloroplast Microsatellite ◽  
Gypsophila Paniculata

Coastal sand dunes are dynamic ecosystems with elevated levels of disturbance and are highly susceptible to plant invasions. One invasive plant that is of concern to the Great Lakes system is Gypsophila paniculata L. (perennial baby’s breath). The presence of G. paniculata negatively impacts native species and has the potential to alter ecosystem dynamics. Our research goals were to (1) estimate the genetic structure of invasive G. paniculata along the Michigan dune system and (2) identify landscape features that influence gene flow in this area. We analyzed 12 populations at 14 nuclear and two chloroplast microsatellite loci. We found strong genetic structure among populations (global FST = 0.228), and pairwise comparisons among all populations yielded significant FST values. Results from clustering analysis via STRUCTURE and discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) suggest two main genetic clusters that are separated by the Leelanau Peninsula, and this is supported by the distribution of chloroplast haplotypes. Land cover and topography better explained pairwise genetic distances than geographic distance alone, suggesting that these factors influence the genetic distribution of populations within the dunes system. Together, these data aid in our understanding of how invasive populations move through the dune landscape, providing valuable information for managing the spread of this species.

Some aspects of flow over coastal dunes

1989 ◽  
Vol 96 ◽  
pp. 129-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. R. Rasmussen
Keyword(s):  
Surface Stress ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Coastal Dunes ◽  
Sandy Beaches ◽  
Aeolian Transport ◽  
Wind Speed Profile ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Dune Ridge

SynopsisThe paper discusses limits under which flux-gradient relationships derived for horizontal homogeneous terrain can be applied to aeolian transport over non-uniform terrain with coastal dunes. For flat sandy beaches the roughness change upstream of the beach-dune boundary can be expected to be small. For horizontal beaches that are some hundred metres wide and where the length scale of the horizontal heterogeneities does not exceed some tens of metres, consistent surface stress and aerodynamical roughness values may be deduced from the wind-speed profile.Slope effects will modify the air flow strongly as it crosses a dune ridge or escarpment. Recent developments in the theory of turbulent flow over hills are discussed in relation to common coastal dune terrain. The depth of the layer where the profile is in equilibrium with the underlying surface typically does not exceed a few tens of centimeters. This strongly restricts our ability to derive reliable values for roughness and surface stress from the wind profile.Experimental studies at two coastal dunes in Denmark indicate that it is often difficult to obtain a good upwind reference for the flow. Analysis with a numerical model, set up for one of the sites, suggests that information about the flow and the value of experimental data may be improved when these can be both related to and supported by numerical calculations.

Geomorphology

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Anwar Maun
Keyword(s):  
Wave Energy ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Mass Movement ◽  
Coastal Dunes ◽  
High Water ◽  
Sandy Beaches ◽  
Dune Form ◽  
River Valleys ◽  
Coastal Land

Geomorphology is the study of form and structure of sand dunes. Dunes are found in three types of landscapes: sea coasts and lakeshores, river valleys, and arid regions. Coastal dunes are formed along coasts in areas above the high water mark of sandy beaches. They occur in both the northern and southern hemi sphere from the Arctic and Antarctic to the equator, and in arid and semi-arid regions. They are very common in temperate climates but are less frequent in tropical and subtropical coasts. Dunes are also common around river mouths where the sand carried in water is deposited (Carter et al. 1990b). During floods rivers overflow their banks and deposit sand in river valleys that is subsequently dried by wind and shaped into dunes. In dry regions with less than 200 mm of precipitation per year, the weathering of sandstone and other rocks produce sand that is subject to mass movement by wind because of sparsity of vegetation. There are many similarities in processes and patterns of dune form and structure among these three systems, however each location has its own unique features. In this chapter the emphasis will be on the geomorphology of dune systems along the coasts of oceans and lakes. Coastal geomorphologists have been attempting to classify the coastal land forms but they defy a simple classification because of tremendous variability in plant taxa, sand texture, wind velocity, climate, sand supply, coastal wave energy and biotic influences including human impact. According to Carter et al. (1990b) the great variety of coastal land forms around the world is primarily related to sediment availability, climate, wave energy, wind regime and types of vegetation. Classification based on these criteria would be more useful in distinguishing between shoreline dune forms than the use of subjective terms—for example white, grey or yellow dunes—sometimes employed by plant ecologists (Tansley 1953). Cowles (1899) said ´a dune complex is a restless maze´ because the great topographic diversity depends on changes in the dune terrain from day to day, month to month, season to season and year to year.

scholarly journals Increasing status of non-native vascular plants in the Sefton Coast sand-dune system, north Merseyside, UK

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip H. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Sand Dune ◽  
Native Plants ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Coastal Dunes ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Dune System ◽  
Dune Heath ◽  
Mobile Dune

Over 460 non-native (alien) taxa were recorded in a Sefton Coast sand-dune vascular plant inventory, their proportion in the flora increasing after 1999. Between 2005/06 and 2018, twice as many non-native as native plants were found. An analysis of occurrences of native and non-native taxa in six major habitat types found that a higher proportion of aliens was present in scrub/woodland and disturbed ground, while native plants had more occurrences in fixed dunes/dune grasslands, dune heath and wetlands. No differences between the two groups were detected for strandline/shingle and embryo/mobile dune habitats. Twenty-four non-native and 14 native taxa showed invasive characteristics in the duneland. The former included especially Hippophae rhamnoides and Rosa rugosa, both constituting major threats to sand-dune biodiversity. Particularly invasive native plants were Arrhenatherum elatius, Betula spp., Salix cinerea, and Ulex europaea. The main findings accord with studies elsewhere in Britain and Europe showing recent increases of neophytes in semi-natural habitats and that both non-native and native species can have invasive traits. The open habitats of coastal dunes seem to be particularly susceptible to plant invasions.

scholarly journals Genetic structure of invasive baby’s breath (Gypsophila paniculata) populations in a freshwater Michigan dune system

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hailee B. Leimbach – Maus ◽  
Syndell R. Parks ◽  
Charlyn G. Partridge
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Isolation By Distance ◽  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Dune System ◽  
Chloroplast Microsatellite ◽  
Gypsophila Paniculata ◽  
Pitcher's Thistle ◽  
Main Population

ABSTRACTCoastal sand dunes are dynamic ecosystems with elevated levels of disturbance, and as such they are highly susceptible to plant invasions. One such invasion that is of major concern to the Great Lakes dune systems is that of perennial baby’s breath (Gypsophila paniculata). The invasion of baby’s breath negatively impacts native species such as the federal threatened Pitcher’s thistle (Cirsium pitcheri) that occupy the open sand habitat of the Michigan dune system. Our research goals were to (1) quantify the genetic diversity of invasive baby’s breath populations in the Michigan dune system, and (2) estimate the genetic structure of these invasive populations. We analyzed 12 populations at 14 nuclear and 2 chloroplast microsatellite loci. We found strong genetic structure among populations of baby’s breath sampled along Michigan’s dunes (global FST = 0.228), and also among two geographic regions that are separated by the Leelanau peninsula. Pairwise comparisons using the nSSR data among all 12 populations yielded significant FST values. Results from a Bayesian clustering analysis suggest two main population clusters. Isolation by distance was found over all 12 populations (R = 0.755, P < 0.001) and when only cluster 2 populations were included (R = 0.523, P = 0.030); populations within cluster 1 revealed no significant relationship (R = 0.205, P = 0.494). Private nSSR alleles and cpSSR haplotypes within each cluster suggest the possibility of at least two separate introduction events to Michigan.

scholarly journals Monitoring the Dynamics of Formby Sand Dunes Using Airborne LiDAR DTMs

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 4665
Author(s):  
Ahmed Mutasim Abdalla Mahmoud ◽  
Ekbal Hussain ◽  
Alessandro Novellino ◽  
Panos Psimoulis ◽  
Stuart Marsh
Keyword(s):  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Digital Terrain Model ◽  
Coastal Dunes ◽  
Airborne Lidar ◽  
Dune System ◽  
Erosion Risk ◽  
Dune Systems ◽  
Sand Erosion ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Coastal dunes play an important role in coastal erosion risk management, where they act as a dynamic natural sea defence line. Formby coast is part of the Sefton coast in the Northwest of England and is one of the largest and most rapidly evolving sand dune systems in the UK. Such dune systems require continuous comprehensive monitoring activity to understand their dynamics. In this research, we investigate the use of airborne LiDAR digital terrain model DTMs for monitoring the dynamics of the sand dunes at Formby between 1999 and 2020. We found that the rate of elevation change for the beach and the dune areas ranges from −0.78 to 0.02 m/year and −0.92 to 0.73 m/year, respectively. The beach and the frontal dunes have had significant sand erosion, while the inner dunes gained sand during the measurement period. Vegetated areas remained unchanged due to the impact of vegetation in stabilizing the movement of the dunes. Formby beach had a volume loss of about 907,000 m3 in the last 21 years, while the dunes had a volume increase of about 1,049,000 m3 over the same period. The total volume of the entire dune system, consisting of both the beach and dune areas, remained unchanged, which indicates that the growth of the inland dunes is fed by sand from the beach. All the volumetric changes occurred due to sand redistribution within the system, with erosion along the beach, and deposition and erosion in the dune areas.

No evidence for interspecific interactions between plants in the first stage of succession on coastal dunes in subarctic Quebec, Canada

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 902-915 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilles Houle
Keyword(s):  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Interspecific Interactions ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Salt Spray ◽  
Coastal Dunes ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Coastal Dune ◽  
Dune System ◽  
Abiotic Conditions ◽  
Herbaceous Perennials

Coastal dunes are very dynamic systems, particularly where the coast is rising as a result of isostatic rebound. In those environments, succession proceeds from plants highly tolerant to sand accumulation, salt spray, and low nutrient availability to less disturbance-tolerant and stress-tolerant, more nutrient-demanding, and supposedly more competitive species. In the subarctic, the regional climate exacerbates the stresses imposed by local abiotic conditions on the dunes. I hypothesized that facilitation would be particularly significant on the foredune of subarctic coastal dune systems because of intense stresses (local and regional) and frequent disturbance in the form of sand deposition. Belowground and aboveground plant biomass was sampled at three different periods during the 1990 growing season along transects perpendicular to the shoreline on a coastal dune system in subarctic Quebec (Canada). The three herbaceous perennials found on the foredune (Honckenya peploides, Elymus mollis, and Lathyrus japonicus) were segregated in time during the growing season and in space along the topographical gradient. The biomass of Honckenya, the first species encountered as one progresses from the upper part of the beach towards the foredune ridge, was not correlated to substrate physicochemistry. However, the biomass of Elymus and that of Lathyrus, the next two species to appear along the flank of the foredune, were related to pH, Mg, Na, and Cl (negatively), and to P and Ca (positively). These results suggest variable linkages between substrate physicochemistry and plant species along the foredune, possibly in relation to species-specific tolerance for abiotic conditions and requirements for substrate resources or to microscale influence of the plants themselves on substrate physicochemistry. Removal experiments carried out over 2 years revealed only one significant unidirectional interaction between these three species along the topographical gradient, and little plant control over abiotic variables (e.g., soil temperature, wind velocity, and photosynthetically active radiation). Early primary succession on subarctic coastal dunes (and elsewhere) appears to be under the control of strong limiting abiotic conditions. As plants slowly gain more control over the physical environment, interspecific interactions (positive and negative) may become more significant. Key words: Elymus mollis, facilitation, Honckenya peploides, inhibition, Lathyrus japonicus, removal experiment, succession, tolerance.

Mammal surveys in the forests of the Carrai Plateau and Richmond Range in north-east New South Wales.

1994 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
J. Barker ◽  
D. Lunney ◽  
T. Bubela
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
North East ◽  
Mammal Fauna ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Species Lists ◽  
Fauna Composition ◽  
Eucalypt Forests ◽  
Open Forests

Mammal surveys were carried out on the Carrai Plateau and Richmond Range in north-east New South Wales between March 1988 and November 1989. The emphasis was placed on rainforest mammals, following the recognition by Adam ( 1987) that the species lists of mammals in the state&apos;s rainforests were incomplete and that more research was needed. The mammals were surveyed primarily by analysis of prey remains in Dog and Fox scats, collected from roads throughout the forests, and from bat trapping. The bat fauna at both the Carrai Plateau and Richmond Range is rich (1 0 species and nine species respectively, including the rare Golden-tipped Bat, Kerivoula papuensis, in the Richmond Range). Scat analysis revealed the presence of 24 native species on the Carrai Plateau, and on the Richmond Range there were 17 species, including high numbers of two pademelon species. Feral prey species are almost completely absent, although the Fox is an established predator in both areas. A sharp division was identified between the mammal faunas of closed and open forests. Differences were found also between the mammal fauna composition of the two rainforest sites, and with those of nearby eucalypt forests. The mammal fauna of New South Wales rainforests is distinct from open forests and future mammal surveys are needed to ensure an adequate level of knowledge to identify and conserve these areas.

Coastal sand dunes as biological systems

1989 ◽  
Vol 96 ◽  
pp. 17-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Willis
Keyword(s):  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Coastal Dunes ◽  
Nutrient Status ◽  
Large Animal ◽  
Ammophila Arenaria ◽  
Physiological Level ◽  
Tyria Jacobaeae ◽  
Ecological Importance ◽  
Dune Plants ◽  
Stress Metabolites

SynopsisWith the gradation of intensities of environmental factors from the strand-line to stable inland areas, coastal dunes show many ecological phenomena especially clearly. These are reviewed broadly, with some emphasis on topics on which important advances are being made. The nutrient status of dune soil and changes with time are shown with reference to several dune systems. Changes in major nutrients are given for Braunton Burrows, north Devon, where the influence of nitrogen fixation by Lotus corniculatus is illustrated. The effects of sand burial on plants are considered, and details given of the root systems of vigorous and relict marram; factors which may affect its decline in vigour are reviewed. Also discussed is the likely significance of nematodes in the decline of Hippophaë rhamnoides. Reasons for the richness of the dune flora are considered and also some autecological studies. At the physiological level, reference is made to the water relations of plants and at the biochemical level to the occurrence and possible ecological importance of stress metabolites. Life strategies, phenology, survivorship, competition and the population ecology of dune plants are reviewed and also the interaction of ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) and cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae). The population genetics of dune plants is illustrated by reference to Festuca rubra and Ammophila arenaria and of animals to Cepaea nemoralis.The abundance and ecological relationships of the invertebrate fauna are exemplified by surveys at Spurn Point, extensive investigations on spiders and the influence of marram on arthropod communities. The ecology of the natterjack load is considered in relation to conservation and the effects of large animal grazers in relation to the diversity of vegetation.

scholarly journals The role of the reef–dune system in coastal protection in Puerto Morelos (Mexico)

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1247-1260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gemma L. Franklin ◽  
Alec Torres-Freyermuth ◽  
Gabriela Medellin ◽  
María Eugenia Allende-Arandia ◽  
Christian M. Appendini
Keyword(s):  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Coastal Flooding ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Coastal Protection ◽  
Dune System ◽  
Fore Reef ◽  
Extreme Water Levels ◽  
Reef Environments ◽  
Storm Impact

Abstract. Reefs and sand dunes are critical morphological features providing natural coastal protection. Reefs dissipate around 90 % of the incident wave energy through wave breaking, whereas sand dunes provide the final natural barrier against coastal flooding. The storm impact on coastal areas with these features depends on the relative elevation of the extreme water levels with respect to the sand dune morphology. However, despite the importance of barrier reefs and dunes in coastal protection, poor management practices have degraded these ecosystems, increasing their vulnerability to coastal flooding. The present study aims to theoretically investigate the role of the reef–dune system in coastal protection under current climatic conditions at Puerto Morelos, located in the Mexican Caribbean Sea, using a widely validated nonlinear non-hydrostatic numerical model (SWASH). Wave hindcast information, tidal level, and a measured beach profile of the reef–dune system in Puerto Morelos are employed to estimate extreme runup and the storm impact scale for current and theoretical scenarios. The numerical results show the importance of including the storm surge when predicting extreme water levels and also show that ecosystem degradation has important implications for coastal protection against storms with return periods of less than 10 years. The latter highlights the importance of conservation of the system as a mitigation measure to decrease coastal vulnerability and infrastructure losses in coastal areas in the short to medium term. Furthermore, the results are used to evaluate the applicability of runup parameterisations for beaches to reef environments. Numerical analysis of runup dynamics suggests that runup parameterisations for reef environments can be improved by including the fore reef slope. Therefore, future research to develop runup parameterisations incorporating reef geometry features (e.g. reef crest elevation, reef lagoon width, fore reef slope) is warranted.

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