COASTAL DUNE

Definition
Formation
Case study
- Advantages
- Disadvantages
 What is a dune?

A mound or ridge of sand shaped by

the wind, occurring along river beds
and seashores, and on desert plains.
 How is it formed?
• Longshore drift may deposit sand in the inter
tidal zone.
• As tide ebbs (decrease), the sand will dry out
allowing wind from sea to move material up
the beach by saltation.
• Sand become trapped by seaweed and
driftwood/berms or point of highest spring
tides.
• Plant begin to colonised the area stabilising
sand and encouraging further accumulation.
 CASE STUDY: CANADA
• Many coastal dune deposits develop in
association with blowouts in ridges of beach
sand.
• Blowouts are small saucer shaped depressions
where there is a deposit of sand at the upwind
end of the feature.
 Advantages:
• Variety purposes such as:
- Mining (placer mining & sand extraction)
- Water extraction
- Waste water disposal
- Housing
- Agriculture
- Recreation
• Existing vegetated dunes can be utilised for recreation,
education, research & conservation with little permanent
damage if such use is correctly managed.
 Disadvantages(Problems):
• Sand drift
• Shoreline recession
• Soil over-nutrification
• Loss of species
• Destruction of archaeological sites & reduced recreational
amenity.
• Permanent loss of vegetation is unavoidable
• Coastal dune vegetation has limited capacity to recover from
some of these uses. Much of the coast has already sustained
some loss of intrinsic value which may be costly and difficult to
rehabilitate.
 What the local people do?
• There is potential for heavy mineral sands
mining to stabilise and rehabilitate unstable or
eroded dune systems and in appropriate
situations.
• A fundamental goal of the management of
dune vegetation is to provide the means for
community to enjoy the widest possible range
of coastal activities without degrading the
resource base which support them.
 DONE BY:

EMMELINE
Hafizah

Maswana