Sand supply and dune grass species density affect foredune shape along the US Central Atlantic Coast
Advanced Search
Select up to three search categories and corresponding keywords using the fields to the right. Refer to the Help section for more detailed instructions.

Search our Collections & Repository

All these words:

For very narrow results

This exact word or phrase:

When looking for a specific result

Any of these words:

Best used for discovery & interchangable words

None of these words:

Recommended to be used in conjunction with other fields

Language:

Dates

Publication Date Range:

to

Document Data

Title:

Document Type:

Library

Collection:

Series:

People

Author:

Help
Clear All

Query Builder

Query box

Help
Clear All

For additional assistance using the Custom Query please check out our Help Page

i

Sand supply and dune grass species density affect foredune shape along the US Central Atlantic Coast

Filetype[PDF-1.94 MB]


Details Supporting Files You May Also Like

Details:

  • Journal Title:
    Ecosphere
  • Personal Author:
  • NOAA Program & Office:
    NOS (National Ocean Service)
  • Description:
    Coastal foredunes form via biophysical feedbacks between sand accretion and burial‐tolerant vegetation and can protect coastlines from hazards such as extreme storms and sea level rise. Predicting how coastal dunes, and the services they provide, will change in the future requires an understanding of the relative roles of the physical and ecological processes that shape their structure and function. Here we assess the relative roles of sand supply, beach morphology, and vegetation in determining foredune morphology, and its change, along a 300‐km stretch of the US Central Atlantic coast. In particular, we used the spatial variability inherent in beaches and dunes of this region to determine the relative importance of shoreline change rate (SCR; a proxy for sand supply to the beach), beach morphology, and grass density of four widespread dune grasses (Uniola paniculata, Ammophila breviligulata, Panicum amarum, and Spartina patens) to foredune morphology metrics (height, width, and aspect ratio) along the North Carolina Outer Banks barrier islands. Foredune morphology and change metrics are correlated with three main factors: multidecadal SCR (1997–2016), beach slope, and dune grass density and species identity. Multidecadal SCR and beach width explained the most variation in, and were positively correlated with, foredune height and width, and were negatively correlated with foredune aspect ratio (height divided by width). In addition, grass density and changes in grass density contributed significantly to foredune morphology change. We found a positive relationship between change in A. breviligulata density and foredune width, which aligns with previous studies on the US Atlantic and Pacific Northwest coasts. Our results demonstrate the interactive roles of beach sand supply and dune grass functional morphology in dune building processes on highly vulnerable coastlines.
  • Keywords:
  • Source:
    Ecosphere, 13(10)
  • DOI:
  • ISSN:
    2150-8925;2150-8925;
  • Format:
    PDF
  • Publisher:
    Wiley
  • Document Type:
    Journal Article
  • Funding:
    Grant no. NA15NOS4780172
  • License:
  • Rights Information:
    CC BY
  • Compliance:
    Library
  • Main Document Checksum:
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:

Supporting Files

More +

You May Also Like

Checkout today's featured content at repository.library.noaa.gov

Version 3.26