It is recognized that beach nourishment can enhance sediment available for aeolian transport and dune growth in windy coastal settings. Additionally, recently constructed dunes often differ from naturally developed dunes in their plant communities and composition, which can alter the style of dune growth through ecomorphodynamic interactions. However, directly quantifying the influence of beach nourishment and management activities on dune behavior is challenging due to the complexity of coastal sediment-transport dynamics and a lack of field data at appropriate spatio-temporal scales. Here, we assess morphological and ecological changes to three beach-dune systems in Duck, NC, USA at high temporal frequency over one year following a beach nourishment. We found that the average crest and toe elevations of the dunes at all sites increased; however, one of the dunes experienced net volume loss despite the addition of sand to the dune and adjacent beach. Importantly, we found that patterns and magnitudes of local deflation and accretion observed across these sites are correlated to bidirectional, positive feedbacks between vegetation and sedimentation.

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Eco-Morphodynamic Dune Response to Beach Nourishment Along the Northern Outer Banks Coast, North Carolina, USA

  • Elizabeth H. Davis,
  • Christopher J. Hein,
  • Nicholas Cohn,
  • Julie C. Zinnert,
  • Emily A. Hein

摘要

It is recognized that beach nourishment can enhance sediment available for aeolian transport and dune growth in windy coastal settings. Additionally, recently constructed dunes often differ from naturally developed dunes in their plant communities and composition, which can alter the style of dune growth through ecomorphodynamic interactions. However, directly quantifying the influence of beach nourishment and management activities on dune behavior is challenging due to the complexity of coastal sediment-transport dynamics and a lack of field data at appropriate spatio-temporal scales. Here, we assess morphological and ecological changes to three beach-dune systems in Duck, NC, USA at high temporal frequency over one year following a beach nourishment. We found that the average crest and toe elevations of the dunes at all sites increased; however, one of the dunes experienced net volume loss despite the addition of sand to the dune and adjacent beach. Importantly, we found that patterns and magnitudes of local deflation and accretion observed across these sites are correlated to bidirectional, positive feedbacks between vegetation and sedimentation.