Coastal Dune Dynamics and Management

Dear Colleagues,

Coastal dunes are natural, intrinsically-important landforms, located at the terrestrial–marine boundary. In addition to providing habitats for a diverse community of animal and plant species, they also provide a wide range of services to humankind. For example, they act as a vital natural safety barrier against marine flooding, serve for the production of drinking water, and offer recreational opportunities. Dune systems are highly dynamic habitats whose evolution is inextricably linked to the neighbouring beach through the incessant exchange of sand by marine and aeolian processes. A solid understanding of dune dynamics is critical if wish to manage our dunes in a sustainable, climate-resilient manner. This Special Issue, building on the success of the JMSE issue ‘Coastal Morphodynamics’, has been launched to compile state-of-the-art knowledge and future perspectives on coastal dune dynamics and management. It aims to investigate the complex interactions between winds, waves, sand, vegetation, the geomorphology of the beach–dune system, and humans shaping coastal dunes. The focus will be on the foredune—the shore-parallel dune ridge closest to the sea that formed on the upper beach by Aeolian depositional processes—as well as its secondary features, such as blowouts, and its link with the beach and the inland dunes. We invite original scientific contributions on topics including:

1. Foredune erosion and recovery, including beach–dune interaction,
2. Storm–wave processes and associated sand transport,
3. Aeolian process dynamics, including airflow patterns,
4. Blowouts,
5. Wind–sand–vegetation interaction,
6. Dune biodiversity and its management,
7. Dune restoration projects,
8. Novel observation techniques to quantify dune dynamics, and
9. Climatic and relative sea–level change influences on coastal dune evolution.

Contributions can be based on field observations, including remote-sensing techniques, such as airborne LIDAR and UAV photogrammetry, laboratory experiments, and/or modelling.

Prof. Dr. Gerben Ruessink
Dr. Christian Schwarz
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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