What is the physical environment of a sand dune system? Soil pH, soil moisture, soil depth, wind exposure and precipitation levels are all physical factors likely to influence the nature of the vegetation and nature of succession, e.g. an area with a low soil pH would be expected to harbour plants that were able to tolerate such conditions, plants like azaleas and pin oaks. All of the above factors, bar average rainfall are relevant to this investigation and will be measured in this short term field based study. Plant succession can described by the model fig 1. .
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Fig 1, Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History.
This shows that the distance from the shore is positively correlated with the height and percentage cover of the vegetation. It also shows that within a dune system species diversity varies massively. As this is a model it should be able to be applied to dune systems in practice. The purpose of this study is to prove that at location of study these success ional trends are correct. .
The physical characteristics have a massive bearing on the vegetation and its succession, for example; soil depth. The depth of a soil for plant growth is the vertical distance into the soil from the surface to a layer that essentially stops the downward growth of plant roots. Therefore soil depth would be expected to be deeper as you move further away from the shore to allow for larger plants to grow. (Southwood and Henderson 2000). Soil depth is directly related with the vegetation .
In that the larger the plants get the more material they put back into the soil as they decay increasing the depth. Wind exposure is also related to vegetation with densely cover areas being less exposed as the plants act as a wind break which diminishes its power, at the yellow dunes thought there is little vegetation so wind exposure is almost 100%. .
Method.
When selecting an area, of sand dunes suitable to carry out the research project into vegetation succession in relation to the physical environment, several key issues must be considered.
They are able to survive both partial burials by sand and exposure of their root system when sand is blown away. ... These higher and more stable inland dune ridges are occupied by vegetation. ... The Perdido Key mouse inhabits the islands sand dunes. ... The health of barrier islands is dependent on intact dune systems. Sand dunes are the first defense in a hurricane. ...
In areas of sand dunes, covering the dunes with large boulders or petroleum will interrupt the wind regime near the face of the dunes and prevent the sand from moving. Sand fences are used throughout the Middle East and the United States, in the same way snow fences are used in the north. In areas where some water is available for irrigation, shrubs planted on the lower one-third of a dune's windward side will stabilize the dune. This vegetation decreases the wind velocity near the base of the dune and prevents much of the sand from moving. Higher velocity winds at the top of the dune lev...
Sand dunes are one coastal feature formed by deposition. ... The sand is trapped and forms a dune. ... These houses were built on dunes along the beach. ... Structures where then put in place to slow the erosion, but after more storms houses where left perched on the edge of eroded sand dunes. ... Coastlines are both a natural and a human resource; they support many different types of vegetation, animal life and coastal civilisations. ...
The climate type was determined by the use of a climograph (information of temperature and precipitation) and use of Koppen system. ... The first moisture condition is coastal marshes where vegetation grows from an excess of water, while the dunes and sandbars are seen as desert environments. ... Here the vegetation grows on exposed sand areas near the sea, causing the wind to "spray- deposits of salt on them; therefore, the vegetation must be salt tolerating. ... The Pine Barrens are the "framework- for vegetation of the Outer Coastal Plain. Dwarf vegetation plains, pine trees, fire dep...
Drought-resistant grasses and cacti hold the costal sand dune in place, except when hurricanes blow ashore. Then vegetation will have to start its growing process again since the dunes have become heavily eroded. ...
Samsara and Satori in The Woman in the Dunes Option 4: Though he is not a willing participant, Niki Jumpei is a student of Zen training. ... In The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe, the main character, Niki Jumpei, becomes a student of Zen training when he becomes unexpectedly trapped inside of a large sand pit. ... Most importantly the sand pit is his home. ... The way to escape the sand pit without the rope ladder is to find honest contentment inside the sand pit. ... The Woman in the Dunes parallels Herrigel's chapter on Zen training almost exactly. ...
Beach nourishment involves replacing sand lost through erosion by adding fresh sand brought from another beach or dredged from the sea floor. ... Planting vegetation and stabilising dunes can also help to stabilise coastlines. ... Growing mangroves takes advantage of their unique root system that can absorb and reduce wave energy. ... Planting dune grasses work on the same principle. ... The grass itself also helps to trap wind-blown sand, enabling the dune to grow larger. ...
My brother noticed that deeper into the valley were sand dunes, which got me really interested. When arriving at the dunes, I saw atvs and motorbikes doing stunts in the dunes, which was awesome and a cool show in front of my eyes. My family and I walked through the dunes; unlike the sand at the beach, this was white sand you could find only on freshwater beaches. The amazement of the sand gave me the urge to take a part of my trip home, so I filled the sand in an empty water bottle. ...
No other people were in sight as I labored up the side of a large sand dune to gain a better vantage point and estimate the wind conditions. ... I slid down the opposite side of the dune, my feet sinking into the soft white sand, startling a ghost crab and sending it scrambling for cover in its nearest sand burrow. ... Sand crabs always interested me, as they would dig little holes in the sand making tiny balls out of the sand. ... Deep paths in the dunes had been slowly eroded away by the never-ending herds of tourists, surfers and sunbathers on their treks from their automobiles to the wa...