Formation of Sand Dunes
Many depositional features consist of sand and shingle and are therefore loose and unstable and easily eroded and transported.
Sand dunes are made of wind blown sand and are stabilised by a process called Plant Succession. Long low waves which roll onto the beach. A strong swash deposits beach material which forms a long, flat beach. These type of wave usually form when there is a short fetch
- Bare ground is gradually colonised by plants called pioneer species.
- Pioneer species modify the environment by binding sand or mud with their roots and add nutrient when they die and decay.
- Creeping plants, with leaves, help keep moisture in the sand/mud. These changes allow other species to colonise.
- The new invaders modify the environment by providing shade and improve the soil.
- As the environment changes, different species colonise until it becomes stable.
- The final community to colonise is the climatic climax community (trees)
They develop:
- In sheltered areas where deposition occurs
- Where salt and fresh water meets
- Where there are no strong tides or currents to prevent deposition or accumulation
Some of plants are Halophytes – plants that can tolerate saline (salty) conditions.
As mud flats develop, salt tolerate plants (such as eelgrass) begin to colonise and stabilise them.
Halophytes such as cordgrass, help slow down tidal flow and trap more mud and silt.
As sediment accumulates, the surface becomes drier and different plants colonise e.g. sea asters.
Creeks (created by water flowing across the estuary At low tide) divide up the slat marshes.
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  Sand dunes: dune slack wetlandsCoasts Knowledge Booster  Created in partnership with  
 Geography Events CalendarUpcoming open days, lectures and careers events Log in or sign up to manage your videos and for new video alerts Log in Sign up DescriptionCourse links: GCSE • IGCSE • A-level • IA-level • IB • National 5 • Higher Geography This video and its companion , created in collaboration with the University of Derby, look at the physical geography of sand dunes using the case study Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve: Fresh water dune slacks • Salt marshes • Coastal wetlands AcknowledgementsWritten and developed by: Howard Fox, Toby Tonkin, Sian Davies-Vollum, Rob Parker, Harriet Ridley, Tim Parker Videography by: Liam Matthews, Rob Parker, Toby Tonkin Thank you to Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve for enabling us to film this video. School groups wishing to visit this site can do so by first contacting the National Nature Reserve Office:
 How are sand dunes formed? Sand dunes are ridges or hills of sand found at the top of a beach , above the usual maximum reach of the waves. What are sand dunes?What are the characteristics of sand dunes.  Characteristics of sand dunes Sand dunes have:
What conditions are needed for a sand dune to form?The conditions required for sand dune formation are:
The image below shows Harlech beach, North Wales. Its sizeable tidal range supports the development of sand dunes. The tidal range is the difference between the high tide and the following low tide .  A beach with a large tidal range How does wind transport sand?Aeolian Transport is the first process of coastal dune formation and involves the movement and weathering of sand particles behind and along the shoreline. Aeolian transportation is when the wind transports sediment . Wind transports sand in 3 ways. These are:  Aeolian transportation 1% of the movement of sand is by suspension when sand is picked up and carried within the wind. 95% of sand movement results from saltation when grains of sand bounce along the beach as they are picked up and dropped by the wind. Finally, 4% of transportation is by creep, when sand grains collide and push each other along. The video below shows a combination of these transportation processes.  As the wind blows up the beach, it will transport material. Larger pieces of sediment will rest against an obstacle, forming a ridge, while smaller particles will settle on the other side. On the side facing the wind, the material begins to reach a crest. This is because the pile of material becomes steep and unstable and begins to collapse. When this happens, smaller particles fall down the other side. Once there is a stable angle (30-34 degrees), the sand stops slipping, and the cycle repeats. As the sand becomes an obstacle, more dunes may form before it— the stronger the wind, the higher the dunes. How do sand dunes change as you move inland? How do sand dunes change with distance from the beach? Dunes become taller further inland. Embryo dunes (youngest sand dunes) are only a few metres high whereas mature dunes are up to 15m high. This is because marram grass and other vegetation colonise the sand dune and hold it together with long roots, stopping the migration of the dune. Dunes closer to the beach are more yellow, whereas further away, they are grey due to humous and bacteria from plants and animals being added. A trough separates each dune (dip), called a slack. They are formed by the removal of sediment from the sheltered lee side of the dune and the windward side of the next dune. Slacks can be eroded so much that they reach the water table resulting in the formation of salty dunes. The video below illustrates how vegetation in a dune ecosystem changes as you move inland (vegetation succession). The 360° aerial image below shows the sand dunes at Morfaa Harlech nature reserve in North Wales. The image below shows vegetation succession on dunes at Harlech, North Wales.  Sand dune vegetation succession The video below shows the extent of roots and illustrates how vegetation helps stabilise dunes.  Premium ResourcesPlease support internet geography. If you've found the resources on this page useful please consider making a secure donation via PayPal to support the development of the site. The site is self-funded and your support is really appreciated. Related TopicsUse the images below to explore related GeoTopics. Coastal Management  Hard Engineering  Soft Engineering  Share this:
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Vegetation Succession in the UK ( AQA A Level Geography )Revision note.  Geography Content Creator Succession in Ecosystems
The evolution of plant communities at a site over time - from pioneer species to climax vegetation
 Primary succession from bare rock to a climax community over hundreds of years Seres and climax vegetation
 Seral succession in a psammosere (sand dunes) Climax communities
Plagioclimax
Primary successionSecondary succession.
 Route to climatic climax can occur on land and water and have a distinct pathway
 Flowchart showing various routes to climatic climax community through secondary succession. NB. Prisere succession is the primary route The difference between plagio and sub climax succession is that if humans are involved then we get a plagiocliamax community where the vegetation is changed, which changes the climax community. If however, a natural event occurs that halts the succession, then this is called a sub-climax and natural succession will resume at a later date. Seral Progression of a Lithosere
What is a lithosere?
Plant succession on exposed rock, usually through natural processes, i.e. glacial retreat, tectonic uplift or volcanic eruption
Subsere communities
 Simple model of lithosere succession Seral Progression of a Hydrosere
In the UK, hydroseres have formed on kettle lakes (shallow lakes formed by retreating glaciers) and referred to as ' meres ' - Sweetmere in Shropshire and Oak Mere in Cheshire  Simple hydrosere progression You've read 0 of your 0 free revision notesGet unlimited access. to absolutely everything:
Join the 100,000 + Students that ❤️ Save My Examsthe (exam) results speak for themselves: Did this page help you? Author: Jacque CartwrightJacque graduated from the Open University with a BSc in Environmental Science and Geography before doing her PGCE with the University of St David’s, Swansea. Teaching is her passion and has taught across a wide range of specifications – GCSE/IGCSE and IB but particularly loves teaching the A-level Geography. For the last 5 years Jacque has been teaching online for international schools, and she knows what is needed to pass those pesky geography exams. 
Mullaghmore Sand Dune Fieldwork  Mullaghmore is situated in County Sligo and Bunduff Strand. Just to the south is Bunduff Lough and to the west is coniferous woodland. Mullaghmore is a peninsula with two beaches, a rocky headland which has a castle on the top, a marsh with sand bottomed freshwater lake. There is extensive low lying flat grassland influenced by sand blown in from the beach, which in the summer has an abundance of orchids and a very large area of wooded dunes. Large areas have a Special Area of Conservation protection. However in the 1990’s, the farming practices approached this area and illegally flattened the land to make it easier for farming. The spreading of slurry has affected the natural flora and fauna, trees have been removed and the dunes. The dunes are also coming under attack from tourism development and other activities. Coastal sand dunes in Ireland and Britain may date back to as long ago as the last glaciations. If sand that forms the dunes contains shells of marine organisms the dunes are alkaline. If there are few or no shells in the sand then the dunes become acidic. The conditions needed are a large dry reservoir of sand and a large tidal range to expose the sand, allowing it to dry sufficiently to become available for transport, and strong prevailing onshore winds. The sand must be dry and fine and lots of it is needed for the formation of sand dunes. At least 4.5metres/second of wind are needed to be blowing onshore to provide the dunes with enough sand. The vegetation present helps to stabilise the sand and to trap more sand. The formation of sand dunes – Tides form and storms deposit piles of seaweed and detritus. Amongst this are seeds and colonising plants. These seeds germinate and grow quickly, trapping sand that has been blown from lower down the beach. Over time these mounds of sand are colonised by Couch Grass giving a series of isolated embryo dunes along the top of the beach. As this is happening, a new drift line appears in front of these embryo dunes and this is colonised by pioneer species. The embryo dunes gradually join to give a continuous ridge. As the embryo dunes grow and get larger they are inhabited by Marram Grass which is a very vigorous plant and is very efficient at trapping the sand and the rate of growth of the dune slowly increases. The constant formation of new drift lines, embryo and yellow dunes, gives a series of dunes and hollows. The older dunes continue to get taller until they are no longer receiving new sand. The harsh conditions have been made more favourable. The Marram Grass is still dominant but diversity has increased. The vegetation increases due to the presence of more humus and organic matter, which increases water retention and nutrient availability. At Mullaghmore, the grazing of the cows prevents tall species becoming dominant and maintains high species diversity. Due to blowouts, whole dunes can disappear leaving wet and dry slacks behind the main dunes. The slacks are wet because sand is blown away until the water table is reached. Plants inhabit these areas, but they may have to tolerate water logging for up to 6 months a year. The plants stabilise the sand and allows the succession to start again. If given enough time, tree species such as birch, alder and eventually oak would give rise to dune woodland, which is the climax community.  Sand dune succession – This is a preview of the whole essaySand dune succession is the progressive change in vegetation from the initial colonisation of bare ground through to stable climax vegetation. Succession is a sequence of events described as different plant communities. Each sere contains species adapted to the conditions but which change their environment sufficiently to allow the next set of plants to replace them. Later seral stages tend to be diverse, more stable and have greater ground cover reflecting the improvement in the environment, which allows the process to take place. There is primary succession (from bare ground where there was no previous vegetation cover) and secondary succession (where previous vegetations cover has been destroyed e.g. by a forest fire). Humans can impose stable vegetation trough the creation of, for instance, farmland. Hypothesis – Before carrying out our study, we put forward a number of different hypotheses to try and predict what our results would show.
Method – Before carrying out the investigation, an equipment list should be checked to ensure that everything that is needed is present.
When having carried out the experiment, some further work is to be done at the field centre. There is a separate equipment list for this work.
Working within a group of three students enables you to work efficiently and each have a specific role within the group. Working along a transect across the sand dunes, two ranging poles must be places 10 metres apart. Using a clinometer, from the first ranging pole, line up a point on the second ranging pole and read off the gradient which will be either positive or negative. If the slope is upwards, the gradient will be negative, if it is downwards, the gradient will be positive. At this same point, the wind speed must be measured using an Anemometer. Hold it at the same height at each reading that you take and ensure that you are holding it in the direction of the wind. Keep it steady for 10 seconds at least to make sure that it is an accurate reading. A thermometer with a built in hygrometer must be placed on the ground at the point of the first ranging pole. Remember to reset the hygrometer before each reading. This will record the ground temperature and the humidity. At every point along the transect that you take recordings, a soil sample must also be collected. Using a trowel, dig approximately 5cm below the ground and fill up the collecting pot with soil, label it with the transect number. Remove the first ranging pole from the ground and place it 10 metres past the second. Then take all these same recordings at the point of the second ranging pole. There are four different types of sand dune, and at each one, we took a vegetation count. We made a grid at each sand dune using two tape measures and used a random sampling technique. Getting numbers from a phone book and using them as the coordinates. When having found your coordinate, place your point frame quadrat firmly on the ground. At each point, record what species of plant you have discovered, including bare ground. Take these readings at an embryo dune, a yellow dune, a grey dune and a dune slack. Two recordings from each type of dune must be collected. Having collected all of the data, you will carry out further research at the field centre in relation to the soil samples that you have collected.
Results –Spearman’s rank to show the relationship between the percentage of water in the soil and the distance from the sea. r = 1 – 6 x Σd² n³ - n Spearman’s Rank – 95% = 0.4294 CHI SQUARED INFO GOES HERE>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Null Hypothesis – there is no association between the 3 species and the 3 types of dune. REJECT NULL HYPOTHESIS Hypothesis – there is an association between the 3 species and the 3 types of dune. Analysis –The Spearman’s rank coefficient correlation results show that there is a relationship between the soil moisture and the distance from the sea. By working out the results, we can see that there is a 95% positive correlation, and that it almost definitely hasn’t occurred by chance. The soil nearest the sea is moist because the when there is high tide, that area may get covered by the sea. The soil furthest from the sea, in the dune slack, is also very moist because there is stagnant water in the dune slack from where it hasn’t evaporated or been soaked up properly by the soil. The Chi squared results show us that there is a relationship between the 3 species and the 3 types of dune. The grey dune had the most vegetation present, with the dune slack the least. Given enough time, near the dune slack, tree species such as birch and eventually oak would give rise to dune woodlands, the climax community. The sand dune profile that was drawn, shows clearly where the different dunes are located. Between 10 and 20 metres along the beach, is where the yellow dune is present. The land then evens out slightly until 70 metres along the transect when it rises peaking at 120 metres, this is the grey dune. After the grey dune, the slope decreases and settles into the dune slack. The scatter graph showing the relationship between soil surface pH and distance from the sea is very irregular. It doesn’t, however, vary below 8.6 or higher than 9.5. This shows that the overall pH is alkaline. It starts off high at a distance of 10 metres from the sea, and fluctuates, until it reaches 40 metres from the sea when it decreases in the space of 20 metres from 9.2 to 8.7, which then remains constant for 20 metres. Increasing again after the constant brings it back up to the starting pH of 9.4 which soon drops again to 9.6 when it reaches 110 metres. Within 10 metres it then increases to its peak of 9.5 where it then fluctuates until we reach the end of the transect and it rests at 8.6 which is verging on a neutral pH. The temperature and wind speed scatter graphs were drawn on the same axis, to see if there was any relation between them as well as distance from the sea. The wind speed roughly follows the same pattern as the sand dune profile. Where there is an increase in the gradient, there is also an increase in the wind speed. In the dune slack the wind speed is at its highest, peaking at 3.8m/k. the temperature generally follows the same pattern, except for at a distance of 2 metres from the sea, the temperature is at its lowest, whereas the sand dune profile shows that this is where the yellow dune is present. The amount of moisture in the soil varies from, 1.9% to 23.2%. this is a huge range, with the lowest being at point 14 along the transect, which according to the sand dune profile, is at a point of decline into the dune slack. The highest percentage of water was at point 7 along the transect which is the upslope towards the grey dune. Why these are located here will be explained in the conclusion.
Conclusion –The sand dune profile is no surprise as to what it looked like. It follows the usual shape of starting with a smaller yellow dune, a larger grey dune at the back and a dune slack behind. There were a number of embryo dunes in front of the yellow dune, but they exceeded our area of collecting data. We can accept our hypothesis because it stated that as more sand is being blown onto the beach, the beach will get higher. This is true because the sand has been caught in the vegetation on the sand dunes, causing them to over time, build up. In relation to the spearman’s rank correlation, the results were very accurate. 95% chance that it wasn’t a coincidence. The water that was present near the dune slack is from the water table, which often is present above land in the dune slack. While the water that was present in the soil nearer the sea is from where the sea has washed up and the soil soaked it up for nutrients. The results that we accumulated from the Chi-squared data were also accurate; it showed that we had a diverse plant species, which is what we expected because the conditions on each type of sand dune are different. In our hypothesis we predicted that as you go further inland away from the beach, the pH would decrease. We can accept this because the pH that we took from the first sample was 9.4 and the pH from the last sample was 8.6. There were no real anomalies in this data to prove our hypothesis wrong. We predicted that the moisture content will increase as you go inland. From the results that we collected, and the analysis of them, we can see that this is true. There was one anomaly at 140metres inland which gave a reading of 1.9 which is beyond even the first reading. Evaluation –There are a number of limitations that could have caused error in our recordings. The first being human error. This is going to come into account for every experiment that is ever carried out. Limitations that could have affected our results were:
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 A Level Geography- Sand dunesSubject: Geography Age range: 16+ Resource type: Assessment and revision  Last updated 23 August 2020
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Everything you need to know about Sand Dunes for the A Level Geography Edexcel exam, totally free, with assessment questions, text & videos.
This section looks at the the various ways in which sand dune surveys can be used to meet the demands of AS and A level coursework. The advice given in general terms only and you must look at the precise coursework requirements for the specifications / syllabus you are using. If you are unsure about these you need to look at the websites of the awarding bodies. Try the hyperlinks below:
Introduction Sand dunes are simply accumulations of sand grains, shaped into mounds or ridges by the wind under the influence of gravity. Sand dunes are found wherever loose sand is windblown: in deserts, on coasts, and even some eroded and abandoned farm fields in parts of north west India and the south western United States. They tend to be less well developed in tropical and subtropical ...
See our A-Level Essay Example on Sand dunes coursework Introduction - Hayling Island, Coastal Landforms now at Marked By Teachers.
Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like what are sand dunes?, name 2 strengths of sand dunes, how do sand dunes reduce coastal erosion? and more.
Study with Quizlet and memorise flashcards containing terms like What is a sand dune?, What is an embryo dune, What is a foredune? and others.
Description Course links: GCSE • IGCSE • A-level • IA-level • IB • National 5 • Higher Geography This video and its companion, created in collaboration with the University of Derby, look at the physical geography of sand dunes using the case study Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve:
Where do sand dunes develop? - Sandy beaches. - Shallow beach gradient. - Persistent onshore winds to dry and move the sand. What are embryo dunes? - Sand begins to form around an obstruction on the beach (rock, fence post, seaweed) - Some on theses dunes may eventually be colonised by plants (pioneer species) which stabilise the dunes.
The conditions required for sand dune formation are: a large supply of sand. a large, flat beach. time for the sand to dry, so an extensive tidal range is needed. an onshore wind (wind blowing from the sea to the land) for sand to be transported to the back of the beach. an obstacle for the dune to form against, e.g. pebble or driftwood.
Revision notes on 6.4.1 Vegetation Succession in the UK for the AQA A Level Geography syllabus, written by the Geography experts at Save My Exams.
Sand Dunes - Depositional Landforms - A Level Geography. 38 slide PPT which provides a detailed explanation of the depositional coastal landform: Sand dunes. PPT includes a detailed description of each stage of sand dune succession: embryo dunes, fore-dunes, semi-fixed/yellow dunes, fixed/grey dunes, dune slack and mature dunes.
Sand dune ecosystem AS and A Level Geography The sand dune ecosystem Succession is the act or process of following in order or sequence. In sand dune area the succession is the processes that the area goes through in order to change from a sand dune area into a climax community, deciduous woodland, which takes place over hundreds of years.
This teaching resource helps students to consider the role of human and natural causes in the formation of sand dunes at Camber Sands. This resource helps students to assess and evaluate in order to prepare for typical nine and twenty mark questions that are set by AQA.
Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Psammosere, Xerophyte, Formation step 1 and more.
AS and A Level Geography. Mullaghmore Sand Dune Fieldwork. Mullaghmore is situated in County Sligo and Bunduff Strand. Just to the south is Bunduff Lough and to the west is coniferous woodland. Mullaghmore is a peninsula with two beaches, a rocky headland which has a castle on the top, a marsh with sand bottomed freshwater lake.
String and continuos winds needed. Sand grains transported via saltation. Debris blocks wind - thus, depositon of sediment. Embryo dunes form once sediment has completly surrounded the debris. Pioneer species (plants) grow and binds the sand together. Vegetation also traps sand - helping the dunes to grow. Embryo Dunes.
Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Embryo dune, Foredunes, Yellow dune and more.
Find out more about methods for sampling sand dune succession. Read our resources for 16-18 yr old fieldwork.
A Level Geography- Sand dunes. Subject: Geography. Age range: 16+. Resource type: Assessment and revision. File previews. pdf, 513.38 KB. Revision resource on the topic of sand dunes. Written specifically for Eduqas/WJEC but suitable for all exam boards. Tes paid licence How can I reuse this?