RUNNING HEAD: EFFECT OF SURFACE COVER ON DUNE EROSION Callis 1

The Effect of Surface Cover on Coastal Dune Erosion

Cameron Callis

Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science

Research Paper
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Abstract:

Coastal dunes are a vital part of shore ecosystems. They act as buffers preventing coastal
flooding and protecting areas inland against storms. These natural phenomena break down the
dunes, leaving them especially vulnerable to erosion. Dune plants such as Ammophila
breviligulata are used to stabilize the dunes and reduce erosion. These plants shoot upward to
grow with the dune and develop a network of rhizomes inside the dune that prevent sand from
moving. The objective of this study was to determine if Ammophila breviligulata reduced
erosion and, if so, which planting densities were most effective. It is hypothesized that the
additional plants in the high density trials created turbulence in the wind tunnel, which led to
more sand disturbance.Various densities of A. breviligulata on a sand bed were subjected to wind
speeds of 60 Hz for five minutes inside of a wind tunnel. Weight of the bed and height at five
different points were measured and recorded before and after. The results showed that A.
breviligulata did significantly reduce erosion by weight and a lower density of 18” spacing was
more effective in preventing erosion as compared to a higher density of 12” spacing. The results
showed that low density plantings prevented erosion more efficiently by a significant amount.
No significant loss or gain in height was found.

Introduction:

Coastal dunes are sandy habitats stabilized by plants that separate the land and the sea

(Charbonneau & Casper, 2018; Virginia Institute of Marine Science, 2020). These dunes act as

buffers to prevent coastal flooding and excessive winds onshore. The ridge of dunes closest to

the sea is called a foredune—it is the first layer of protection against storms. Foredunes absorb

energy from storms, blocking waves and high winds from reaching further inland. This causes

sand to be eroded from the face of the dunes (McAtee & Drawe, 1980). This erosion can leave

the front face of the foredune scarped and reduced in overall volume, increasing their

vulnerability to more change or erosion from future storms (Stockdon, 2015).

Weather disturbances can erode dunes. Sand is eroded from dunes and swept to offshore

sand bars, where it remains until conditions allow it to be brought back onto the beach. Wind can

move beach sand particles across the beach to settle onto or back onto the dunes. These are beach

dynamics. During a storm, up to a meter of sand can be deposited on to a dune. This can allow
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barrier island dune systems to naturally roll inland, away from the rising tides (Virginia Institute

of Marine Science, 2020).

Surface cover helps to stabilize dunes to withstand storms. Foredune plants stop

windblown sand where it can then deposit at the base of the plant. Grasses such as A.

breviligulata are especially effective at capturing windblown sand and have been shown to

reduce the aeolian sand flux of their environment (Li et al., 2007). Dune fencing, which is

installed in beach management efforts, mimics plants trapping sand caught in the wind

(Charbonneau & Casper, 2018). Surface cover can reduce erosion. Dune plants can be fully or

partially buried from sand deposited on to the dune, but foredune plants are adapted to this.

These plants increase vigor when buried, growing upwards further, and develop a vast network

of roots that can help retain sand particles from erosion (National Park Service, 2016).

American beachgrass (Ammophila breviligulata), is a dune grass species native to North

America. It has stiff, spike-shaped, pointy leaves that can reach up to three feet. American

Beachgrass spreads rapidly through underground runners called rhizomes, which are stimulated

by sand burial to shoot upwards (USDA-NRCS Plant Materials Program, 2006). Rhizomes allow

the plants to share resources and better their chances of survival. The rhizomes are also close to

the surface and easily damaged, hence why many beaches have rules against stepping on the

dunes (Hilton Head Island Government, 2009). The objective of this study is to determine how

an increase or decrease in surface cover affects the amount of dune erosion.

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Hypothesis:

Compared to a condition of no plants, plants will reduce sandy soil wind erosion by providing

surface cover, and erosion will decrease linearly with increasing plant density.

Methodology:

Procedure

Ammophila breviligulata was planted in a staggered configuration to prominent wind direction

on June 16, 2020 in 1m x 1m test boxes. They were planted at two densities mimicking the most

commonly used spacings in planting efforts. Although other plants such as A. arenaria can thrive

on dunes, A. breviligulata was chosen because of its excellent erosion prevention properties and

because it is the most commonly used dune building and stabilizing plant on the U.S.

mid-Atlantic coast (Charbonneau & Casper, 2018). Nine boxes were low density with 18”

spacing and 8 plants per box (figure 1); nine boxes were high density at 12” spacing and 14

plants per box (figure 2). Boxes were placed in the wind tunnel and the bed was leveled using a

1” rake. The areas immediately surrounding the plants were levelled by hand. The boxes were

then weighed using a pallet jack. Five pins were inserted one inch deep into the sand (figure 4)

and the height of each pin was measured. Boxes were then sealed into the wind tunnel and were

subjected to wind speeds of 12 m/s for a period of five minutes. Next, the pins were measured

again and the box was weighed using the pallet jack.
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Figure 1: Low density boxes (18” spacing and 8 plants per box).

Figure 2: High density boxes (12” spacing and 14 plants per box).

Figure 3: All of the plant boxes.

Figure 4: Pins used to measure height differences before and after the boxes were exposed to

wind.
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Statistics:

ANOVAs were performed on the weight differences of the null boxes, the weight

differences of the high density boxes, and the weight differences of the low density boxes to

determine significance, the weight differences of the null boxes with the weight differences of

the low density boxes to determine significance, and on the weight differences of the null boxes

with the weight differences of the high density boxes to determine significance. ANOVAs were

performed on the height results as well. ANOVAs were performed on the height differences of

the null boxes, the height differences of the high density boxes, and the height differences of the

low density boxes to determine significance, the height differences of the null boxes with the

height differences of the low density boxes to determine significance, and the height differences

of the null boxes with the height differences of the high density boxes.

Results:

To determine the significance of the weight differences, ANOVA tests with an alpha of

0.01 were performed on the data. An ANOVA performed on the differences of the null boxes, the

differences of the high density boxes, and the differences of the low density boxes gave a p-value

of 1.1618e-5, showing that the results of each density were significantly different from each

other. An ANOVA performed on the differences of the null boxes and the differences of the low

density boxes gave a p-value of 3.7943e-8, showing that the results of the null compared to the

low density boxes were significantly different. An ANOVA performed on the differences of the

null boxes and the differences of the high density boxes gave a p-value of 2.0663e-3, showing

that the results of the null compared to the high density boxes were significantly different.
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To determine the significance of the height differences, ANOVA tests with an alpha of

0.05 were utilized. An ANOVA performed on the height differences of the null boxes, the

differences of the high density boxes, and the differences of the low density boxes gave a p-value

of 0.1724, showing that the results of each density were not significantly different from each

other. An ANOVA performed on the height differences of the null boxes and the differences of

the low density boxes gave a p-value of 0.01836, showing that the results of the null compared to

the low density boxes were not significantly different. An ANOVA performed on the height

differences of the null boxes and the differences of the high density boxes gave a p-value of

0.3323, showing that the results of the null compared to the high density boxes were not

significantly different. None of the height results were statistically significant.

Discussion:

The results of this experiment showed that surface cover of Ammophila significantly

reduced the amount of weight lost due to wind. Without any plants, the boxes lost an average of

7.125 kilograms. When Ammophila were added at a density of 18” (seven plants per box), the

boxes gained an average of 1.7 kilograms. When Ammophila were added at a density of 12”

(fourteen plants per box), the boxes lost an average of 0.667 kilograms. These results show that

planting Ammophila at a lower density presents better results as there is a lower net gain or loss.

The weight results do not support the expected results. The Ammophila breviligulata

plants help to trap more sandy soil and the spike shaped nature of the leaves allows the sand that

was picked up by the wind to be deflected back to the ground. Higher densities of plants provide

more opportunities to trap sand and therefore allow less sand to be eroded as well as less sand
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from the beach to be trapped in the dunes; therefore, higher density plantings would theoretically

trap more sand and prevent erosion. It is hypothesized that the low density boxes performed

better because the high density boxes created extra turbulence in the wind tunnel, causing more

sand to be displaced and therefore increasing erosion. The added plants in the wind tunnel may

have caused irregular air flow. The eddies, a whirl of air formed from wind bouncing off of an

object, would then circle back to the sand bed and disturb it further. This phenomena would be

less likely to happen in nature because the air is not confined to a small space, and air can move

in all directions, as opposed to in the wind tunnel where it is confined to one. Further testing to

determine whether low density plantings would continue to perform better in the field should be

done to verify these results.

Error in the methodology may account for some of the discrepancies observed. One

possibility for error in the height results is the leveling of the sand before in preparation for the

trial. The sand in the areas immediately surrounding the plants was leveled by hand. If one area

was deeper or more shallow than another it could affect the amount of erosion in that area.

Another possibility for error was losing sand during the weighing process. The boxes had to be

raised with a pallet jack to weigh them, and since sand was filled to the top, minimal amounts

fell into the surrounding areas while the box was being lifted. Although precautions were taken

to minimize this phenomenon as much as possible, it still accounts for a possible method of

error. Finally, the contents of the sandy soil used provide a possibility for error. The sand used in

this experiment was taken from Island Beach State Park in New Jersey and therefore contained

bits of rock, shell, detritus, and other debris. Care was taken to remove larger debris, however,
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the results still could have been impacted if a piece was missed or if a smaller, heavier piece was

in the sand.

The results of this study are important because dunes are a vital part of coastal

ecosystems. The outcome of this study can help inform what densities to plant dune grasses such

as Ammophila in order to minimize the amount of dune erosion. If this study were to be repeated,

additional care would be taken to sift as much debris as possible from the sand before creating

the bed. New methods for containing the sand while the boxes are being weighed should also be

explored to minimize error in that respect. Additional research on how various densities of

plantings perform in the field would also allow for these results to be verified. Possible follow up

studies could include exploring erosion levels when different dune plant species are used or

exploring erosion levels in a field site to see how actual results of erosion compare to those

created in a lab setting.

Conclusion:

To conclude, lower density boxes performed better when reducing erosion, and the results

of height differences were not significant. The addition of Ammophila breviligulata to the sand

beds reduced erosion by weight significantly. Lower densities performed better than higher

densities, although both were significantly better than the control of no plants. Possible sources

of error that may have contributed to the height results being insignificant include levelling the

sand and small pieces of debris in the beds. In the future, further research to explore how actual

field results compare to the data gathered in this study could help build on this knowledge and

increase capabilities for preventing dune erosion.

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Acknowledgements:

I would like to extend a sincere thank you to my teachers and mentors as well as Dr.

Bianca Charbonneau for their assistance and continued support throughout this project.

Additionally, I would like to thank OCVTS for allowing use of their facilities as well as Mr.

Mike Tramutola and Mr. Chris Sullivan for their assistance. Finally, I would like to thank Juliet

Slota for helping conduct the experiments.

Appendix:

Figure 5: Chart depicting the kilograms of sand lost/gained after being put through the wind

tunnel.
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Figure 6: Chart depicting millimeters of sand lost/gained after being put through the wind

tunnel.
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Hilton Head Island Government. (2009). Sustainable Beaches and Dunes. Retrieved July

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