Chapter 6
Foredune Restoration Before and After
Hurricanes: Inevitable Destruction,
Certain Reconstruction
Rusty Feagin
6.1 Introduction
On Gulf of Mexico coastlines, hurricanes and tropical storms disturb beach and
foredune development quite frequently. For example in Texas, a good ‘‘rule of
thumb’’ is that a tropical system makes landfall within 100 km of a given point, once
in every 5 years (Morton et al. 1983). In natural areas where the sediments can move
dynamically, dunes simply re-form over time, although in new spatial locations.
However, in urban or developed areas, housing and infrastructure often impede
dune migration, leaving no space for dune-building processes to occur (Nordstrom
2008; Psuty 2004). In this urban context, for example on Galveston Island, Texas,
there are only a few meters available for a dune in the cross-shore direction.
At many locations around the world, people often restore foredunes for
ecological purposes, for example, to enhance habitat for plants or animals.
However, on Galveston Island, with cross-shore erosion rates that threaten to
eliminate any available width within a few years, restoration provides minimal
habitat value and only briefly establishes a human-managed ecosystem. Still,
dunes are consistently restored in this context on Galveston (typically, they are not
restored in natural areas in Texas as there is no financial incentive in these isolated,
rural areas).
Why do both private individuals and government agencies restore foredunes in
locations with minimal habitat value, and in an environment where there is a
certainty of loss within a few years? In such a context, dunes are restored because:
1. They effectively demarcate the public beach from private property, protecting
homeowners from wandering tourists.
R. Feagin (&)
Spatial Sciences Laboratory, Department of Ecosystem Science & Management,
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77845, USA
e-mail: feaginr@tamu.edu
M. L. Martínez et al. (eds.), Restoration of Coastal Dunes, Springer Series
on Environmental Management, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-33445-0_6,
Ó Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013
93
Foredune Restoration Before and After
Hurricanes: Inevitable Destruction,
Certain Reconstruction
Rusty Feagin
6.1 Introduction
On Gulf of Mexico coastlines, hurricanes and tropical storms disturb beach and
foredune development quite frequently. For example in Texas, a good ‘‘rule of
thumb’’ is that a tropical system makes landfall within 100 km of a given point, once
in every 5 years (Morton et al. 1983). In natural areas where the sediments can move
dynamically, dunes simply re-form over time, although in new spatial locations.
However, in urban or developed areas, housing and infrastructure often impede
dune migration, leaving no space for dune-building processes to occur (Nordstrom
2008; Psuty 2004). In this urban context, for example on Galveston Island, Texas,
there are only a few meters available for a dune in the cross-shore direction.
At many locations around the world, people often restore foredunes for
ecological purposes, for example, to enhance habitat for plants or animals.
However, on Galveston Island, with cross-shore erosion rates that threaten to
eliminate any available width within a few years, restoration provides minimal
habitat value and only briefly establishes a human-managed ecosystem. Still,
dunes are consistently restored in this context on Galveston (typically, they are not
restored in natural areas in Texas as there is no financial incentive in these isolated,
rural areas).
Why do both private individuals and government agencies restore foredunes in
locations with minimal habitat value, and in an environment where there is a
certainty of loss within a few years? In such a context, dunes are restored because:
1. They effectively demarcate the public beach from private property, protecting
homeowners from wandering tourists.
R. Feagin (&)
Spatial Sciences Laboratory, Department of Ecosystem Science & Management,
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77845, USA
e-mail: feaginr@tamu.edu
M. L. Martínez et al. (eds.), Restoration of Coastal Dunes, Springer Series
on Environmental Management, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-33445-0_6,
Ó Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013
93