Foredunes are typically the foremost dune situated on the backshore. They are
formed by aeolian sand deposition in plants above the spring high tide line. They
may be quite small, and only a meter or less high; they may also be quite large and
up to *20 ? m high. They may have very simple symmetrical morphology and
be fully vegetated, or they may be a highly erosional, scattered nebkha and
remnant knobs with minimal vegetation cover (Hesp 2002).
On prograding beaches, pioneer plants grow seaward onto newly built backshore
and trap sand forming incipient foredunes. Over time these grow and become the
newly established foredunes, thereby making the former foredune relict and
Fig. 1.1 Pictures of coastal dune types and landforms. (a) Foredune-blowout complex on the St.
Joseph Peninsula, Florida. (b) a barrier island in Florida composed of relict foredunes, comprising
ridge and swale sets. The ridges are more heavily forested. (c) nebkha field on a transgressive
dunefield, Mexico. These are often critical habitats for fauna in open, mobile dune dominated
areas. (d) Long-walled, nested, closely spaced, multiple parabolic dunes on the California coast.
(e) climbing and headland bypass transgressive dunefield just to the north of La Mancha,
Veracruz State, MX. (all photos by P. Hesp except d by K. and G. Adelman
[www.californiacoastline.org])
2
M. L. Martínez et al.
formed by aeolian sand deposition in plants above the spring high tide line. They
may be quite small, and only a meter or less high; they may also be quite large and
up to *20 ? m high. They may have very simple symmetrical morphology and
be fully vegetated, or they may be a highly erosional, scattered nebkha and
remnant knobs with minimal vegetation cover (Hesp 2002).
On prograding beaches, pioneer plants grow seaward onto newly built backshore
and trap sand forming incipient foredunes. Over time these grow and become the
newly established foredunes, thereby making the former foredune relict and
Fig. 1.1 Pictures of coastal dune types and landforms. (a) Foredune-blowout complex on the St.
Joseph Peninsula, Florida. (b) a barrier island in Florida composed of relict foredunes, comprising
ridge and swale sets. The ridges are more heavily forested. (c) nebkha field on a transgressive
dunefield, Mexico. These are often critical habitats for fauna in open, mobile dune dominated
areas. (d) Long-walled, nested, closely spaced, multiple parabolic dunes on the California coast.
(e) climbing and headland bypass transgressive dunefield just to the north of La Mancha,
Veracruz State, MX. (all photos by P. Hesp except d by K. and G. Adelman
[www.californiacoastline.org])
2
M. L. Martínez et al.