The ecology of Pacific Northwest coastal sand dunes

CHAPTER ONE
Sand dunes--the very words
conjure up images of vast seas of
shifting sand barren of plants and
hostile to human habitation. Hot,
dry winds shape and arrange the sand
in geometric and artistic patterns
described by words such as barchan,
transverse, star, blowout, dome,
stringer, sei f, sheet, oblique, and
parabol ic.
There are many areas in the
world where sand dunes are a dominant
feature of the landscape. Many
of these areas are very large: the
extremely dry interior deserts of
the continental land masses such as
the Sahara in Africa and the Victoria
Desert in Australia. Even more
numerous are the small er, re1 ati vcly
narrow strips of sand along the
shores of oceans and large lakes.
The climatic conditions of the
sand aune areas of the world range
from tropical to arctic. Preci pi tation
also varies widely. The
coastal dunes of Chile and Peru in
South Arnerica receive no rain, while
those along the west coast of Japan
receive as much as 2,00Q mm a year.
Except in hot climates with
extremely low rainfall, the aune
landscape is not bare of vegetation.
The cold, dry Taklamakan Uesert in
northeast China, the largest sand
dune area in the world, has a
sparse but noticeable cover of
small sklrgbs. The grourid hetween
the actively moving .dune crests of
the Sinpson Desert in Australia is
well covered by grasses and shrubs.
Mature, productive forests cover the
extensive coastal dunes on the Bay
of Biscay in France.
Because of their unique characteristics,
dune areas have drawn the
attention of many kinds of people.
Geologists are interested in the
sources of the sand and the processes
involved in dune formation and
movement. Zoologists and botanists
study the adaptations of animals and
plants to conditions that make the
existence of life difficult.
Engineers seek ways to control the
active shifting sands, Artists
attempt to record and interpret
patterns and moods. People of many
backgrounds are drawn by the raw,
wild beauty of the dunes to see, and
to feel, the forces of nature at
work.
In many parts of the world
coastal dune areas also attract
numan populations because of the
proximity of the dunes to the ocean
and the ease of estahl i shing habi tation
on thm. This is especially
true in Europe. There is an extensive
literature dating back to the
35th century an the description,
use, and managerrlent of coas ta9
aunes. The literature of the last
75 yrs reveals intensive research on
a11 aspects of European dune ecology
arid geography.
Coastal sand dunes occur alocg
both the Atlantic and Pacific