Dynamics of beach-dune systems

Abstract

Beaches and coastal dunes are dynamic geomorphic systems that respond to process forcing over a broad spectrum of spatial and temporal scales. At all scales, there are potential suites of interaction between system forms and processes, and the mechanisms of interaction are stressed in this article. At micro-scales, this interaction is formalized through the concept of morphody namics, and deterministic and probabilistic approaches are used to model sediment transport and landform development over time scales of hours to months and space scales of metres to kilometres. Meso-scale interactions are conceptualized using a sediment-budget approach. Nine characteristic environments comprise the beach and dune sediment-budget ensemble, representing a classifica tion scheme for reciprocating coastal systems.