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In Chesapeake Bay, the beaches are important habitats for the threatened northeastern beach tiger beetle. Beaches and dunes are important habitats for migrating and nesting shorebirds and song birds. Invertebrates, like crabs, insects, and molluscs, live in the nearshore, intertidal zone and back beach. Sea turtles nest along the shore, and mammals and birds forage along the beach in the dunes. Habitatīeaches and dunes provide habitats for many different types of plants and animals.
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Sand fencing installed along the shoreline can help the process by slowing sand so that it accumulates at the base of the fence allowing plants to grow and providing stability to the area. During periods of calm weather, the sand can migrate back up the beach and be blown back onto the dune. When storms with higher water levels impact the shoreline, dunes can erode, resulting in sand being deposited on the beach or the nearshore. Beaches and dunes can dampen and absorb the energy from a wave before it can impact upland structures such as houses and roads. Benefits of Beaches and Dunes Storm Protectionīeaches and dunes provide a buffer zone which protects the upland during storms. Dunes form when there is an adequate supply of sand, onshore wind, and stable coastal setting. When a beach becomes wide enough, a dune can form along its landward side. In addition to the movement in the onshore-offshore direction, sand is transported alongshore, thus erosion at one site can provide material to an adjacent beach. Beaches are dynamic yet resilient features that are constantly reshaped by waves. The life span of a beach/dune varies from a few years to several decades, or longer, depending on the sites geomorphology and local sand supply. The sand is eroded from banks and transported into the Bay from creeks and rivers within its watershed as well as from the ocean.īeaches are formed by waves and currents. Quartz sand is the foundation that comprises beaches and dunes in Virginia. Ecosystem services are the benefits resulting from the resources and processes that are supplied by ecosystems.īeaches and dunes are part of a system that extends from the nearshore across unvegetated or partially vegetated sand, gravel, or shell intertidal beaches, and into the dune (where they exist). While the physical processes and ecosystem services are the same, Bay beaches and dunes are generally smaller and less continuous than ocean dunes. Natural and man-made beaches and dunes occur along Virginia’s southeast ocean coast, on the barrier islands off Virginia’s Eastern Shore, and in Chesapeake Bay. Beaches and dunes in Virginia occur in a variety of coastal settings and tide ranges.