This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
Long-term changes in dune volume at the Belgian coast are analyzed based on measured data by airborne surveys available from 1979. For most of the 65 km long coastal stretch, dune volume increases linearly in time at a constant rate. Dune growth varies between 0–12.3 m³/m/year with an average dune growth of 6.2 m³/m/year, featuring large variations in longshore directions. Based on a wind data set from 2000–2017, it is found that potential aeolian sediment transport has its main drift from the west to southwest direction (onshore to oblique onshore). Based on a modified Bagnold model, onshore potential aeolian sediment transport ranges to a maximum of 9 m³/m/year, while longshore potential aeolian sediment transport could reach up to 20 m³/m/year. We found an important correlation between observed and predicted dune development at decadal timescales when zones with dune management activities are excluded. Most of the predicted data are within a factor of two of the measured values. The variability in potential transport is well related to the variability in dune volume changes at the considered spatial–temporal scale, suggesting that natural dune growth is primarily caused by aeolian sediment transport from the beach. It also suggests that annual differences in forcing and transport limiting conditions (wind and moisture) only have a modest effect on the overall variability of dune volume trends.
BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.