Human impact on beach and foredune microclimate on North Padre Island, Texas

Abstract

/ The microclimate of beach and foredune areas of North Padre Island along the mid-Texas coast was found to be greatly modified by vehicular and pedestrian traffic during investigations made from late fall to early summer 1973-74. The primary effect of human activity on microclimate was expressed as reduced cover and species diversity of the vegetation. As the intensity of human activity increased, elevation, especially of areas near the beach, was decreased, whereas average wind velocities near the ground surface, evaporation, atmospheric salinity near the ground surface, wind-carried sand particles near the ground surface, soil salinity, soil pH, average soil temperature and range in temperature, soil bulk density, and soil-water contents were increased.The economic value of barrier islands such as Padre Island as recreational areas and as physical protection for adjacent inland areas from storm surges may total millions of dollars annually (Bur. Econ. Geol. 1972). Human impact on these valuable islands should be evaluated before long-term recommendations are formulated for their use. Human activity can adversely affect vegetation of barrier islands (McAtee and Drawe 1980). Destruction of vegetation on these fragile areas can modify the microclimate to such an extent that reestablishment of vegetation and subsequent stabilization of the area may be precluded (Odum 1959). The effects of vehicular and pedestrian traffic on microclimate of coastal ecosystems have been investigated by a number of workers (Lutz 1945, Lull 1959, Reaves and Cooper 1960, Arndt and Rose 1966, Hill and Summer 1967, Kramer 1969, Goldsmith et al. 1970, Chappell et al. 1971, Grable 197 l, Kemper et al. 1971, Warkentin 1971, Liddle and Greig-Smith 1975, Brodhead and Godfrey 1977.This study was designed to evaluate the effects of vehicular and pedestrian traffic on the foredune and beach microclimate of North Padre Island, Texas. Study AreaPadre Island is approximately 110 km long and extends from Corpus Christi Pass on the north to Brazos

Review of studies on environmental impacts of recreation and tourism in Australia

“…lands (Perring, 1967;Chappell et al, 1971; development situation in Streeter, 1971;Harrison, 1981), turfgrass (Perry, 1958;Youngner, 1961;Rabbitt and Australia compared with Miller, 1979;Canaway, 1975;Shearman and elsewhere Beard, 1975;Warwick, 1980), coastal sand dune (Goldsmith et al, 1970;Liddle, 1973; It has been claimed that few countries around Blom, 1976;Boorman and Fuller, 1977; Hylthe world have as pronounced an interest in gaard, 1980;McAtee and Drawe, 1981; ecotourism as Australia and the countries of Carlson and Godfrey, 1989), riparian (Manthe South Pacific (Hall, 1994). However, in ning, 1979;Liddle and Scorgie, 1980) and Australia this interest is not matched by a Antarctica (Bonner, 1989).…”

A review of major factors influencing plant responses to recreation impacts

“…A few notable exceptions include the work of Liddle and Moore (1974), who report a net temperature increase of 7~ in diurnal soil temperatures as a result of track damage to sand dune vegetation. Microclimate changes in beach and dune ecosystems of Padres Island National Seashore were reported by McAtee and Drawe (1981) to vary both above and below ground as much as 9.5 ~ 10~ between areas receiving low use when compared to heavily used areas. In a study of meadow paths in Yosemite National Park, Hecht (1976) found that both ground and vegetation temperatures were higher and relative humidity lower on paths when compared to areas adjacent to the paths.…”

Residential expansion as a continental threat to U.S. coastal ecosystems

“…Areas of high l-settlement are therefore potentially more likely to experience natural resource degradation in the forms of biodiversity loss and ecosystem simplification because of the lack of prior anthropogenic stress on their resources. In fact, in coastal dune environments, even minimal human impacts such as foot traffic decrease total plant cover and plant diversity (Liddle and Greig-Smith 1975a, Boorman and Fuller 1977, Hylgaard and Liddle 1981, McAtte and Drawe 1981, impact invertebrate populations (Bayfield 1979), and alter soil characteristics (Liddle and Greig-Smith 1975b). Thus our finding of a spatial link between high values of our l-settlement index and landscape features of special management concern has implications for conservation and policy development since these areas may still contain relatively intact ecosystems in the early stages of human development.…”

“…In this article, we used a continental-scale analysis to identify major regional patterns of interaction between population growth and environment and then focused our efforts on a particular regional pattern--population growth and new development in and around coastal barriers--to reveal patterns of local population growth that stress these fragile ecosystems. Coastal dune ecosystems are rich in ecological diversity but are considered fragile because they are extremely vulnerable to human impacts (Marsh 1965, Dolan et al 1973, Liddle and Greig-Smith 1975a, Clark 1976, McAtte and Drawe 1981, USDOI 1987, Dean 1988.…”