This study is concerned with the post-Ice Age (Holocene) dunes in the coast segment between Coos Bay on the south and Sea Lion Point on the north. This is the longest strip of dunes along the Oregon coast and extends for a distance of about 55 miles. It is divided...
In Part I the environment of the coastal dunes of Oregon and Washington is analyzed. Most of the substratum is a narrow foreland or terrace, in part submerged, that borders the mountain front. Temperature is relatively low in summer and rarely reaches the freezing point in winter. Winter precipitation is...
A study of Ammophila, a,renaria (L. ) Link, (European beachgrass) plantations was carried out on sand dunes along the Oregon coast to observe the vegetation changes which occur over a period of years. Control of moving sand has been important on a world-wide basis for many years. In Oregon this...
Sand dunes are found along the coasts of most of the large land
masses of the world. Because of their proximity to man and his
activities, the maritime sand dunes of Europe, particularly Germany,
France, Holland and Scandinavia, have the longest history of stabilization
activities and botanical investigation. There are...
The subaerial beach, composed of sand dunes and the foreshore, provides a natural buffer zone between vulnerable land and the dissipation of storm wave energy due to wave breaking. The natural beauty of this region is attractive to people, and as a result, significant investment has been placed in this...
Coastal foredunes protect lives, infrastructure, and ecosystems during severe winter storms. In the U.S. Pacific Northwest (PNW), coastal foredune geomorphology is determined by both physical and ecological mechanisms. Before the 1900's, the native plant Elymus mollis was the dominant dune grass and dune morphology was largely determined by sediment supply...
Biological invasions provide a unique opportunity to study the mechanisms that regulate community composition and ecosystem function. Invasive species that are also ecosystem engineers can substantially alter physical features in an environment, and this can lead to cascading effects on the biological community. Aquatic-terrestrial interface ecosystems are excellent systems to...
The vegetation of the Oregon coast is characterized by a
variety of stages of plant succession which are repeated widely
throughout the sand dune area. During the years from 1960 to 1963
the gradation of upland sand dune succession was studied on 48 plots
within a 150 mile section of...