Morphological changes in a planted coastal dune field: measurements and modelling

Abstract

In front of the traditional dike at Oosteroever, Belgium, a new 120x20 m² artificial dune with planted marram grass of different densities and patterns was built in January 2021. This man-made dune was constructed to reduce the local aeolian sand nuisance on the dike. The complex interaction between aeolian sand transport and vegetation will ensure future morphological development of a dune body strengthening the local coastal protection. For an optimal design of these planted dunes, a fundamental knowledge of morphological changes is required. This study is twofold: 1) Investigate dune growth by exploring a multi-monthly field dataset of wind characteristics and high-resolution topographic data, 2) Development and assessment of the AeoLiS model for simulation of this new planted coastal dune field. The performance of AeoLiS is analyzed by comparing observed and simulated results of erosion and deposition patterns and cross-shore bed level changes. The total volume of sand in the dune has increased significantly since the plantation of marram grass, resulting in 15 m³ m-1 due to aeolian sand transport from the surrounding beach. Most dune growth occurred during the first year. Dune growth during the second year was less pronounced and was attributed to the influence of supply limitations, vegetation characteristics, and sediment erosion by wind and storm events. The results of the model simulations demonstrate that AeoLiS can replicate the spatial patterns and profile development inside the artificial dune area to some extent. However, to adequately account for the interaction between vegetation and aeolian sand transport, the model's treatment of vegetation dynamics needs to be improved.