Abstract
Extremely important to the climate in any region are the radiation balance and the exchange processes of heat, water vapour and momentum. Most climatological parameters (e.g. temperature, humidity, wind speed, cloudiness and precipitation) are the direct or indirect result of the radiation balance and these exchange processes.
The weather of the West European coast from Tarifa (Spain) to Skagen (Denmark) is especially suitable for the formation of dunes. Often a wind is blowing, varying widely in force and direction. The conditions are optimal for the formation of high and wide dune complexes, given a large supply of sand by the sea. The annual precipitation surplus is considerable for most of this coast. This favours the establishment of vegetation, and thereby it enhances dune formation. The short distance to the land-sea border causes strong gradients in several climatological parameters. These gradients lead to mesoscale effects, such as land-sea breezes and coastal fronts. The varying vegetation cover and the presence of slopes in all directions induce a strongly varying microclimate. However, this microclimate is not unique to the coastal dunes. Unique is the interaction with the wide range of ambient weather, which is inherent to the coast.
It is not possible to be conclusive about the effects of climatic change on coastal dunes because climate models are not yet able to predict the changes adequately and because these models supply information on the expected mean climate, but not on the actual weather.
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Wartena, L., van Boxel, J.H. & Veenhuysen, D. Macroclimate, microclimate and dune formation along the West European coast. Landscape Ecol 6, 15–27 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00157741
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00157741