Morphological and ecological responses of a managed coastal sand dune to experimental notches

In northern Europe, coastal dune remobilization by restoring natural processes is considered by some to maintain the coastal dune in chronically eroding sectors by migrating landward and to restore dune ecology. In wet climatic contexts, this nature-based solution has been shown to induce an increase in both sand bare areas and vegetation diversity. However, it has never been tested in the coastal dunes of southern Europe with a drier climate and, thus, more stressful conditions, where disturbance may inversely decrease vegetation diversity. An original experiment was set up in 2018 on a 4-km stretch of coastal dune in southwest France where Experimental Notches (EN) were excavated in the incipient foredune, referred to as West Experimental Notch (WEN), and in the established foredune, referred as to East Experimental Notch (EEN). Morphological and ecological responses were monitored using UAV photogrammetry and vegetation sampling along transects during two years with contrasted winter storm conditions. During the first winter characterized by calm wind conditions, a rapid filling of the WENs and the initiation of deposition lobes landward of the EENs were observed. Stronger winds during the second winter led to the development of deposition lobes of the EENs, increasing both their volume, up to 6 times, and their cross-shore elongation. The increase in disturbance induced by the notches had a significant impact on vegetation. New sandy bares were colonized by pioneer species leading to an increase in species richness and rejuvenation, in particular landward of the EENs. Although longer-term monitoring is required to draw conclusions, these results suggest that the excavation of foredune notches are able to re-establish an ecomorphological dynamic in the dunes of southwest France on the time scales of years, promoting landward sand transport and, thus, the foredune landward translation, while not threatening diversity. Such approach may become a relevant adaptation strategy to sea level rise and increased erosion in this region of the world.