White Sand and the Beauty of Dune Grass

We all know how pretty our Gulf Coast sandy beaches, but did you know that sand dune systems on the Florida and Alabama beaches are formed by wave and wind action and help to protect mainland areas from tropical storms and hurricanes?  The sand dunes and beaches, which have evolved over millions of years, actually help to absorb the vast energy created by storm waves and to minimize their damage.  During storms, sand erodes from the beaches and is deposited on shallow sandbars, while during calm weather, sand is returned to the shore in an ever-continuing cycle.  Waves and offshore winds are responsible for bringing sand to the shore in the first place, but it is obstacles such as plants and even driftwood that cause the sand to accumulate.  As sand continues to build up on the dunes, different species of plants begin to emerge that are specially adapted to the beach environment and help to stabilize the dunes.  In fact, without these specialized plants and vegetation, blowing sand would migrate inland in short order, and there would be no dunes!  As it turns out, the quality of coastal sand dunes goes hand in hand with beach plants and vegetation, which is a big key to the entire coastal ecological system, since sand dunes provide important food and shelter for numerous bird and animal species.