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| Primary Succession on the Sefton Coast |
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Coastal sand dunes provide an excellent environment
for the study of primary succession. The vegetated dunes within the
system have developed on a substrate of unconsolidated sand. |
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This sand has been picked up by the wind from
the wide sandy foreshore at low tide and deposited at the top of
the beach around any obstacle which interrupts the flow of the wind
and reduces its energy - it may be tidal litter on the strand line
or a plant. |
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On the Sefton Coast the sand is rich in particles
of basic minerals such as calcium carbonate and the substrate therefore
has a very high pH. |
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Tidal debris and strand line at Birkdale beach,
Sefton Coast (1999) |
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On another page in this section is a 'Model of
Dry Dune Succession' that summarises common pathways for succession
on the dunes of the Sefton Coast. This model can be used to access
further information on the processes involved in primary succession. |
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