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Truncated dunes as evidence of the 2004 tsunami in N orth S umatra and environmental recovery post‐tsunami
Author(s) -
Kain Claire,
Gomez Christopher,
Wassmer Patrick,
Lavigne Franck,
Hart Deirdre
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
new zealand geographer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.335
H-Index - 25
eISSN - 1745-7939
pISSN - 0028-8144
DOI - 10.1111/nzg.12052
Subject(s) - vegetation (pathology) , aeolian processes , geology , sand dune stabilization , hydrology (agriculture) , geomorphology , geotechnical engineering , medicine , pathology
The 2004 tsunami transformed the coast of I ndonesia. This research investigates a sand dune area in L ampuuk, S umatra, that was scoured by tsunami flow. We assessed geomorphology one‐year post‐event and examine the timescale of vegetation recovery. G round P enetrating R adar ( GPR ) evidence shows an eroded succession of thin dipping units, overlain by aeolian layers 0 to 50 cm thick. Incipient dunes were absent, indicating limited dune rebuilding at one‐year post‐tsunami, possibly resulting from channelised airflow and the absence of vegetation. Recolonisation by vegetation was initially limited but progressed rapidly between 2005 and 2011, highlighting the temporal non‐linearity of recovery processes.