Truncated dunes as evidence of the 2004 tsunami in North Sumatra and environmental recovery post-tsunami

The 2004 tsunami transformed the coast of Indonesia. This research investigates a sand dune area in Lampuuk, Sumatra, that was scoured by tsunami flow. We assessed geomorphology one‐year post‐event and examine the timescale of vegetation recovery. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) evidence shows an ero...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNew Zealand geographer Vol. 70; no. 3; pp. 165 - 178
Main Authors Kain, Claire, Gomez, Christopher, Wassmer, Patrick, Lavigne, Franck, Hart, Deirdre
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.12.2014
Wiley-Blackwell
Subjects
coastal erosion
Coasts
Environmental aspects
Erosion
Geography
geomorphic recovery
Geomorphology
Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)
Humanities and Social Sciences
Indonesia
Sumatra
tsunami
Tsunami damage
Indonesia
North Sumatra
tsunami
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Summary:The 2004 tsunami transformed the coast of Indonesia. This research investigates a sand dune area in Lampuuk, Sumatra, that was scoured by tsunami flow. We assessed geomorphology one‐year post‐event and examine the timescale of vegetation recovery. Ground Penetrating Radar (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.
Bibliography:Project Tsunarisque
ark:/67375/WNG-2K9X4KSN-M
ArticleID:NZG12052
istex:EAF1964367A626A48347F9EA800A4CD8A2237D39
Includes illustrations, references, table
ISSN:0028-8144
1745-7939
1745-7939
DOI:10.1111/nzg.12052