Observations of coastal aeolian dune movements at Feicuidao, on the Changli Gold Coast in Hebei Province

High-precision RTK GPS technology was used to survey the movements of typical coastal dunes, including a coastal crescent dune and a coastal transverse ridge, in the Feicuidao region of the Changli Gold Coast in Hebei Province in 2006-2008. Our data provide information on the direction, type, and velocity of coastal dune movements, and indicate that the coastal dunes in this region are characterized as slow and landward advancing, with to-and-fro fluctuations. The bottom of the studied coastal transverse ridge was stable during the observation period but the position of its crest advanced eastward (seaward) during summer and autumn, and moved landward (westward) in winter and spring. Thus, its crest moved generally landward (westward) but fluctuated to-and-fro eastward and westward. In contrast, the entire coastal crescent dune advanced landward (westward) in a to-and-fro manner, and the velocity of its movement was faster than that of the transverse ridge dune. These results are mainly related to the wind conditions in the research area, the height and volume of the two types of coastal dunes.