Texas Coastal Beach
Geology:
Recent sands deposited by Gulf currents and distributed by on-shore winds. These sands are redistributed by waters of bays interior to the barrier islands.
Landform:
Very gently sloping and restricted to the margins of the Gulf of Mexico as well as interior bays. This type may be mapped into the unvegetated portions of the foredunes.
Soils:
Recently deposited sands.
Parent Description:
This system represents unvegetated to sparsely vegetated sandy shorelines adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico and bays interior to the barrier islands. Species such as Ipomoea pes-caprae (goat-foot morning-glory), Ipomoea imperati (beach morning-glory), Cakile spp. (searockets), and Tidestromia lanuginosa (espanta vaquero) provide sparse vegetative cover. These areas generally lie near mean sea level and are often found between foredunes and tidal waters. In the case of beaches along bay margins, an active dune system is generally lacking and beaches lie between tidal waters and near-shore vegetation. As they are mapped, this system would include sparsely vegetated coppice dunes and even low foredunes. This system is dependent on highly dynamic coastal geomorphology.
Ecological Mapping Systems
Coastal: Beach
As described for system.
Distribution Map
Photos
Public Land Occurrence
- Boca Chica State Park: Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
- Galveston Island State Park: Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
- Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge: US Fish and Wildlife Service
- Matagorda Bay Nature Park: Lower Colorado River Authority
- McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge: US Fish and Wildlife Service
- Mustang Island State Park: Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
- San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge: US Fish and Wildlife Service