Dune systems of the Commonwealth of Virginia are a unique and valuable natural resource. The primary dune and beach of existing shore systems are protected under the Coastal Primary Sand Dunes and Beaches Protection Act (the Act). Until 1998, the exact extent of existing dune systems in the Chesapeake Bay was largely unknown. In addition, the relationship between primary and secondary dunes had not been explored.

The Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program initiated a study with VIMS' Shoreline Studies Program to locate, classify, and enumerate the existing jurisdictional dunes and dune fields within the eight localities listed in the Act. These include the counties of Accomack, Lancaster, Mathews, Northampton, and Northumberland and the cities of Hampton, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach. Only Chesapeake Bay and river sites are considered. To provide a basis for sound resource management and consistency within dune management programs, this project set forth to:

• determine the extent of the existing dune systems around Chesapeake Bay,
• determine morphologic changes of selected dune systems and the factors that influence their evolution,
• develop a geology-based classification of dune system types using influencing factors, and
• determine the relationship between primary and secondary dunes.