Windows in the dunes - the creation of sea inlets in the nature reserve de Westhoek in De Panne

The Flemish Nature Reserve 'De Westhoek' constitutes together with the French public domain 'La Dune du Perroquet' a transborder coastal dune area of 700ha, situated between De Panne (Belgium) and Bray-Dunes (France). From high-tide mark to polders, the range of dunes has a width of nearly 2km. In the 1950s heavy storms beat a breach through the foredunes of 'La Dune du Perroquet'. Consequently, the seawater could penetrate through the breach into a dune slack during high high tides. This phenomenon is called a 'sea inlet', or a 'slufter'. The seawater could also top over the foredunes of the... Mehr ...