Driftwood (Rhyl Beach)
Rhyl Beach, Denbighshire, North Wales.
Rhyl Beach Coordinates...53.3191° N, 3.4916° W
A lockdown stroll on Rhyl Beach for exercise this afternoon, first time out in weeks. Picked up some beautiful seashells, a good day!
Wood regularly gets washed up onto beaches. As a general rule, the livelier the waves, the bigger the winds, the larger the pieces of wood that get washed up.
Some can be natural - branches that have been broken off and have ended up in our water courses; trees that have been uprooted by high river waters or blown down by gales and so on.
But also there are less natural sources - planks, pallets and cut logs can similarly be washed in to our seas.
A final source is the remnants of structures embedded in the sand which can be revealed at times when the tide and sand level is low.
Wood is an important part of beach ecology. It traps sand which reinforces dune strength and can start the development of new dunes. It also is home to insects, and shelters plants and birds. Rotting down, it adds useful nutrients and texture to sand to help plant growth.
For this reason, it is important that beaches are not stripped of all their wood for burning or craft projects.
Click the pic to Explore!
Driftwood (Rhyl Beach)
Rhyl Beach, Denbighshire, North Wales.
Rhyl Beach Coordinates...53.3191° N, 3.4916° W
A lockdown stroll on Rhyl Beach for exercise this afternoon, first time out in weeks. Picked up some beautiful seashells, a good day!
Wood regularly gets washed up onto beaches. As a general rule, the livelier the waves, the bigger the winds, the larger the pieces of wood that get washed up.
Some can be natural - branches that have been broken off and have ended up in our water courses; trees that have been uprooted by high river waters or blown down by gales and so on.
But also there are less natural sources - planks, pallets and cut logs can similarly be washed in to our seas.
A final source is the remnants of structures embedded in the sand which can be revealed at times when the tide and sand level is low.
Wood is an important part of beach ecology. It traps sand which reinforces dune strength and can start the development of new dunes. It also is home to insects, and shelters plants and birds. Rotting down, it adds useful nutrients and texture to sand to help plant growth.
For this reason, it is important that beaches are not stripped of all their wood for burning or craft projects.
Click the pic to Explore!