Dune: accumulations of wind-blown sand in ridges or mounds that lie landward of the beach and usually parallel to the shoreline.

UNESCO: L O S S A R Y

Sand dunes helped protect the New Jersey town of Seaside Park more than its dune-less neighbor Seaside Heights when Superstorm Sandy hit last fall, said Laurie Mcgilvray, a government coastline science expert.

WSJ: Americans oppose paying for storm-ravaged beaches