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Fore dunes form along the shores of oceans and large lakes with the prevailing winds. The vegetation along most coastal areas usually prevents the inland migration of the dunes so that they are concentrated in a narrow belt parallel to the shoreline. The surfaces of the dunes are irregular and often marked by blowouts (depressions caused by deflation). If vegetation is sparse, these dunes can migrate inland to form transverse dunes.
Fore dunes also form on barrier islands (fore-island dunes). These dunes are important in reducing the effects of storm waves. The dunes forming on the landward side of a barrier island are called back-island dunes. The sand dunes on low-lying barrier islands are called coppice dunes.
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