Abstract: The classification of coastal dunes is the most important basic problem in the research on the landscape of the wind-drift sand in coastal region.It has been paid great attention since the beginning of coastal dune study.So far,some classification methods of coastal dunes have been given in the research process of coastal dunes.V.Goldsmith gave a classification method in 1977,which was named VAMP.In 1980,J.L.Davies classified the types of coastal dunes according to the forming process.Based on the influence of vegetation to the forming process of coastal dunes,K.Pye classified the coastal dunes.In 1985,K.L.Tinley gave a classification of the coastal dunes of South Africa.J.S.Olson and E.van der Maarel also put forward a classification method of coastal dune forms in Europe.In China,LI Cong-xian,WU Zheng and FU Ming-zuo gave their classifications in China coastal regions.Reviewing all the classifications of coastal dunes,there is no one classification which is accepted by all researchers.Probably the most universally applied typology is a loose classification based on an amalgam of position,morphology,stability and age factors,which embraces incipient foredunes nearest the sea,stabilized dunes inland and a range of unstable coastal dune forms.Based on the loose classification of coastal dunes,this paper fully takes account of the natural environment and coastal dunes features in Temperate Zone in China,suggests a new classification system of coastal dunes in Temperate Zone in China according to the comprehensive rule,regional rule and level rule.The coastal dunes in Temperate Zone in China are classified into 3 levels and 10 kinds according to the new classification system.First,all the coastal dunes can be divided into two types,foredunes and dunes inland according to the position of coastal dunes.Then,these two type dunes are classified into three sub-types,which are incipient dunes and stabilized dunes as well as unstable dunes.Mainly according to the form feature of the coastal dunes,the coastal dunes in Temperate Zone in China are divided into 10 kinds of coastal dunes at the third level.The 10 kinds of coastal dunes are incipient foredunes,transverse foredune ridges,shadow dunes,parabolic dunes,oblique dune ridges,barchan dunes,transverse dune ridges,longitudinal dunes,climbing dunes and coastal sand sheet.At last,this paper simply introduces the basic distribution and form features of all 10 kinds of coastal dunes in Temperate Zone in China.

Key words: Temperate Zone in China, coastal dunes, classification system