Ice dune

[2] The tidal range, the storminess of the water and the topography of the beach all can affect the size of the dunes.

[3] The dunes will also stop forming if the body of the water they border freezes over, which often happens on Lake Erie.

Ice dunes are important in formations, such as sandspits and sand isthmuses, that could be eroded by wave action.

An example of a Great Lakes sandspit is Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Because of the way ice dunes form, they are inherently weak and filled with cracks and air pockets.