Introduction and Background

Methods

Current research

Classroom Activities:
Activity 1
Activity 2

Video

Glossary

Notes

Teacher Key for Activity 2:

1.a. Students should see that the more southern Barrier Island is longer, wider, and has many more overwash deposits on it. Students should see different kinds of ground cover on different parts of the islands (related to geology of the area).

2.a. Students should see that the inlets are not the same size and shape. This is because of varying sediment supplies to their spits along with variances in tidal flow and river input.

2.b. Students should see that the inlets have migrated from year to rear. Overall movement of the island is southward so the northern spits should be getting smaller and the southern spits should be getting bigger. The southern spit of the southernmost Barrier Island has grown by about 200m. The inlets themselves may migrate due to sedimentation and erosion of the spits bordering them.

2.c. Short-term rates of movement are not constant b/c of variables that affect sediment transport.

2.d. The direction of movement is not constant in the short-term b/c of variables that affect sediment transport and variables affecting erosion.

3.a. These deposits look like large fans of sand that have been washed over the front side of the island and deposited on the back side.

3.b. Higher energy wave action(usually associated with storm activity) is the cause these features. These deposits aid in the landward migration of the Barrier Island.

3.c. The size of these features will vary depending on the deposit that the students chose to outline

4.a. Movement will be most noticeable along the northern and southern boarders of the barrier islands. Students should include overwash deposits somewhere in their discussions. Students should not see much migration in the main body of the barrier island other than in the formation and growth on the overwash deposits.

Big picture questions

1. Large storm systems will affect barrier island systems in many ways. The first and most obvious way is going to be the erosion seen on the beach face of the island. That sand that is removed can be overwashed to the back of the island, it can be deposited in bars off shore or it can be transported down shore to be deposited elsewhere. Inlets can get “blown out” from all of the water (storm) rushing back to the sea. This increase in flow will cause erosion of the sides of the inlet depending on the amount and velocity of the water flowing out.

2. Long term: Barrier islands should continue their migration southward, driven by the longshore current. Barrier islands should also continue their migration landward, driven by erosion and overwash. Short term: Inlet migration and overwash due to erosion and deposition of sediments is probably going to be the most dominant short term changes to the barrier islands.