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Barrier Islands Research Paper

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The barrier islands of Louisiana are vital for the protection of Louisiana’s coastal communities and its natural resources. They are the first line of defense from summer’s hurricanes and winter’s storms. However, barrier islands are no longer building naturally. The previously-illustrated cycle has been interrupted by “reoccupation” to the natural processes that drive it. For “reoccupation”, stage five of the barrier island termination model, to occur, completely natural conditions that allow the river to rebuild its delta are required. These conditions do not exist because people have altered the course of the Mississippi River to control it from flooding and for navigational purposes.
Barrier islands contain a variety of habitat zones, all …show more content…

These are called barrier islands. Most are long and thin, oriented parallel to the shoreline. These islands have many things in common but also have many different characteristics. They all consist of a sandy beach facing the ocean or Gulf with several other habitat zones including dunes, swales, maritime forests, marshes and tidal flats. The specific natural environments vary from island to island. The bays, estuaries and lagoons found behind the islands are typically rich in marine life. The islands serve to protect these ecologically valuable places. These small land masses also protect human communities on the mainland from the destructive energy of tropical storms and hurricanes. Despite their protective function, barrier islands are very dynamic and always on the move. Their formation depends upon the movement of sand by waves, tides and currents, and these forces continue to act on all barrier islands. Many barrier islands are popular vacation sites. Resort towns have been developed on many of these islands. However, attempts to prevent erosional forces from threatening human-built structures are usually

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