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Barrier Island: Figure 1 Barrier Island Contrasted With Other Coastal Landforms

Barrier islands are flat landforms made of sand that run parallel to mainland coasts, occurring in chains of varying numbers of islands. Their formation can be explained by several theories, as barriers form through different mechanisms in diverse environments around the world. For barrier islands to develop, coasts generally need a small tidal range, wave dominance, a low-gradient continental shelf, ample sediment supply, and a stable sea level to allow sand accumulation into islands over time.

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132 views2 pages

Barrier Island: Figure 1 Barrier Island Contrasted With Other Coastal Landforms

Barrier islands are flat landforms made of sand that run parallel to mainland coasts, occurring in chains of varying numbers of islands. Their formation can be explained by several theories, as barriers form through different mechanisms in diverse environments around the world. For barrier islands to develop, coasts generally need a small tidal range, wave dominance, a low-gradient continental shelf, ample sediment supply, and a stable sea level to allow sand accumulation into islands over time.

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He Yap
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© © All Rights Reserved
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BARRIER ISLAND

Barrier Islands, a coastal land form and a type of barrier system, are exceptionally flat and
lumpy areas of sand, that are parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting
of anything from a few islands to more than a dozen. Excepting the tidal inlets that separate the
islands, a barrier chain may extend uninterrupted for over a hundred kilometers, the longest and
widest being Padre Island. The length and width of barriers and overall morphology of barrier coasts
are related to parameters including tidal range, wave energy, sediment supply, sea-level
trends and basement controls.
Chains of barrier islands can be found along approximately thirteen percent of the world's
coastlines, some displaying different settings, suggesting that they can form and be maintained in a
variety of environmental settings. Numerous theories have been given to explain their formation.

Figure 1 Barrier island contrasted with other coastal landforms
Explanations for the development of barrier islands have been proposed by numerous
scientists for more than 150 years. They can be grouped into three major theories: offshore bar
theory, spit accretion theory, and submergence theory. No single theory can explain the
development of all barriers distributed extensively along the world's coastlines. Scientists accept
the idea that barriers, including other barrier types, can form by a number of different
mechanisms.
However, there are some general requirements for formation. Barrier island systems
develop most easily on wave dominated coasts with a small to moderate tidal range. Coasts are
classified into three groups based on tidal range: microtidal, 02 meter tidal range; mesotidal, 2
4 meter tidal range; and macrotidal, >4 meter tidal range. Barrier islands tend to form most
dominantly along microtidal coasts, where they tend to be well developed and nearly continuous.
They are less frequently formed in mesotidal coasts, where they are typically short with tidal
inlets common. Barrier islands are very rare along macrotidal coasts. Along with a small tidal
range and a wave-dominated coast, there must be a relatively low gradient shelf. Otherwise, sand
accumulation into a sandbar would not occur and instead be dispersed throughout the shore. An
ample sediment supply is also a requirement for barrier island formation. The last major
requirement for barrier island formation is a stable sea level. It is especially important for sea
level to remain relatively unchanged during barrier island formation and growth. If sea level
changes are too drastic, there will not be enough time for wave action to accumulate sand into a
dune, which will eventually become a barrier island through aggradation. Barrier islands need
the sea level to remain constant so that waves can concentrate the sand into one location.

Figure 2 Outer barrier in Long Island Figure 3 Mobile bay and Mississippi sound

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