Author Question: What are barrier islands, and where do they form? How does the sand migrate on barrier islands? What ... (Read 98 times)

lilldybug07 · **on:** Jul 15, 2018

What are barrier islands, and where do they form? How does the sand migrate on barrier islands? What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

What are winter beaches and summer beaches? How can the same beach have two such different
seasonal profiles? What will be an ideal response?

nanny · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 15, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Barrier islands are long, narrow islands of sand, lying a short distance offshore from the mainland.
They form on gently sloping continental shelves where sand is abundant and wave energy and tidal
range are low. The sand of most barrier islands is migrating landward as sand is eroded from the
seaward side and deposited on the landward side.

Answer to Question 2

Summer beaches are sand-covered and have a wide berm, a gently sloping beach face, and a smooth
offshore profile. Winter beaches are coarser grained and steeper. They have a small berm or none at
all, and they have sandbars offshore that parallel the shoreline. During the winter, storm waves erode
sand from the beaches and transport it offshore, where it is stored in sandbars. In the summer, that sand
returns onshore on more gentle swells.