The different types of shores of barrier Islands and features along the coast

The importance of any seashore is that it may be understood as an example of how life adapts to its conditions of existence.

Collectively speaking, life is called the biota of a place, from biosphere, while

all the conditions of existence are called the habitat.

Habitats characteristic of seashore geography

Rocks	Sand	Mud	Coral
periwinkles	ghost crabs	algae	elkhorn
barnacles	beach hoppers	aerobic bacteria	staghorn
chitons	emerita analoga	anoxic bacteria	halimeda, green algae
mussels	coquina clams	clams	brain
starfish (Pisaster)	blood worms	urechis worm	Gorgonians, soft fans

Each of the living creatures thrives in conditions that allow it to compete for space, adapt to harsh conditions, thrive and reproduce.

The significance of the sand beach, along any seashore is equaled only by the salt marshes with respect to protection from the power of the rising sea.

Martin Johnson Heade, Singing Beach, New Hampshire.

sand barriers | salt marshes | development | question | rivers | mangroves | dunes | erosion

Laguna Beach, Orange County, Ca. looking southward along the marine terrace and sand beach. Rocks reveal fault lines.

Ocean Dune edge.

Dunes at Jockey Ridge along Cape Hatteras.

Significance of beach zones.

The Salt Marsh behind the beach at Cape Cod.

What are the features and elements of a site that distinguish it from other terrain?

The sand of this barrier island is held in place by natural features and the physical features of sand barriers protect the shore against storm tides eroding the shore because these sand banks absorb the full fury of any raging storms. By doing so they migrate due to currents, winds, tides and frequency of storm surges.

Transect of a salt marsh:

Zonation is the separation of terrain into specific areas based on distinguishing characteristics,

Conversion of salt marshes are a lucrative but risky business:

Florida coastal development's exposure and the levee failure in New Orleans due to Hurricane Katrina.

What are the values of wetlands, dunes, river swamps and levees?

Rivers move water, sediments, calcium, nitrogen and phosphorus to the sea.

Mangrove shore lines

From this small red mangrove seedling an entire tree can grow given the optimal conditions of ocean, air, nutrients, and sunlight.

Cape Hatteras. lighthouse had to be relocated inland due to beach erosion.

Cape Hatteras., North Carolina

Adrift on the wide, wide sea.

Home adrift as the sands of this barrier island shifted under its foundations, West Florida Gulf shore.