For the Instructor
These student materials
complement the
Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society
Instructor Materials.
If you would like your students to have access to the student materials, we suggest you either
point them at the
Student Version
which omits the framing pages with information designed for
faculty (and this box). Or you can download these pages in several formats
that you can include in your course website or local Learning Managment System.
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Initial Publication Date: December 7, 2016
Learning Check Point
Please take a few minutes to think about what you just learned, then answer the questions below to test your understanding.
Question 1 - Essay
What is the definition of a barrier island?
ANSWER:
Barrier islands are shore-parallel elongated accumulations of sand that are constructed by waves and build vertically by the accumulation of sand from wind transport. (you should have several of these components!).
Question 2 - Essay
What are three of the main components of a barrier system?
ANSWER:
- Nearshore, beach and dune systems: these environments share the same characteristics as those that were discussed in the section for beaches
- Backbarrier: the area located between the barrier and mainland and can consist of bodies of water such as bays, lagoons and sounds, as well as marshes, tidal creeks, and tidal flats.
- Bays and Lagoons: shallow open to partially restricted water areas located in the back barrier.
- Marshes: salt-tolerant vegetated areas within the intertidal area of the back barrier
- Tidal Flats- flat, sandy to muddy areas that are exposed at mid to low tide along the back barrier.
- Tidal creek: a backbarrier creek through which water flows during flood and ebb tide.
- Tidal Inlets: openings along a shore-parallel chain of barrier islands through which water is exchanged between the open ocean and the backbarrier environments during a tidal cycle.
- Tidal Deltas: sandy to silt rich shoals that rise above the adjacent seafloor and are located on the landward and seaward side of tidal inlets.
Question 3 - Essay
What is the function of tidal inlets?
ANSWER:
Exchange of water between the ocean and bay/lagoon during the tidal cycle.