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Barrier islands protect coasts from storms, but are vulnerable too

  • Written by Anna Linhoss, Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Mississippi State University
Barrier islands protect coasts from storms, but are vulnerable tooShip Island, one of the Mississippi Gulf islands, photographed in 2004.USGS

When hurricanes like Florence make landfall, the first things they hit often are barrier islands – thin ribbons of sand that line the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It’s hard to imagine how these narrow strips can withstand such forces, but in fact, many of...

Read more: Barrier islands protect coasts from storms, but are vulnerable too

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