A barrier island is a coastal landform, a type of dune system and sand island, formed when wave and tidal action pile up sand parallel to the mainland shore. Barrier islands typically occur in long, narrow chains and are continually reshaped by waves, tides, sediment supply, and changing sea level, which can cause them to shift, grow, or erode. By absorbing wave energy they shelter the coast behind them, creating calmer waters where wetlands can develop. A barrier chain can run for hundreds of kilometers, broken periodically by tidal inlets, and the longest in the world is Padre Island off Texas at 182 kilometers. Vegetation cover strongly influences how tall a barrier island stands and how it evolves over time.
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Wikidata P31 formation-type mapped to discipline Geomorphology via reviewed judgment map (earth atlas); source citation is this entity's own cited Wikidata item.
Source Wikidata: Barrier Island
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Wikidata: Barrier Island
Wikidata Q21490568, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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