Webquest 5-16

We just watched a short video about coastal systems. Now you are going to embark on an exciting journey through our country’s Barrier Islands.

This is not like our normal webquest. Today your job is to develop an educated opinion as to whether or not people should build permanent structures on barrier islands. You will need to learn about the geological and physical nature of barrier islands, and how barrier islands change over time. You will look at development of barrier islands and find out how the beaches on these islands are maintained. You will find out how different states handle the protection or development of their barrier islands. You will also find out what happens to permanent structures that are built on barrier islands. Finally, you will form an opinion as to whether permanent structures should be built on barrier islands.

Once you have done your research, you will prepare an open letter to the editor of a newspaper in which you outline what you have learned about barrier islands and state your opinion on whether permanent structures should be built there. Your letter should include information about the geology and ecology of barrier islands as well as the changes they are subject to. Your goal is to convince readers of the newspaper that your conclusion is correct, and to encourage them to write to the appropriate agencies in support of your position.

DIRECTIONS:
-View Websites and Feel Free to Take notes in Microsoft Word
-Type your essay in the survey link below

-3rd Period Survey

-4th Period Survey

WEBSITES FOR YOU TO USE
What are barrier islands and how do they form?
· Florida Oceanographic Society: Barrier Islands. This site has background information on the formation of barrier islands.
· The Atlantic Coastline: The Nature of Barrier Islands. Visit this web site to learn how the barrier islands of North Carolina’s Outer Banks formed.
· Barrier Islands Formation. Here you can read about several different theories on the formation of barrier islands.
· Barrier Island and Barrier Beaches. At this site you can find out more about how the barrier islands of Georgia formed.

How do barrier islands change over time?
· Barrier Islands: Always Changing. Go to this site to find out how barrier islands change over time.
· Eastern Barrier Islands: Terra Un-Firma. At this National Science Foundation site you can discover how storms affect barrier islands.
· Mississippi Gulf Coast Barrier Islands. Here you can learn about the ecology of the barrier islands of Mississippi.
· Dynamics of Beaches and Barrier Islands. Visit this site to learn about barrier islands that have disappeared off the coast of New York State.
· Louisiana’s Barrier Islands: A Vanishing Resource. At this site you can learn about the changes in the barrier islands of Louisiana’s Gulf Coast.

How do various states handle development of barrier islands?
Altamaha River Barrier Islands. At this site you can find out how the state of Georgia handles development of Sapelo Island. Explore the site further to find out about beach, dune, estuarine, and marsh ecosystems.
Ecosystem Fact Sheets: Barrier Islands. Go to this site to find out more about the development of the barrier islands of Florida.
Barrier Islands. Go to this site to find out about the formation of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation: Barrier Islands. At this site you can find out how Florida protects two of its barrier islands.
Greenhouse Effect, Sea Level Rise, and Barrier Islands: Case Study of Long Beach Island, New Jersey. At this site you can find out how communities on barrier islands respond to a rise in sea level. .
What kinds of development occur on barrier islands?
Barrier islands, erosion, and mitigation efforts. Visit this site to find out what is happening to the barrier islands of New York.
Understanding Recreational Use on Barrier Islands. Go to this site to learn about the relationship between recreational use and physical features of Masonboro Island, a barrier island that is part of the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve.
Managing Coastal Resources Case Studies. Visit this site to find out how North Carolina and Louisiana are protecting their barrier islands.
The Virginia/Maryland Barrier Islands. Go to this site for background information on the development and conservation of barrier islands in Virginia and Maryland.
The Need for Sand in Ocean City, Maryland. At this Coastal Estuarine Geology Program, Department of Natural Resources, State of Maryland site you can find out about the maintenance of beaches on barrier islands.

What happens to permanent structures built on barrier islands?
Renourish beaches or lose them. At this site you can find out how seawalls affect the beaches of barrier islands.
Coastal Erosion: Severity of the Problem. Visit this site to find out what happens when permanent structures are built on barrier islands.
Coastal Conflicts. At this USGS site you can learn about the impacts of hurricanes to the resort of Ocean City, Maryland.
Saving the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse from the Sea. Go to this site to find out what happened to this lighthouse and why.