Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Insights Into Barrier-Island Stability Derived From Transgressive/Regressive State Changes Of Parramore Island, Virginia, Jessica L. Raff, Justin L. Shawler, Daniel J. Ciarletta, Emily A. Hein, Jorge Lorenzo Trueba, Christopher J. Hein

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Barrier islands and their associated backbarrier ecosystems front much of the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts, yet threshold conditions associated with their relative stability (i.e., state changes between progradation, erosion, and landward migration) in the face of sea-level rise remain poorly understood. The barrier islands along Virginia's Eastern Shore are among the largest undeveloped barrier systems in the U.S., providing an ideal natural laboratory to explore the sensitivity of barrier islands to environmental change. Details about the developmental history of Parramore Island, one of the longest (12 km) and widest (1.0–1.9 km) of these islands, provide insight into the timescales …