A Barrier Island
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Shorelines are the areas between low tide and the highest level on land affected by storm waves. Approximately 67% of the world's population is concentrated in narrow bands adjacent to shorelines. In addition, coastlines often provide a convenient storage place for sediment derived from a continental mass. The Atchafalaya Delta, LA, is a good example of a river dominated (bird's foot) deltaic complex (Landsat image). Read about Louisiana's Barrier Islands: A Vanishing Resource ... in the link given in the Chapter Heading.
"El Nino was originally recognized by fishermen off the coast of South America in the late 1800's as the appearance of abnormally warm water in the Pacific ocean which usually arrived shortly after the beginning of the year. This localized phenomenon is now known to be part of a very large and complex system of atmospheric and oceanic interactions called the El Nino Southern Oscillation or ENSO for short. The mechanisms of the ENSO are the dynamic and thermodynamic interactions between the atmosphere, oceans and land surfaces."Earth Space Research Group at UC Santa Barbara
"Already, more than half the world's population-- over 2.7 billion people--live within 60 miles (100 km) of a coastline. Rapid urbanization, especially in developing countries, will lead to more coastal megacities--cities with 10 million or more people As coastal zones become more densely populated, coastal water quality will suffer, wildlife will be displaced, and shorelines will erode." From the Ocean Planet Exhibition at the Smithsonian
"Oceans are crucial in shaping climate because they store and move heat around the planet, and they're a major source and storehouse for gases (such as carbon dioxide) that affect climate. It's not fully understood how much carbon dioxide the oceans can absorb and store."
Peter Benchley - author of Jaws ... "More than twenty years ago, I set out to write a story about a town menaced by a marine predator. Intrigued by a newspaper item about a fisherman who had caught a 4,550-pound Great White Shark off the coast of Long Island, I wondered what would happen if such a creature were to visit a resort community . . . and wouldn't go away."
Learning about geology from a computer screen is only half as fun as enjoying it in the field!
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Copyright by John C. Butler, July 29, 1995
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