Barrier Islands along the Louisiana Coast

Today we visited a barrier island along the coast of Louisiana. Barrier islands are man-made islands built to protect the coast from rising sea level due to storm surges. They are built by digging sediment from the mouth of the Mississippi river and piling it along the coast creating an island composed of sad dunes.

Dune vegetation is planted on these islands to help stabilize the sediment and begin establishing an ecosystem that will act as a “natural speed bump” during storm events.

Barrier islands are relatively easy to upkeep and are a very effective way of protecting the coastline and the city behind it.