Virginia Barrier Island Configuration: A Reappraisal

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Abstract
The 12 Virginia barrier islands are divided into three groups on the basis of historical retreat rates and characteristics. The growth and reversal of inlet offsets is a long-term event that results from the operation of known coastal processes. Both geomorphic evidence and wave refraction analyses indicate that shoreline irregularity will diminish with time. There is no basis for the prediction (or expectation) that cape-like features will evolve along this shoreline.