Saving Gulf's barrier islands: Alabama, Mississippi look to rebuild

Sunday, June 15, 2008
Staff Reporters

The barrier islands of Alabama and Mississippi, cultural touchstones that have shaped coastal life for generations, are disappearing with gathering speed.

Barrier islands naturally move, erode and grow, fed with sand that moves westward on the currents. But a report by the U.S. Geological Survey says that island chains in the northern Gulf of Mexico — from Mobile Bay in Alabama to Atchafalaya Bay in Louisiana — are disintegrating rapidly because of a lack of sand, rising sea levels and more frequent intense storms.

Mobile Press-Register