This huge pile of sand just below the ocean surface extends for about 10 miles (16 kilometers)-and that’s small compared to the shoals extending out from other capes in North Carolina, which Riggs calls the “graveyards of the Atlantic” for the hazard they have long posed to ships.Īreas west of the islands do not escape the forces of nature. Still, the wind and waves take a toll, eroding the east-facing shoreline of the cape and moving sand southward to Diamond Shoals. These are also the more protected and therefore urbanized parts of the island chain. The relative height of the dunes and distance from the ocean have allowed forests to grow. In this view, you can see parallel east-west ridges that have built up over time behind the tip of the cape. The second image shows a detailed view of one such area at Cape Hatteras. In contrast, the green vegetated areas along the islands are usually wider and older “complex” barrier islands. That cycle is influenced, however, by the human development and maintenance of structures such as highway 12-the road that runs like a spine down the length of North Carolina’s barrier islands. Within a year or two after an inlet opens up, a flood tide delta typically forms behind it and continues the natural cycle of island rebuilding. In other years, however, hurricanes and nor’easters have opened multiple inlets in a single season. The year that these images were acquired was a relatively quiet one for storms. “If you can’t see green vegetation,” Riggs said, “that means the area is ready to break in the next storm to form an inlet.”
The shoreline continues to recede and weak spots form, at which point water from the Atlantic Ocean can break through and form an inlet. These areas are generally eroding and thinning. Skinny parts of the island chain, which appear mostly white without any green vegetation, are “simple” barrier islands. Stanley Riggs, a scientist who in the mid 1960s developed the coastal and marine science program at East Carolina University, pointed out some notable features.
Various stages of island evolution-from build-up to erosion-are all visible along the island chain. These images show a moment in time on June 7, 2015, captured with the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on the Landsat 8 satellite. These islands have been in flux long before the park was established, and they continue to change today. It wasn’t until 1953 that the National Park Service acquired enough land to establish the park, and another five years before facilities were in place and the park could formally open. The park’s origins date back to the 1930s, when Congress authorized the creation of this first “national seashore park” in the United States. The images above show a segment of the barrier islands in the vicinity of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The very existence of these barrier islands is due to the power of wind and water. But there is evidence all around that this beach is not always so serene.
On most summer days, a trip to North Carolina’s Outer Banks means a peaceful day at the beach soaking up the sun and playing in the waves. We are celebrating this milestone with a gallery of images that you can see here. This week marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.
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