EARTHCACHE REQUIREMENTS
Each cacher must send his/her own answers BEFORE logging a find. ... "Geocachers must complete the tasks before they log the EarthCache as found." (4.3. EarthCache logging tasks)
Enjoy the journey (learning adventure) as well as the destination (smiley earned). Remember to take only pictures and leave only footprints. To get credit for this Earthcache, complete the following tasks:
The National Seashore - Man vs Nature series gives three examples of evidence of Barrier Island Movement.
NOTE: Answers via message -and- log signature picture are required to post a find for this cache.
1a. MESSAGE ... Based on the reading - What evidence of Barrier Island Movement is represented here?
1b. MESSAGE ... Based on your observations - According to the sign, what is it now used for?
2a. MESSAGE ... What are the two main types of roads on Assateague Island.
2b. MESSAGE ... How does the construction of each of these roads account for island movement.
3. MESSAGE ... Why was the Boulevard destroyed by a storm, whereas the current roads are withstanding the storms?
4. MESSAGE ... Stand ankle deep in the water. a. Describe what you are experiencing. Include both the water and the sand. b. How does what you are experiencing relate to movement of water and sand during a storm?
5. LOG ... Take a picture of you or your signature item anywhere along the Baltimore Boulevard. This picture is your log signature. Include coordinates of where you took your picture.
OPTIONAL - Please respect the time and effort involved in creating this earthcache by adding A B C to your log.
A. WILDLIFE ... Assateague Island is renowned for its wild horses. They are the size of ponies, their diminutive size imainly attributed to a relatively poor diet of mostly beach grass and cordgrass, as well as exposure to harsh environmental conditions. In Maryland these horses roam free. The horses are wild, so take care to remain a safe distance away. In your log, share your encounters.
AMAZING EXPERIENCE!
B. JOURNEY OF THE MIND ... Science explains what we observe. Walk to any place you choose along the Beach. See Experiencing the Ocean for ways to enjoy and understand the ocean.
C. JOURNEY OF THE HEART ... Art shares our personal experience of what we see. Share something special you found on site, and why it is special to you. This is a memorable addition to your log and will make other hearts smile.
Journeys of Heart and Mind ...
Stories to Touch the Heart and Puzzles to Challenge the Mind / Rainbow Tree Story
THANK YOU NPS Ranger Heather for permission to share this learning adventure.
BARRIER ISLANDS
Barrier Islands are long, narrow islands that form when a sandbar has built up enough to break through the water's surface. Along the eastern coast in the Atlantic Ocean lie these long narrow islands built from sand. They lie parallel and close to the mainland, protecting it from the powerful forces of wind and water. These islands are constantly being shaped by accretion (sand building up to create new island structures), and erosion (waves, currents, tides, storms).
Currents and storms work to continuously reshape the land. Longshore currents transport sand south along the coast. In the winter, sand is pulled from dunes and beaches depositing it into offshore sand bars thus reducing beach width. This process is reversed during milder summer weather, as gentler wave action acts to restore the shoreline. As land is lost on the front side of the island. it is usually gained on the back side. The combination of these processes continually moves the island southwest.
profile of a typical barrier island
MOVEMENT
The islands move southwest a few feet each year. This is caused by the ever changing actions of wind and water. The most powerful agents causing island rollover (landward migration due to large storms transporting sand from sea to land) are the storms. Most storms have surface winds ranging from 39-73 mph. A severe storm surface winds of 74 mph or greater is deemed a hurricane. Storm-induced waves that exceed the height of the dune are called overwash. Sand is transported over top of the dune and deposited inland in large layers called overwash fans.
ASSATEAGUE ISLAND
"Assateague is moving westward as a result of sea-level rise and the force of the surf through a process called “island rollover.” During severe storm events, sand is eroded from the ocean beaches and carried across the island by flood waters and re-deposited in marshes along the western shore, steadily narrowing the bay that separates the island from the mainland. These events can break through dunes, spilling sand in fanlike deposits or even carving inlets, such as the one that has separated Assateague and Ocean City since 1933. Long shore currents will eventually deposit sediments and close these gaps unless, like the Ocean City inlet, it is maintained with jetties and dredging."
STORMS
Storms vary in their intensity and hence their destructive power. The waves can cause erosion to the beach and severe damage to nearby buildings and structures. Nor'easters can also produce wind gusts that approach hurricane-force winds (winds at least 74 mph). The March 1962 storm, deemed the Ash Wednesday Storm, pounded the mid-Atlantic coast for nearly three days, battering the shoreline, sweeping beach homes, hotels and boardwalks into the ocean, while bringing near-blizzard conditions to inland areas. That nor'easter produced huge waves and ferocious winds up to 60 mph.
ROADS
The Baltimore Boulevard was a 15 mile road built in the 1950s. Land was cleared for 130 side streets to accomodate 9,000 building lots. A massive northeaster storm demolished the road in March 1962.
Paved roads built by the NPS now take in account the movement of the island with no permanent dwellings constructed on the island.
Sand roads parallel the beach and are only accessible by Over Sand Vehicles with a required permit to travel them.
RESOURCES ... Wikipedia / Accretion Erosion Avulsion / Assateague Island / Barrier Islands Formation / Coasts Shoreline / Diamond Shoals / Overwash / Sandbar / Shoal / Shifting Sands / Storms Hurricanes / Reading the Beach / Reading the Waves / Rip Currents / Trail / Visitor Center / Wave Terms / Protecting Assateague Island / Baltimore Boulevard / Over Sand Vehicle / Weather / Ash Wednesday Storm