barrier island

noun

1. a broadened barrier beach, habitable in places, that provides a measure of protection for the mainland, as during hurricanes and tidal waves.

barrier island

/ băr′ē-ər /

1. A long, narrow sand island that is parallel to the mainland and serves to protect the coast from erosion. Barrier islands typically have dunes along the exposed outer side, zones of vegetation in the interior, and swampy areas along the inner lagoon.

barrier island

1. Any low sandy island that is parallel to the mainland and protects it from storms. ( See Cape Hatteras .)

Notes

Barrier islands normally change location every ten to thirty years, a fact that makes coastline management a major problem in environmental policy.

Example Sentences

Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key — a barrier island near Sarasota — around 8:30 p.m.

From Los Angeles Times

Milton made landfall at around 8:30 pm near Siesta Key, Florida, a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Sarasota.

From Salon

I recently had a pretty special experience with friends, cooking on the barrier islands, off the coast of North Carolina.

From Salon

It is a tiny barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico about three miles south of Mobile Bay.

From Salon

Investigators concluded that an 11th person who disappeared in 2010 from the barrier island community of Oak Beach had accidentally drowned.

From Seattle Times