Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

COASTAL MORPHOLOGY

Islands on the move

Sea level rise causes barrier islands to migrate landward. Coastal evolution modelling reveals a centennial-scale lag in island response time and suggests migration rates will increase by 50% within the next century, even if sea level were to stabilize.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: A view southward along rapidly migrating Wreck Island in Virginia, USA.

© Gordon Campbell / AtAltitudeGallery.com

References

  1. Mariotti, G. & Hein, C. Nat. Geosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00980-9 (2022).

  2. Mariotti, G. J. Geophys. Res.-Earth Surf. 126, e2020JF005867 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Swift, D. J. P. Sediment. Geol. 14, 1–43 (1975).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Moore, L. J. & Murray, A. B. (eds) Barrier Dynamics and Response to Changing Climate, (Springer International Publishing, 2018).

  5. Hapke, C. J., Kratzmann, M. G. & Himmelstoss, E. A. Geomorphology 199, 160–170 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Deaton, C. D., Hein, C. J. & Kirwan, M. L. Geology 45, 123–126 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Mallinson, D. et al. In Barrier Dynamics and Response to Changing Climate (eds Moore, L. J. & Murray, A. B.) 91-120 (Springer, 2018).

  8. Stolper, D., List, J. H. & Thieler, E. R. Mar. Geol. 218, 17–36 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Moore, L. J., List, J. H., Williams, S. J. & Stolper, D. J. Geophys. Res. Earth Surf. 115, F03004 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Lorenzo-Trueba, J. & Ashton, A. D. J. Geophys. Res. Earth Surf. 119, 2013JF002941 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Reeves, I. R. B., Moore, L. J., Murray, A. B., Anarde, K. A. & Goldstein, E. B. Geophys. Res. Lett. 48, e2021GL092958 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Laura J. Moore or A. Brad Murray.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Moore, L.J., Murray, A.B. Islands on the move. Nat. Geosci. 15, 602–603 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-01000-6

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-01000-6

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing Anthropocene

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Anthropocene newsletter — what matters in anthropocene research, free to your inbox weekly.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Anthropocene