East Florida’s Barrier Islands: Natural vs. Man-Made; By Dr. Charles W. Finkl

Florida is world famous for its white sandy beaches, yet many if not most of the beaches in southeast Florida have been renourished. That is, they are man-made beaches that are periodically replenished with sand dredged from the floor of the ocean. In spite of the fact that most beachgoers are unaware that many Florida beaches are artificial, even more people do not realize that the barrier islands along the southeast Florida shore are man-made coastal features, much larger and more imposing than the beach itself. By Dr. Charles W. Finkl

Perranporth Beach, Cornwall, England; By Norma Longo

Facing the Atlantic Ocean and Perran Bay on the north coast of Cornwall is Perranporth Beach, one of the best in England, a popular beach for surfing, rock- pooling, horseback riding, walking, and engaging in various other sporting activities. The coastal setting includes dunes, cliffs, tidal pools, and a stream mouth, plus various reminders of Cornwall’s ubiquitous mining history. By Norma Longo.

Anclote Key, Florida; By Richard A. Davis, Jr

Anclote Key is a wave-dominated barrier island on the Gulf peninsular coast of Florida near Tarpon Springs. It lies about 4 km from the mainland and is in the State Park system of Florida. Because of its relatively remote location and the fact that it must be accessed by boat, the barrier is pristine as Florida barriers go.

Rømø Island, Denmark; By Andrew Cooper

The beach at Rømø is 10 kilometres long and up to 2km wide. A particularly impressive feature of the beach is the annual Kite Festival(Dragefestival) on the first weekend of September. During the festival hundreds of brightly coloured kites of all shapes and sizes are flown on the beach, taking advantage of the persistent westerly winds.