Gulf Islands National Seashore: Perdido Key: Boardwalk E

The boardwalk is on the gulf side of the key. How the barrier islands were formed is somthing of a mystery. All theories involve the work of waves, winds, and fluctuating sea levels. The islands are always changing. Alongshore currents wear away the islands on their eastern ends while building them up on the west. As a result, the islands shift steadily westward. More changes are made by violent storms that overwash the islands and rearrange the sand, and by winds that shift and sculpt the dunes. The change is slowed by the protective covering of grasses and plants that grow on the dunes and in the island interiors. The sea oat, which has an elaborate stem and root system, plays a vital role in holding the islands together.