Cedar Island, Virginia 1994 - 2014

Cedar Island, Virginia is an uninhabited barrier that has migrated landward approximately 15-30 meters per year since 1984 due to its low sediment supply. The shoreface slope is gradual but almost entirely devoid of island sediment - both responses to its recent, rapid retreat. USGS scientists collect geologic and morphologic data from this island’s shoreface. The shoreface is an important driver of barrier island evolution, as it exchanges sediment with beaches & dunes during storms and drives the long-term response of the barrier to sea level rise.