Galveston Island is a barrier island formed during the Holocene after a major glacial melt. Since then, the size and geographic location of the island has changed depending on many factors, including sediment availability and various hydrodynamic reasons. The island also suffers from erosion from major storms, such as hurricanes, as well as other natural disasters. Many efforts have been made to reduce the extent of erosion and/or migration, including constructing a seawall and jetties. These efforts are not 100% effective and although the island will continue to transform; with human intervention, we hope to mitigate this change to a minimum. Barrier islands are primarily observed in coastal settings with three main characteristics. First, they generally have a gently sloping continental shelf next to a low-relief coastal plain. The second characteristic is an abundant supply of sediment. The shelf and plain consist of unconsolidated sediments, generally providing the barrier islands with an abundant supply of sediment. The third characteristic is a low to moderate tidal range. The Gulf of Mexico has all three of these characteristics and therefore contains many barrier island (Reinson) formations. The hypothesis presented in an article entitled "Barrier Island Formation" (Hoyt 1130) is as follows: along a sandy shore, the wind will blow to form dunes or ridges (depending on the type of material that makes up the beach). If there is relative submergence, the area inside the dune/ridge will be flooded to form a lagoon and the ridge/dune will then become a barrier island. This would most likely occur when a stable shoreline with a well-developed ridge would be engulfed by a relatively sudden transgression that would not erode or push the ridge landward (Ot...... middle of paper... ...anportation in the natural direction of longshore drift This particular pier is responsible for the accretion of sediment immediately adjacent to the southern pier (Kraus). The stability of the barrier islands depends on many dynamic factors. efforts to keep the island as stable The combination of structures used to “protect” the island from natural disasters and normal “life” on a barrier island is crucial. Without these protections, the island could be. significantly altered by a single major weather event similar to massive melting during the Holocene, or whether the amount of sediment increases or decreases the island could disappear completely; affect its stability are the fundamental links to keeping Galveston Island the paradise it is today..