Cape Cod Research Paper

Cape cod has an interesting back story filled with slow moving glaciers. The sandy formation juts out into the Atlantic Ocean and is home to fascinating creatures year round. However the landform its self is far more interesting. From immense sand formations to unique current and tide movement, the oceanic spaces are captivating. The pressure of the open Atlantic with the added pressure above from the ever changing gulf of Maine create a diverse set up of bits and ends of curious patterns. The water surrounding cape cod has many shoals and banks popular for fishing. Banks and shoals are described as large sand bars shallowly submerged in ocean waters. A bank is a larger shoal. A great number of banks and shoals spread all the way from Newfoundland

When a wave moves over the sand on the bottom of the ocean the sand it picks up will settle in a different location building up. This process is also helped by the pull of rip currents and backwash. A barrier beach is simply a largely exposed sand bar made and kept by similar forces. Monomoy Island is a perfect example of a barrier beach. A barrier beach is made of primarily sand and is in constant flux. Barrier beaches will only occur when there is enough sand for the beach to form, sea levels are rising, and there is sufficient energy from waves and wind to move the sand2. Since these beaches are made wholly of sand, they are constantly being moved by the waves and wind by which they were formed. Barrier beaches such as Monomoy promote the development of marsh and wetland habitats, by protecting the area from harsh wind and waves.
Monomoy Island is an important aspect of the cape cod coast. Located at the southern tip of the outer cape, it provides a home for countless seals and other wild life. In 1984, the now almost singular island was broken up into a north and south island. It stayed broken up into two distinct islands up until the early two thousands when north beach became conjoined with the south island. By 2013 north beach had split from the southern