Defending the Shoreline: From Cannon to Beach Nourishment in Gulf Islands National Seashore

Abstract

Gulf Islands National Seashore, in Florida and Mississippi, along the Gulf Coast of the United States is a landscape defined by the movement, erosion, and accretion of sand. Starting in the 16th century, Spanish, then British, French, and American military officers and government agencies constructed and modified this coastal landscape to maintain strategic position and political claims in the area. Today, this national seashore continues to serve as a defensive structure, with its sandy beaches buffering the mainland of Mississippi and western Florida from hurricanes, storm surge, and the compounding effects of sea level rise.