"With text and hundreds of figures, charts, drawings, and color photos, this book covers the long, flat, narrow islands that run along the Gulf coast of the Florida peninsula. These 30 islands and inlets create a barrier along a 200-mile stretch, protecting the mainland and the coastal bays from storms and heavy waves. The land on these islands is among the most expensive acres of real estate on the planet, and most of the islands are now heavily developed and populated, though some natural areas remain. This book looks first at the geological aspects of this barrier-inlet system, which is very young in terms of the history of our planet, only about 3,000 years, appearing since the great glaciers melted and sea level reached near its present position. Hurricanes have had a significant impact on this coast, although they are less frequent |