Thursday, October 07, 2010

Marrowstone Isthmus




Marrowstone and Indian Islands are connected at their southern end by a road and a tombolo and a salt marsh. The old maps raise the possibility that there might have once been a tidal connection of some sort (and that the tombolo was a spit) and that it vanished when the road culvert cut off too much of the exchange. It's a complex site, since Kilisut Harbor (between the two islands) also has a substantial inlet at the other end. Reconnecting might be good for commuting fish and circulation in the lower bay, but it would require opening up the culverts into a bridge of some sort and reestablishing a channel through a portion of the marsh and barrier beach. Nothing is going to happen right away, but it's interesting to think about.

Sediment on this beach is transported northwestward by wave action, eventually forming the wonderful spits and lagoons at the southwest end of Indian Island.

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