Texas Barrier Islands Barrier Islands Galveston Island Matagorda

Texas Barrier Islands

Barrier Islands Galveston Island Matagorda Island San Jose Island Mustang Island Padre Island Total coastline=367 miles

Galveston Island Storm of 1900 killed 6000 people Seawall: 54, 790 feet long, 17 feet high, 20 feet wide 32 miles of beachfront

Matagorda Island 40 miles long x 2 miles wide 10, 000 visitors a year Only accessible by boat Grasslands, woodlands, tidal marshes, and brackish ponds, maximum elevation=22 ft. State Park

San Jose Island 21 miles long Consists of series of islands Uninhabited

Mustang Island 3954 acres with 5 miles of beach 35 foot dunes, 15 -20 foot avg. State Park

Padre Island Longest undeveloped barrier island ~80 miles South Padre Island: ~55 miles long, developed extensively North and South islands were connected until the Port Mansfield Channel was dredged in 1962

Tides Microtidal ~ 1. 5 ft.

Major bodies of water Galveston Bay- 600 sq/miles…highly developed. . over 70 miles bulkheaded Matagorda Bay-1000 sq/km Laguna Madre- 609 sq/miles, 130 miles long, very shallow (avg. depth 2. 5 ft. ) and hypersaline

Rivers Sabine River-555 miles long, highest discharge and strongest flow in Texas, empties into Sabine Pass Colorado River-600 miles long, drains into Matagorda Bay Brazos River- 840 miles long, empties into Gulf of Mexico, longest river in Texas Rio Grande- 5 th largest river in North America, drains 40, 000 sq/miles in Texas

References http: //www. tsha. utexas. edu/handbook/online/ http: //prodweb. tpwd. state. tx. us/park/mustang http: //www. nps. gov/pais http: //tidesonline. nos. noaa. gov http: //www. worldatlas. com http: //areas. wildernet. com/pages/area