Image Index

A map of the locations visited in this field trip. Click the map to see context.

Figure 1. A view from Nags Head Woods on the Outer Banks.

Figure 2. These trees are some of the hundreds of plant species found in Nags Head Woods.

Figure 3. The steep slope of Run Hill Dune was formed by strong opposing winds.

Figure 4. Grasses slow the migration of Run Hill Dune.

Figure 5. As Run Hill Dune migrates to the southwest, this tree in Nags Head Woods is being buried.

Figure 6. As Run Hill Dune migrates to the southwest, Nags Head Woods is slowly buried.

Figure 7. By planting nonnative grasses on the dune in the distance, residents of the Outer Banks have stopped its migration.

The entrance to Jockey's Ridge State Park from Route 158 near Nags Head.

Figure 9. Some of northern Nags Head's “unpainted aristocracy” homes date to the 1830s and are the oldest seaside cottages on the Outer Banks.

Figure 10. Houses built on stilts — and frequently relocated — have survived the stormy history of the Outer Banks.

Figure 11. The remnants of a dune built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s to prevent overwash at Coquina Beach.

Figure 12. A partially eroded portion of the primary palisade dune at Coquina Beach, which is protected by its vegetation.

Figure 13. Breached during the Halloween storm of 1991, this gap in the primary palisade dune at Coquina Beach has been the site of frequent overwash.

Figure 14. Tracks from recreational vehicles at Coquina Beach. Vehicles can rework the profile of the beach, often leading to further erosion of the dunes.

Figure 15. The Herbert C. Bonner Bridge spans Oregon Inlet, but the inlet has migrated since its construction.

Figure 16. Large boulders are part of a seawall built to protect the the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge from southward migration of Oregon Inlet.

Figure 17. Signs warn drivers of sand blown over the road near the Buxton overwash zone.

Figure 18. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in its original location.

Figure 19. These groins trap sand near the lighthouse but encourage erosion elsewhere.

Figure 20. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse during the first week of its move in June 1999.