Barrier islands often develop in the mouths of flooded river valleys as sea level rises, but they can also form at the end of rivers as sediment builds up and creates a delta. Other important factors in barrier island formation include regional tectonics, sea level changes, climate, vegetation and wave activity. Understanding how such forces impact barrier islands is the key to understanding how climate change will affect our coastlines, noted Stutz. Sea level rise can eliminate -- or create -- barrier islands.
Guardian and Washington Post win Pulitzer prize for NSA revelations. The Guardian and the Washington Post have been awarded the highest accolade in US journalism, winning the Pulitzer prize for public service for their groundbreaking articles on the National Security Agencyâs surveillance activities based on the leaks of Edward Snowden.
Newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer gave money in his will to Columbia University to launch a journalism school and establish the Prize. It allocated $250,000 to the prize and scholarships. He specified four awards in journalism, four in letters and drama, one in education, and four traveling scholarships..