Abstract:

One of the first major concepts to understand in geology is the concept of time, especially deep time. Many geological processes take place over vast periods of great time sometimes on the order of billions of years. However, there are places on this planet where you can observe geologic phenomenon that happen instantaneously. Geological processes that take a very long time such that the concept of geological time or deep time are necessary for students to adequately understand slow processes. Examples such as eroding mountains, uplifting, and plate tectonics occur over long periods of time. Yet, there are many geological events that occur instantaneously or over short periods of time. Psychologists have found that young people and old people have different notions relative to time (Adler, 1999). Time seems to go slower for young children and they are very anxious and want to move onto the next thing very quickly. For example, they can't wait for a holiday or birthday day to open their presents. While old people tend to be more patient and time just seems to fly by for them. For older people, time is not at the standstill rate that young people experience. Short-term events include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, slumping, and barrier island dynamics. It is proposed here that the teaching of instantaneous events may appeal to the geologically impatient person. To take advantage of the affective predisposition toward impatience it is suggested the study of barrier islands may be of high interest to impatient students. Barrier islands will change on a daily basis, but they also change on a seasonal basis. There is a difference between the winter and summer profile of a barrier Island. The erosion and loss of barrier islands is the canary in the cage for coastal flooding.

Keywords:

Barrier islands, climate change.