Changes in biodiversity and storm distubance probability across an island cross-section.

---

The low plant species diversity on the marsh or lagoon side of the barrier islands is not the result of storm overwash hazards from the beach but is a consequence of salt water flooding of uplands by storm and wind tides which super-elevate lagoon water elevations. The disturbance probabilities are the average probability for each community type. The island cross-section is idealized and illustrates typical positions of various communities with respect to distance from the sea. Few sections of the island would have all these community types in a given transect across the island.

---