Galveston Island is a barrier island formed during the Holocene after a major melting of glaciers. Since that time, the island has changed size and geographic location based on numerous factors including sediment availability and various hydrodynamic reasons. The island also suffers from erosion due to major storms, such as hurricanes, and other natural disasters. Many efforts have been made to reduce the amount of erosion and/or migration, including a seawall and piers. These efforts are not 100% effective and while the island will continue to transform; with human intervention, we hope to mitigate this change to a minimum. Barrier islands are primarily found in coastal environments with three main characteristics. First, they usually have a low-gradient continental shelf alongside a low-relief coastal plain. The second characteristic is the abundant supply of sediments. Both the shelf and the plain are made up of unconsolidated sediments, which typically provide barrier islands with an abundant supply of sediment. The third characteristic is a low to moderate tidal range. The Gulf of Mexico exhibits all three characteristics and, therefore, contains numerous barrier island formations (Reinson). The hypothesis presented in an article entitled "Formation of barrier islands" (Hoyt 1130), is as follows: along a sandy coast, the wind forms dunes or ridges (depending on the type of material of which the beach is made). If relative submergence occurs, the landward area of ​​the dune/ridge will be flooded to form a lagoon and the ridge/dune will then become a barrier island. This would most likely occur when a stable coastline with a well-developed ridge is engulfed by a relatively sudden transgression that neither erodes nor pushes the ridge landward (Ot...... middle of paper ...... transport in the natural direction of shoreline drift. This particular pier is responsible for the accumulation of sediment immediately adjacent to the southern pier (Kraus). possible. The combination of structures used to “protect” the island from natural disasters and the normal “life” of a barrier island is crucial. Without these protections, the island could be significantly altered by a single major weather event similar to mass melting during the Holocene, or if the amount of sediment increases or decreases, the island could disappear entirely. Learning how it formed and what factors influence its stability are key links to keeping Galveston Island paradise which is today.