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What are washover channels, and how do severe storms create them?
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lagoon
Lagoons lie behind the coral reef and barrier islands surrounding Raiatea and Tahaa in the Society Islands, Pacific Ocean.
Washover channels are inlets of water that are excavated through barrier islands by intense wave action.1
These features are created during severe storms, such as hurricanes, which temporarily raise the water level, allowing the sea to breach or overtop the barrier islands that enclose a lagoon. As the storm surge forces water across the barrier, the resulting wave energy cuts channels into the sand, significantly altering the configuration of the coastline in a very short period.1