Inlets, the shifting sands of time on our barrier islands. Fascinating, and a reminder of the power of Nature and the limited control of human endeavors….

Recently I looked closely at my mother’s business card and asked “Why is the St Lucie Inlet so far north?” Looking closely one can see it once was located midway across from South Sewall’s Point. “It looks like it was there, because at that time, it was,” she replied.

Such is the matter-a-factness of coastal change…

Today, I am going to feature one of my brother Todd’s amazing flight videos incorporating historic maps and today’s Google images to show the changing sands of time, our barrier islands, in a way you may never have seen before. Todd has a talent for this rare communication format and he will be teaching us more before the end of the year!

This is his write up”

This video is a time capsule review of the inlet of Hutchinson island that appeared on maps between 1515 and 1900.  It is a rough draft of a larger project that I wasn’t going to post yet.  I planned to drop the music and break it down into 5 shorter videos which were kind of the chapters of the long one: 1.  1515 to 1871 Freducci, Jeffreys and Romans 2.  St. Lucie Sound 1763 to 1834 – 5 maps 3.  Gilbert’s Bar 1850 to 1861 – 4 survey maps 4.  Hurricanes and The Gap 1871 to 1882 – hurricane tracks and 2 maps 5.  Digging the St. Lucie Inlet 1887 to 1900 – 2 maps   I believe there was an inlet, referred to on the old maps as “The Gap”, that reappeared in the mid 1800s.  It was in the general area of today’s Florida Oceanographic Society and probably opened and closed many times like the other inlets.  Coincidentally the area was struck by back-to-back Cat 2 and Cat 3 hurricanes around that time (sound familiar?).  “The Gap”  will be the topic of another project the I would like to post some day on Jonathan Dickinson because I believe that it could be described in his journal.   I will update this summary later… Todd Thurlow

Don’t lean too far out of the airplane; enjoy!

Link to video: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhYQz4P1ELM&feature=youtu.be)
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Todd Thurlow PA: (http://www.thurlowpa.com)

FCIT Changing Coastlines, Florida: (http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/teacher/science/mod2/changing.coastlines.html)