The above false-color satellite image is of the Atlantic coast of the US, from New Jersey at the top, to North Carolina at the bottom. The most prominent feature of the photo is Chesapeake Bay, at the top left. Rising sea level has flooded the mouth of the Delaware-Susquehanna Rivers, forming an estuary. In the bottom center of the photo we can see the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Cape Hatteras is at the smooth bend in the barrier island located farthest seaward, and Cape Fear is the sharp bend in the barrier island immediately south of Cape Hatteras.
Long wavelength swells approaching land are clearly visible in the Atlantic Ocean to the east.
The barrier has straightened the coast, and forms a barrier to wave energy that protects the lagoons or bays behind it.