At Cape Hatteras National Seashore, migrating barrier islands at the meeting of two global ocean currents are continually reshaped by strong winds, storms, nearshore currents, tides, and rising sea level. Life in this energetic setting has shaped the people and their heritage as residents have lived on moving islands, protected others from danger, studied coastal change, and weathered storms safely. Known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic, the area’s storms and treacherous shoals have claimed many ships traveling the ocean currents. To protect roads and homes from storm damage, the Civilian Conservation Corps and later the North Carolina Department of Transportation built artificial dunes. As the islands migrated and the shoreline changed, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse came close to toppling into the ocean, and in 1999 the National Park Service moved it 2,900 feet to save it. Meteorologists study weather patterns in Hatteras and geologists research barrier island changes to understand the past and forecast the future.