This study is concerned with a 29km long barrier island system along the New Brunswick coast of Kouchibouguac Bay. Over the past 150 years these islands have been retreating shorewards and have been affected by storm wave action. The changes in the island configuration, the characteristics of the island topography and the seasonal variations in the beach profile suggests that these islands are similar to better known ones along the United States coastline. The sediment characteristics of these islands reveal that there is an interplay of wind and wave processes on the sands, an interplay that is constantly mixing beach, dune and lagoon sands. The dominant southwest winds in summer cause most of the beach and dune sands to take on the characteristics of wind affected sands while the fall and spring storms impart characteristics of wave deposition to the beach sands at these times. The sediment characteristics revealed seasonal changes in the islands but simulation modelling of the energy distribution of waves in the bay after wave refraction accounts for most of the long term change in the island configuration. This modelling emphasizes field work which revealed that not all parts of the islands are affected by the same storm waves. Nort-northeast waves have a better chance of affecting the southern part of the bay while more easterly approaching waves will only influence the northern part. Over a period of time form 1894 to 1964, wave refraction modelling also shows that much of the change in the configuration of South Beach can be accounted for by wave refraction over a changing offshore bathymetry. Storm wave action thus accounts for most of the change in island configuration but the change around the inlets is most likely dependent upon the ability of these inlets to maintain stability at all times. Richibucto Inlet has achieved a stable equilibrium between the strength of the tidal currents passing through the inlet and the amount of incoming longshore drift, so that its position has remained static over the last 30 years. It is unlikely that Blacklands Gully or Little Gully have achieved this stability. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)