Surfing from / December, 2010
Desalination Projects: Option or Distraction for a Thirsty World?
As populations increase in coastal areas, the demand for desalination most likely will grow as needs for improved clean water supplies grow, and people see all that water nearby as a solution to freshwater scarcity. Yet the process of removing salt from sea water to overcome a worldwide shortage of drinking water could end up worsening the crisis, environmental groups warn.
US, Scaling Back Oil Drilling Plans
The US Government reversed course and pulled plans to open the eastern gulf and portions of the Atlantic coast to oil and gas exploration. Yet, the announcement leaves open the potential for leasing in Arctic waters.
Sand Mafia Fill 600 Trucks a Day, Thane District India
The district administration does not have manpower to control highways and look out for the sand mafia.
Many Coastal Wetlands Likely to Disappear this Century
Many coastal wetlands worldwide, including several on the U.S. Atlantic coast, may be more sensitive than previously thought to sea-level rise projections for the 21st century.
Paradise Cove, California
“The shot to me represents the strength and fragility of the ocean,” Image and Caption by Dominick Guillemot
Four-Mile Beach, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada
Thinking of beaches may not bring to mind Eastern Canada, particularly Nova Scotia’s rugged Cape Breton Island, but this beautiful coast has several pocket and bay-mouth bar beaches.
Cancun’s Beaches: Vanishing Sand and Wasted Money
In a major restoration project last year, millions of cubic yards (meters) of sand were dredged from the sandy bottom of the Caribbean and pumped ashore in Cancun. The project created a seven-mile stretch of beach some 40 to 70 yards (meters) wide, at a cost of about $70 million. It is already washing away.
