Rio’s famous beaches take battering as scientists issue climate change warning

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Copacabana beach, Rio, Brazil. Photograph: © SAF — Coastal Care

Excerpts;

Scientists in Rio de Janeiro have warned that the city’s sea defences may not be able to cope with the effects of climate change after a record storm surge swamped beaches, dumping hundreds of tonnes of sand across nearby roads and buildings.

“This shows the high degree of vulnerability to climate change in Brazil, which has 7,400km of shoreline and 25% of its population living on the coast…”

Read Full Article, Guardian UK (11-01-2016)

“Seawalls Kill Beaches,” Open Letters by Warner Chabot And Rob Young, (10-03-2014)

Living shorelines a more natural approach to preventing coastal erosion, WNCT (05-18-2016)
For centuries, large bulkheads have been used to help control erosion along coastlines. More recent research suggests that a natural approach may be a better alternative. Having nature on your side, especially during a storm or hurricane, is proven to provide better protection from coastal erosion…

NOAA Study Finds Marshes, Reefs, Beaches Can Enhance Coastal Resilience, NOAA (04-29-2015)

First Salish Sea-wide shoreline armoring study shows cumulative effects on ecosystem; Science Daily (04-21-2016)
Impacts associated with shoreline armoring can scale up to have cumulative, large-scale effects on the characteristics of shorelines and the diversity of life they support, new research shows…

“The Beaches Are Moving,” A Video featuring Orrin Pilkey, PhD
World famous coastal geologist Orrin H. Pilkey takes us to the beach and explains why erosion has become a problem…

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