Just Washed In
A wave’s ‘sweet spot’ revealed
For surfers, finding the ‘sweet spot,’ the most powerful part of the wave, is part of the thrill and the challenge. Now a researcher has found the exact location on the wave where a surfer gains the greatest speed to get the best ride.
The end of the world’s most famous beaches; By Orrin H. Pilkey and J. Andrew G. Cooper
All over the world there are beaches lined with condos, hotels, restaurants and the like, in high-rise buildings (i.e., skyscrapers). Such beaches are generally the nation’s premier tourist areas, important to the local people and the local economy and prime spots for national and international vacationers. The powers that be in most of these places continue high-rise construction and seem oblivious of the sea level rise.
Sea level rise isn’t just happening, it’s getting faster
In at least the third such study published in the past year, scientists have confirmed seas are rising, and the rate of sea level rise is increasing as time passes — a sobering punchline for coastal communities that are only now beginning to prepare for a troubling future.
Controversial beachfront sand mining operation along Monterey Bay to close
The last coastal sand mine in the United States, a facility on Monterey Bay that scientists say has caused significant erosion of beaches in the area, will close in three years under a settlement agreement announced Tuesday with California officials.
New Island Appears Off U.S. Coast
It appeared out of nowhere in April just off North Carolina’s Outer Banks—a new land mass poking through the surf, a brand new Atlantic Ocean island. This new formation is of a scale rarely seen.
Hundreds of US mayors endorse switch to 100% renewable energy by 2035
As the US Conference of Mayors wrapped up in Miami Beach on Monday, a bipartisan group of mayors from more than 250 cities across the country, has unanimously backed an ambitious commitment for US cities to run entirely on renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2035.
Feeling the Heat: How Fish Are Migrating from Warming Waters
Steadily rising ocean temperatures are forcing fish to abandon their historic territories and move to cooler waters. The result is that fishermen’s livelihoods are being disrupted…
Rising seas could result in 2 billion refugees by 2100
In the year 2100, 2 billion people — about one-fifth of the world’s population — could become climate change refugees due to rising ocean levels. Those who once lived on coastlines will face displacement and resettlement bottlenecks as they seek habitable places inland, according to new research.
Why the World’s Rivers Are Losing Sediment and Why It Matters
Now, as global warming steadily melts glaciers and polar ice sheets, quickening the pace of sea level rise, scientists say that a severe shortage of river-borne sediment — most of it trapped behind dams — will increasingly be felt along the world’s coasts.
