Europe Is Shrinking

Across Europe, the sea is encroaching on nearly a fifth of the coastline. While coastal erosion is a global phenomenon, Europe is especially exposed, with the highest ratio of shoreline to total land area of any continent.

Study examines coastal erosion, drawbacks of standard setback requirements

Photograph: © SAF — Coastal Care Excerpts; Research on the Big Island’s coastal erosion, led by a University of Hawaii at Hilo graduate student, is being used to shape county planning policies. Hawaii County is the only county in the state that hasn’t done research to understand the island’s shoreline changes. Despite the island’s differing […]

In the Afro-Caribbean heart of Puerto Rico, locals fight erosion

The waves crashed loudly on the collapsed ruins of the Paseo del Atlántico, a walkway that once partially protected residents here from the volatile ocean. Erosion along this northernmost coast of Puerto Rico, nearly 20 miles east of San Juan, precipitated the promenade’s destruction, it finally fell into the Atlantic, exposing the Parcelas Suárez neighborhood to the water’s edge.

For now, river deltas gain land worldwide

Nile Delta Desert Islands

River deltas rank among the most economically and ecologically valuable environments on Earth. People living on deltas are increasingly vulnerable to sea-level rise and coastal hazards such as major storms, extremely high tides, and tsunamis.

Chinese paddlefish extinct after surviving 150 million years

The Chinese paddlefish — one of the world’s largest freshwater fish — has officially been declared extinct after surviving some 150 million years. The giant species, which measured as long as 23 feet and weighed as much as 1,100 pounds, has been killed off by overfishing and dam construction.