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.

The natural bridges of Santa Cruz County; By Gary Griggs

While most coastlines often appear to be stable and permanent over the short time span of our visits, and some are, there are many others where the materials making up the coastal bluffs or cliffs are no match for the forces the sea exerts…Over time, the ocean always wins. In baseball terms, Mother Nature always bats last.

Sandbagging at the Shore: North Carolina’s Coastal Sand Bags and Political Sandbaggers; By William Neal, Orrin Pilkey & Norma Longo

The wonder of modern English is how social use of language expands and changes the meaning of words. Sand bag is a bag filled with sand used for temporary construction—quickly made, easily transported, and easily removed. Typically, sandbagging is the emplacement of sand bags to construct a temporary protective wall or barrier, such as a dike or dam to hold back flood waters , or protection on the battlefield. But the term ‘sandbagging’ has taken on an array of other meanings…

Englands’ Jurassic Coast; By Gary Griggs

In 2001, ninety-six miles of the south coast of England along the English Channel was designated as a World Heritage Site. This picturesque stretch of cliffs and beaches extends from Exmouth on the east to Studland Bay on the west.

Bowling Ball Beach, Mendocino Coast, California; By Gary Griggs

California has over 300 miles of beaches, those that most residents and visitors think about are the ones consisting of find-grained white sand. But there are also some interesting anomalies. One of California’s strangest beaches sits 30 miles south of the picturesque north coast town of Mendocino…

Pongara Beach, Gabon; By Andrew G. Cooper & Orrin H. Pilkey

Gabon is on the equatorial coast of West Africa between the Congo and Niger deltas, surrounded by Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon to the north and Congo to the south and east. Gabon has a long, sandy coast backed in most cases by a dense tropical rainforest. Elephants, buffalos, various antelopes, monkeys, pythons and even leopards leave their trails on the beach.