Factbox: Sifting Through U.S. Beach Sand Numbers
Here is a summary of what Florida and other coastal states and communities have been doing to protect and rebuild their shorelines based on to the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) data.
Gone with the wind: storms deepen Florida’s beach sand crunch
Costs of so-called beach renourishments are a fraction of the total, measured in hundreds of millions of dollars, but the effort is crucial for Florida’s $67 billion tourism industry. And while sand needs are surging, there is not enough to go around.
Hurricanes are not to blame for most big storm surges in Northeast
Hurricanes spawn most of the largest storm surges in the northeastern U.S., right? Wrong, according to a study by Rutgers University-New Brunswick scientists. Extratropical cyclones , including nor’easters and other non-tropical storms, generate most of the large storm surges in the Northeast.
New Study Finds Sea Level Rise Accelerating
Global sea level rise is accelerating incrementally over time rather than increasing at a steady rate, as previously thought, according to a new study based on 25 years of NASA and European satellite data.
Best beaches in the Caribbean, 2018 edition
Even if you’ve been there and done that, chilling on a Caribbean beach never gets old.
In Defense of Biodiversity: Why Protecting Species from Extinction Matters
A number of biologists have recently made the argument that extinction is part of evolution and that saving species need not be a conservation priority. But this thinking shows a lack of understanding of evolution and an ignorance of the natural world.
Innovative restoration of coral reefs helps protect Caribbean islands
Researchers have measured the protective role of coral reefs and field-tested a solution that reduces coastal risks by combining innovative engineering with restoration ecology.
Satellite observations show sea levels rising, and climate change is accelerating it
Sea level rise is happening now, and the rate at which it is rising is increasing every year, according to a study released Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Microplastics pollute most remote and uncharted areas of the ocean
First data ever gathered from extremely remote area of the South Indian Ocean has a surprisingly high volume of plastic particles, say scientists. Currently scientists can only account for 1% of the plastic they think is in the ocean.