Surfers, miners fight over South Africa’s white beaches – PHYS.ORG
Diamonds, zircon and other minerals have long been extracted in the sandy coastline near the Olifants river, which flows into the Atlantic about 300 kilometres (180 miles) north of Cape Town.
But plans to expand the mining have angered surfers, animal lovers and residents in this remote, sparsely populated region—and they are pushing back with lawsuits and petitions.
Mining the Mekong: Land and livelihoods lost to Cambodia’s thirst for sand – MONGABAY
“We would argue that sand mining is having as big, if not a bigger impact on the delta and Cambodian reaches. It’s been shown to be the biggest driver of saline intrusion in the delta, and resulting in enhanced bank erosion more so than hydropower,”
– Chris Hackney (University of Newcastle), Julian Leyland and Steve Darby (University of Southampton)
Better predictions on rise of oceans on warming Earth – The Harvard Gazette
When glacial ice sheets melt, something counterintuitive happens to sea levels…they fall…Why? The answer is that water disperses away owing to the loss of gravitational pull toward the ice sheet.
To Save America’s Coasts, Don’t Always Rebuild Them – New York Times
Federal and state taxpayers have spent billions of dollars over the past four decades pumping up beaches in front of coastal properties in what are known as beach nourishment projects. In Florida alone, almost $3 billion in public funds has been spent just to keep beaches in front of investment homes and oceanfront infrastructure…
Ocean Corps proposal hopes to give coast helping hand, provide jobs for young people – The Orange County Register
Creation of a California Ocean Corps won the support of the California State Legislature last week and is now making its way to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for a signature.
Earth Is Running Out of Sand … Which Is, You Know, Pretty Concerning – Popular Mechanics
The world uses 50 billion metric tons of sand annually.
Sand is a key ingredient in all concrete and glass production.
There are already ongoing reports of a mafia-style black market for sand.
The world is in crisis yet again. This time around, it’s a sand shortage…
A Drop in the Ocean – CNN Interactive
As the world experiences sea level rise, Iceland’s waters are falling — and flowing to the other side of the planet…
Florida’s Vanishing Beaches: The fight against coastal erosion – ABC Action News
According to a June report by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, more than half of the 825 miles of coastline they surveyed are critically eroded…
Why beach sand mining is so dangerous – Times of India
Beach sand mining has been illegal since 1991 when the Coastal Regulation Zone Rules were first notified thirty years ago. Although illegal mining on beaches has continued nevertheless, the scale has been comparatively lesser than in rivers, where it has devasted entire swathes of land and water. Major Indian rivers like the Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari and Kaveri face existential threat…