Taking stock of the world’s sandy beaches
About 31 percent of the world’s coastlines are sandy. Africa has the highest proportion of sandy beaches (66 percent) and Europe has the lowest (22 percent). Researchers found that beaches in Australia and Africa have experienced more erosion than growth. The opposite is true on all other continents, where beaches are generally growing…
Global Study of World’s Beaches Shows Threat to Protected Areas
A first-of-its-kind survey of the world’s sandy shorelines with satellite data found that they have increased slightly on a global scale over the past three decades but decreased in protected marine areas, where many beaches are eroding.
Sea Level Rise Could Double Erosion Rates of Southern California Coastal Cliffs
Coastal cliffs from Santa Barbara to San Diego might crumble at more than twice the historical rate by the year 2100 as sea levels rise. U.S. Geological Survey scientists combined several computer models for the first time to forecast cliff erosion along the Southern California coast.
Scenic Hwy. 1 to reopen — 547 days after you could last drive the coast to Big Sur
Highway 1 up the Big Sur Coast will reopen from Cambria to Carmel by Friday, July 20. Travelers have been unable to traverse the so-called Big Sur Highway portion of Highway 1 since Jan. 20, 2017, when Caltrans stopped traffic along the internationally acclaimed Highway and scenic byway because of landslides in several areas.
Sea-level rise and the precious commodity of sand
The sand used to construct towns and cities leads to development that then impedes sand’s natural flow from watersheds, diminishing one of its best sources of replenishment.
A softer approach, living shorelines as an alternative to a hardened coast
Research over the last decade points toward the pursuit of living shorelines for coastal landowners seeking erosion control.But, with regulatory lag and miles of shoreline lost each year to harsh structures, it’s not always easy.
New model could help rebuild eroding lands in coastal Louisiana
As coastal lands in Louisiana erode, researchers, environmentalists and engineers are all searching for ways to preserve the marsh coastline.
Erosion at New York’s Hart Island graveyard unearths human bones
Hart Island, a massive burial ground near the Bronx borough of New York City, is eroding, unearthing human bones along the shoreline. Advocates said the city hasn’t done anything – until now.
Holden Beach Says ‘No’ to Terminal Groin, NC
Terminal groins are wall-like structures built perpendicular to the shore at inlets to contain sand in areas of high erosion, like that of beaches at inlets.