The rugged coast and black sand beaches of the Azores; By Gary Griggs
A soft, white sandy beach on a lush green island is probably the vision many people have of their perfect coastal vacation. Eight hundred and fifty miles west of Portugal and 2400 miles east of Boston lies the lush island of São Miguel in the Azores. It is one of nine islands making up an archipelago spread across 300 miles of the North Atlantic Ocean.
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.
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.
Beach cusps: shoreline symmetry; By Gary Griggs
There are many strikingly regular patterns in nature that have long intrigued scientists and non-scientists alike. Beach cusps are one of these.
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…
Walls Around our Coastal Cities? By Gary Griggs
“Walls Around our Coastal Cities?” is an article from “Our Ocean Backyard- Collected Essays, ” a book by Gary Griggs.
Our Ocean Backyard – Collected Essays; A Book by Gary Griggs
For the three billion people on Earth who live in coastal regions, the ocean is figuratively, if not literally, “our backyard.” The oceans enrich our lives in countless ways, but our interactions with them have not always been positive. Gary Griggs, a coastal geologist and oceanographer, is known for making science understandable, enjoyable, and accessible to non-scientists, was asked to write a bi-weekly column, “Our Ocean Backyard” for the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
California Coast From The Air: Images of a Changing Landscape
In a state identified with change, California’ s 1,100-mile coastline lives up to the reputation. Gary Griggs, professor of Earth and planetary sciences at UC Santa Cruz, has written many books about the California coast. The latest is California Coast from the Air, a collection of stunning aerial photographs of the state’s coastline with captions by Griggs and Deepika Shrestha Ross.