California regulators approve huge Ocean Beach seawall – San Francisco Chronicle

Ocean Beach in San Francisco, along the Great Highway. (by Sara Rosado, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, via Flickr).

On Thursday, California’s main coastal protection agency approved a $175 million climate-related project that will transform the southern portion of San Francisco’s Ocean Beach despite fierce opposition from some members of the public. A sticking point is a massive seawall that some surfers fear could make the beach disappear…

The Bay Area faces an imminent threat from sea level rise — but it’s different from what you think – San Francisco Chronicle

The Hunters Point Naval Shipyard (pictured in 2022), is one of several sites where rising seas that elevate groundwater levels could release hazardous materials and buried toxins (by Dale Cruse CC BY 2.0 via Flickr).

Dangerous chemicals hiding in the ground around the Bay Area are due to be released by groundwater as it’s pushed closer to the surface with sea level rise, a new study has found. In many cases, it can happen without warning as cancer-causing volatile compounds escape into schools and homes, experts say…

“Groundwater rise and sea level rise are gradual processes that are accelerating,” said Kristina Hill, associate professor at UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design, lead author of the study. “It’s a problem tomorrow, and it’s a problem today…”