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…
A mourning orca mother carried her dead baby for days through the ocean
A grieving mother orca near Vancouver Island has been carrying her dead calf for four days, after refusing to leave her baby behind when the rest of her pod left. The sad display speaks to something deeper. Killer whales eat salmon, and a number of human practices, such as damming rivers, have taken a toll on native salmon populations.
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.
Hydropower in Cambodia could threaten food security of region
Farmers and anglers in Cambodia depend on the Mekong River’s predictable seasonal patterns, but new dams for hydroelectricity are altering the hydrology of the river. These changes have the potential to threaten fish migration, livelihoods, and regional food security.
Management Strategies for Coastal Erosion Processes; By Nelson Rangel-Buitrago
The Special Issue Management Strategies for Coastal Erosion Processes (MSforCEP) presents an international collection of papers related to the implementation of various management strategies for coastal erosion under specific objectives.
A Balkan dam boom imperils Europe’s wildest rivers
The Balkan Peninsula, one of Europe’s most undeveloped regions, is facing a wave of thousands of hydroelectric projects that would block pristine, free-flowing rivers and cause major environmental damage. Local residents and conservationists are fighting back.
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.