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Erosion
Tue Jan 20, 2004
Listen in RealAudio 
Hi, I'm Bryan Yeaton with The Weather Notebook's weekly Climate Change series. A new study by
the Scripps Institute of Oceanography shows the California coastline is starting to crumble as
global climate change pushes up the sea level. Correspondent Chris Richard has more.
CR: Under normal conditions, the shoreline maintains a rough balance. Ocean breakers tear away
the beach, but rivers and streams keep flowing with their loads of sediment from further
inland, piling up new sand along the shore. It evens out. But according to a new study by
Scripps Institute scientist Douglas Inman, global climate change is undermining that balance
on the California coast.
DI: With sea level rise, the platform the beach resides on will get deeper. The amount of sand
required to have a beach will increase many fold. We don't have enough sand now, and so in the
future we'll probably be without beaches.
CR: Engineers have faced a similar problem before this. Oil drilling has dropped the height of
the shoreline in some areas, hastening wave erosion, says coastal engineer Craig Leidersdorf.
So engineers add more sand offshore. Leidersdorf says that's expensive, but may be worth it to
protect roads, for example.
CL: On the other hand, I don't think we can afford to protect everything to the same level. If
it's a beach house, maybe we can allow that to erode, and in 50 years, no longer build on that
piece of land.
CR: As sea levels continue to rise, pressure is sure to mount on authorities to set
priorities.
Chris Richard reports from Los Angeles. The Weather Notebook is supported by the National
Science Foundation and Subaru, Driven By What's Inside. Our Climate Change series is also
funded by the New England Science Center Collaborative.
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