Erosion impacts coastlines locally and globally

A wartime ‘pill box’ in Suffolk, UK succumbs to coastal erosion. The WWII bunker held back the Third Reich, but it was no match for coastal erosion.

Photo Courtesy, Barry Hughes

Last week scientists from around the world descended on South Carolina’s, Myrtle Beach to discuss coastal erosion. Scientific American reports the impetus of the event was a study conducted by the US Geological Survey (USGS) and the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium. In the study researchers researchers looked at whether or not South Carolina should begin re-sanding portions of its receding beaches. The results of the study were presented to the scientists as part of the International Geological Program Annual Conference.

The study showed that South Carolina’s coastline is receding at a rate of up to thirty centimeters  (11.8 inches) per year. While losing a foot of coastline into the ocean doesn’t seem overly concerning; the long term effects are staggering. On average South Carolina can expect to lose almost one hundred feet of coastline over the next century.

This is certainly not an isolated phenomenon. Coastlines all over the world recede each year.  Oceanography in the 21st Century, an online text book reports that, “Average erosion rates are 6 feet per year along the Gulf [of Mexico] and 2 to 3 feet per year along the Atlantic.”

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “17 percent of the contiguous U.S. land area [the coast] is home to more than half of the nation’s population.”  Meaning receding coastlines have the potential to affect a huge number of Americans. And, Scientific American sites the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s estimate “that between 80 and 90 percent of the sandy beaches along America’s coastlines have been eroding for decades.”

Yet, coastal erosion remains invisible to most beach goers. This may be a result of how beach erosion occurs. Research indicates that it is almost never the case that a beach will consistently loses a foot or two of soil each year. Rather a portion of coastline will remain relatively stable for forty or fifty years. Then all the ‘deferred’ erosion will take place over a short period of time.

Oceanography in the 21st Century says, “Beach erosion is episodic. Most erosion occurs over a short period, sometimes in hours during a hurricane such as Katrina, sometimes during a season as in California during an El Niño event [as is this winter].”

Photos before and after Hurricane Katrina illustrate rapid coastal erosion in Louisiana.

Photo Courtesy, USGS

This has special significance here, the home of The Surf Check blog, in San Luis Obispo, Calf. Nearby homes worth millions of dollars are built atop bluffs overlooking Shell Beach. The owners build these beautiful homes with the expectation that the home and the land will be there forever. But, given the episodic nature of erosion, based on averages how long can they really expect that bluff to be there? How permanent are their homes and investments with the onset of El Niño conditions this winter?

Caitlin Beyer audio interview

All smiles, Caitlin Beyer catches a mello left.

This week The Surf Check is doing things a little differently. Kyle Neddenriep spoke with Caitlin Beyer, a surfer and ocean conservationist. She has some interesting insight on just how people treat the ocean. So, listen up.

If the plug-in for this page is unavailable or off-line Caitlin’s interview can be heard or downloaded here.

Municipalities ban polystyrene products

Polystyrene products await trash pick-up. Inexpensive polystyrene products like these end up in oceans around the world.

Courtesy Wiki Commons

Earlier this year Palo Alto, Calif. moved to ban all Polystyrene products from the city for environmental and economic reasons. The ban, effective April, 2010, reflects a growing trend in coastal communities all over the United States and in particular, California. Pasticsnews.com reported on the ban and says that Palo Alto will become the 23rd California city to ban the common take-out packaging.

Polystyrene is one of the most common forms of food packaging. The packing material Styrofoam, a trademark of the Dow Chemical company, is a Polystyrene, but the term polystyrene encompasses more then just Styrofoam. The ban in Palo Alto will extend to all polystyrene products including utensils, cups, and packaging peanuts.

Palo Alto’s reasoning behind ban is similar to other municipalities. Polystyrene material, due to its chemical composition, never biodegrades. While it is potentially recyclable it is given a number “6” recyclable classification. This requires a different process than other recyclables, and the infer-structure to recycle polystyrene can be very expensive.

A Palo Alto city councilmen in favor of the band explained it as such, as reported by PlasticsNews.com “Ongoing logistical challenges and quality control challenges related to the minimal recycling material for expanded polystyrene make even the recycling program for peanuts and blocks infeasible.”

Polystyrene includes packing peanuts like these and other products commonly referred to as Styrofoam.

Courtesy of coddogblog at Flicker

If, like in Palo Alto, recycling methods are not available, polystyrene ends up in landfills. Or in the case of coastal cities, potentially in the ocean. While the polystyrene ban is reported to have had some economic impacts; polystyrene floats and never biodegrades. For this reasons it has caused some real problems for coastal waters and their communities.

The city of Watsonville, located in Santa Cruz County recently moved forward with a ban on polystyrene. The Surfrider Foundation profiled and supported the ban. It celebrated it as the first polystyrene free county. In a press release Surfrider reported that, “With the recent addition of Watsonville and Scotts Valley to the list, joining the City of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County and City of Capitola, Santa Cruz County is now the first and only multiple-jurisdiction county in California to have a styro-ban in all jurisdictions within the county limits.”

In 1990, Berkley, became one of the first California cities to implement a ban on “restaurants and retail food vendors from serving prepared food” in polystyrene based products. In 2005 and 2006 other beach cities such as Santa Monica, San Francisco, and Huntington Beach sought their own bans. Heal the Bay, a environmental group concerned with our nations coastal reasons, has a comprehensive document compiling the bans as of 2007 and is available for download here.

Australian oil spill continues into ninth week

An oil platform leaks oil off the coast of Santa Barbra, Calf., January, 2009. The platform off the Kimberley coast of Northwest Australian continues to leak oil this week.

courtesy Wiki Commons

An oil platform off the coast of North Western Australia continues to leak 400 barrels of oil a day into the Indian Ocean. PTTEP Australia, the Thai Company that owns the oil platform recently tried for the third time to repair the leak. Again, they were unsuccessful. According to The Australian the leak is located 2.6 km (1.6 miles) below the seafloor, and it’s proving very difficult to fix.

The third attempt to fix the leak comes in the ninth week of the spill. This week the Surfrider Foundation refereed to the spill as on an “Exxon Valdez Scale.” And, VOA News reports that, “Indonesian fishermen say the [oil] slick has killed of thousands of fish and is causing illness among villagers who have eaten tainted seafood.” While there is speculation that dolphins, turtles, and whales have potentially been effected by the spill the real ocean damage is not yet known.

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The costs associated with the clean-up are also climbing. WA Today of Australia reports that The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has already spent $5.3 million (Australian) spent on the clean-up. And of that only $3.8 million has been repaid by PTTEP Australia.

As pressure on PTTEP Australia magnifies, people are calling on the Australian Government to get involved before more oil spills out. The Australian reports that Chris Smyth, ocean advocate for the Australian Conservation Foundation, said it’s a case of “three strikes you’re out” and it is time for the government to intervene. “Intervention by the federal government and the broader petroleum industry is urgently needed after the company has failed in its third attempt to seal the leak.”

Meanwhile, the Thai company, PTTEP Australia, responsible for the leak has remained silent on the issue. No information regarding the leak has been published on it’s website. At this time no public statements have been issued, but ironically it does have  a message regarding its corporate responsibility on its website. “’From Natural Treasure to Intellectual Wisdom and Environmental Conservation’, we [PTTEP Australia]

have long invested in the community development…whilst preserving environment and culture.” and “PTTEP is a national petroleum exploration and production company dedicating to provide a sustainable petroleum[sic]”

Red tide impacts coastlines nationally

Florida water darkens and turns red with the persistence of an algal bloom. Red tide has become an almost annual event in the Sunshine State.

Image courtesy of P. Schmidt

Recently the harmful algae commonly know as “red tide” has been adversely affecting beach conditions around the U.S. On Saturday Action News 4 of Rio Grande Valley, Texas reported that red tide essentially crashed South Padre Island’s Sandcastle Days Festival. Meanwhile on the west coast, The Seattle Times is reporting that red tide has closed Puget Sound to shellfish harvesting.

Red tide traditionally becomes a concern in summer. Because warm ocean conditions can produce greater algal blooms, the scientific term for the red tide phenomenon. It is curious; however, that red tide is continuing to effect beach conditions this late in the year.

Other than a few less Sandcastle viewers, red tide can have health consequences for people and marine life. Matt Long warned Action 4 News of the red tide conditions at the festival, “We weren’t prepared for it so your eyes just burn out of your head and coughing and wheezing and sneezing.”

AP Texas news reports that “dead fish at Padre Island National Seashore numbered as high as 1,000 in a 15-yard stretch,” according to a statement from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Similarly, Puget Sound has been forced to end “recreational shellfish harvesting because of dangerous levels of marine biotoxins — “red tide” — capable of causing paralysis or even death if consumed.”

Krenia brevis the microscopic marine algae responsible for the red tide viewed under a microscope. Red Tide is one of several events scientists have labeled Harmful Algal Blooms.

Image courtesy of FloridaConseravtion.com

Algae blooms of Karenia brevis (a microscopic marine algae) is responsible for the red tide conditions. The algae produces a toxin that effects the central nervous system. Just being at a beach with  the algae in the water is enough to experience red tide inhalation symptoms. Symptoms can include coughing, sneezing and teary eyes when the toxin is inhaled. Typically these symptoms are only temporary. While contact with ocean water containing red tide is often discouraged by local health departments, rinsing off in fresh water should ease symptoms. More information on red tide symptoms is available here.

The exact combination of factors that produce red tide are unknown. This makes predicting red tide occurrences all but impossible. At this point, “experts believe high temperatures combined with a lack of wind and rainfall are usually at the root of red tide blooms,” according to Texas Parks and Wildlife a good source of information on red tide. However, research is being conducted to ascertain exactly what causes red tide so it’s occurrence may be more accurately predicted.

El Niño and California’s burn areas make for ocean concerns this rainy season

National Weather Service Radar Shows heavy rain over much of California.

The first rain of the fall season is always a source of renewal for California’s rain-starved hillsides, but heavy rains resulting in storm water run-off can have serious water quality consequences. Tuesday morning saw California’s first substantial rain of the season. According to the National Weather Service, as of Tuesday afternoon several inches of rain has already fallen on the California coast, and more rain is expected in the next twenty-four hours.

However, this rainy season in particular poses a greater risk to California oceans. Portions of Southern California that experienced summer wildfires are likely to deposit more mud and sediment than usual. And the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, NOAA, has reported ocean temperature oscillations consistent with El Niño.

“El Niño” or Southern Oscillation is part of a complex ocean cycle that manifests itself in unusually warm ocean temperatures. The science behind El Niño is rather complex, but typically it signals an unusually wet winter for California.

The additional rainfall expected throughout California will, like most all rainfall, eventually make its way back to the ocean. Water that falls on urban or agricultural areas – as is much of California – becomes contaminated with debris and fertilizers; it’s then carried back into the ocean. This causes spikes in  bacteria levels, posing ocean health and water safety concerns. Most California countys recommend no contact with ocean water for seventy-two hours after substantial rainfall. This information and additional health advisories for local San Luis Obispo County beaches is available here.

This year California’s summer wildfire areas are also expected to negatively impact water quality. The AP reports that, “the U.S. Geological Survey recently warned of massive debris flows near the areas burned in September.” The same article also explains, “Debris flows occur because the ground in recently burned areas has little ability to absorb rain, which instantly runs off, carrying ash, mud, boulders and vegetation.”

Trash floats in the Schuylkill River, Philadelphia, PA. Trash like this accumulates in waterways in urban areas all over California, before floating into the ocean.

Courtesy of, thebigdurian, at flickr, labeled for reuse.

The first rain of the year also deposits into the ocean that has slowly built-up over the summer. This is particularly true in urban areas. Amy Powell with an ABC News affiliate in Los Angeles described what she saw during last winter’s rainy season.

“It’s a disturbing sight: Styrofoam cups, cans, and other trash floating alongside wildlife in the Long Beach Marina. Rainfall washes debris into storm drains and creeks that feed into the L.A. River. The river dumps the garbage in Long Beach, where some of it eventually flows into the ocean.”

Powell reports that after a heavy rain, workers will collect between 125-150 tons of debris as it washes onto beaches. It will be interesting to see El Niño conditions and hillside erosion brought on by summer wildfires will effect water quality this winter.

Ocean “dead zones” in Pacific Northwest are likely irreversible

This map depicts ocean dead zones in the pacific northwest as of 2006.

courtesy UC Riverside, labeled for reuse

An irreversible ocean ‘dead zone’ has been discovered in the Pacific Northwest; and is being attributed to human-sponsored climate change by researchers.  While over four hundred dead zones exist in coastal waters around the world  this one is unique as it appears to be a result of climactic change associated with global warming.

Ocean dead zones are as they sound, regions of the ocean in which nothing is able to live. This is a result of low oxygen levels in the water or “hypoxia.”
“When oxygen gets too low in the ocean, it has a deleterious effect on organisms,” Jack Barth, professor of physical oceanography at Oregon State University, told the LA Times. “They either have to flee the area, or they get stressed or even die off. Those die-off [areas] are dead zones.”

Hypoxic ocean regions are normally found in shallow coastal waters near river mouths. It’s here agricultural fertilizers and pollutants enter the ocean. And as Barth, points out in a National Science Foundation video, the high levels of land based nutrients lead to unchecked algae growth. As that algae bloom begins to die off bacteria consumes the dead algae. It is this bacteria that over time starves the shallow coastal waters of oxygen.

Cloudy water to the left is a oxygen-starved dead zone in the Gulf Of Mexico stemming from the Mississippi river delta.

courtesy “harmon on earth” at wordpress.com, labeled for reuse

Unlike most oceanic dead zones, the one in the Pacific Northwest is found in open ocean. And according to the National Science Foundation, that’s what makes it so unique. It’s is not the regular dumping of fertilizer or pollutants that has prompted the oxygen depletion, but rather changing wind patterns as a resulting from global warming.

Changing wind patterns in the Pacific Northwest no longer move ocean water in the affected regions. Now, when nutrient-rich deep ocean water surges up towards the surface, where algae lives, the ocean lacks a sufficient current to draw the low-oxygenated ocean water away. Because this altered wind pattern is likely a result of global warming it may be irreversible.

“I really think we’re in a new pattern, a new rhythm, offshore now. And I would expect [the low-oxygen zone] to show up every year now,” Barth said at a news conference, as reported by the LA Times. Scientist began to notice ocean dead zones in 2002, and by 2004 even beach goers were taking notice as dead crabs began to litter beaches. The hypoxic conditions continue to appear each summer. “In the summer of 2006 for the first time ever we saw oxygen levels go to zero” Explains Barth in a video for the National Science Foundation.

Globally dead zones are developing all over the planet. Today it sits at four hundred, but it has been doubling every decade since the 1950′s. For more information on dead zones globally visit the LA Time’s multimedia series, Altered Oceans.

Australian dust storms could spawn massive algae growth in Pacific

A satellite image taken by NASA’s Earth Observer shows dust being blown off the coast of Australia, into the Pacific.

In a impressive act of global homeostatic-poetry, recent dust storms in Australia (set off by climactic changes) could produce some mitigating effects on global warming. Bloomburg.com reports that last week Sidney and other parts of Australia were consumed in massive yellow and orange clouds of dust.

Scientist Craig Strong, a coordinator for DustWatch, a research and monitoring agency, explained to Bloomburg Press that the dust was blown up by gail force winds ripping through the Australian Outback. It was then blown to the Eastern Coast and eventually onto open ocean. These arid topsoils are rich in iron, and when that iron settles offshore it will provide nutrients for sea life.

“It’s been pretty well established that if iron is available, then it will lead to phytoplankton blooms,” Heiko Daniel, lecturer in agronomy and soil science at the University of New England, said to Bloomburg. “And they take up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.”

When viewed from a greater perspective it could be said that this is perhaps a great balancing act on the part of the planet. In a statement NOAA, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, stated that, “Changes in the amount of atmospheric dust in Eastern Australia are associated with local wind variations that the researchers related to changes in the behavior of the Pacific climate system.”

Climactic changes primarily have a negative effect on people and the land on which they live. Dust storms can cause respiratory problems for some, and the winds blow away valuable topsoils from agricultural operations. However, some experts, such as Brett Stevenson of Market Check, are sighting the winds as a “net positive” for the region, as they have brought much needed rain.

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An Encyclopedia Britannica illustration shows how algae blooms will feed other, larger fish.

A similar benefit for the ocean may also exists. Once the dust begin to settle over the ocean it will sponsor huge growths in sea life. As this Encyclopedia Britannica illustration dictates, first algae blooms (from the iron) feed large number of zooplankton. Zooplankton then become food for larger and larger fish. Also, the massive algae bloom will have to consumes carbon dioxide to complete photosynthesis. Scientists speculate that this large amount of carbon dioxide being removed from the planet may actually slow global warming, according to Heiko Daniel.

So if carbon dioxide is decreased in our atmosphere it could slow global warming. Which could in tun stabilize earth’s sub climates. The same sub climates that turned up the massive amounts of dust in the first place.

Pismo Pier muddies an otherwise clean water report for SLO County Beaches

Local surfer Brian Reilly prepares to paddle out at Pismo Pier.

Pismo Beach was recently given a “D” grade with respect to water quality by the Heal the Bay organization. The organization monitors hundreds of California beaches and issues them grades based on water quality. While all other San Luis Obispo County beaches received “A’s” Pismo Beach was issued one of the lowest grades in the state. This is not a new development as water quality issues have plagued Pismo for a number of years. This begs the question, what is it about Pismo in particular that makes for poor water quality conditions?

A likely answer may be a result of Pismo Beach’s relative fame compared to most Central California coastline. Pismo receives more visitors and not surprisingly has a more substantial infrastructure. Pismo boasts a 1,370 foot pier, which attracts tourists and sea birds alike. It’s often speculated that these birds, that choose to roost on the pier, my have something to do with the diminished water quality. Among the five different locations at Pismo Beach were water quality test occurs, fifty feet south of the pier consistently reports the greatest water quality hazards. A good deal of urban development also exists in Pismo, suggesting the issues could stem from storm water runoff and drainage.

Speculation as to the water quality issues may soon become a thing of the past. A current multi-year study is now underway to pinpoint the cause of the heightened bacteria levels. The study, funded by the California Bureau of Investigation, is making use of DNA samples to positively identify issues having the greatest impact on water quality. Current water quality advisories at San Luis Obispo County beaches can be found here.

Sea birds at Pismo

Greater water quality issues may present themselves at all California beaches with more recent budget news. California, facing huge budget deficits, has been forced to cut programs to save the state money. Last year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made use of a line item veto that cut, “critical beach water quality monitoring programs used by counties to fund the collection and processing of ocean water samples as well as posting of signage at beaches to notify the public of potential health risks,” according to Heal the Bay’s annual Summer Beach Report, the organization that issued Pismo its “D” grade. The veto cut more than a million dollars from state beach water quality testing.

Budget cuts to County Health Departments have forced many to forego regular water sample testing. In San Diego County regular water quality testing has been abandon completely. Leaving sewage treatment plants, and organizations like Heal the Bay, the publics only protection from potentially dangerous water conditions. Budget cuts are understandably difficult, but as we continue to impact our oceans its important we resume regular water quality testing to ensure public safety.

Art for Oceans, to commemorate Surfrider Foundation’s Twenty-Fifth Birthday

The Surfrider Foundation, a grassroots organization seeking to promote clean water, beach access, and conservation, is turning 25. To celebrate the occasion the nonprofit is putting together an art collaborative entitled, Art For Oceans III. The plan is to take 25 of the worlds most famous surf breaks and pair them with a contemporary artist.

“Art For The Oceans III captures the essence of twenty-five iconic waves,” explains Surfrider Foundation’s CEO Jim Moriarty in a statement released by the organization. After each artist produces their own rendition of the famous break the resulting works will then be displayed and auctioned off at the event. All proceeds will benefit the Foundation, meaning it will eventually go back to protecting the waves pictured. More information on the event is available at www.surfrider.org/25th.

The Surfrider Foundation, at http://www.surfrider.org/,was founded by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, CA back in 1984. Since then the organization has proven itself to be the most distinguished environmental organization within the surfing industry. In a Surfrider statement, “It is one thing to value something and another entirely to act to protect that value,” says Surfrider’s CEO, Jim Moriarty, “We’re here for the simple reason that we value the coasts and we’re working to protect them.”

In a drawn out court battle to prevent a toll road from potentially depositing sediment at Trestles, debateably California’s best surf break, Surfrider made a name for itself as a genuine ocean ally. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eIepWYwB1s&NR=1The Foundation consists of 50,000 acting members working with over 200 community outreach campaigns. Other victories for the Foundation include “winning the second largest Clean Water Act suit in American history in 1991, brought against two pulp mills in Humboldt County that were charged with over 40,000 violations of the law,” and “successfully blocking a marina which would have destroyed historic natural wetlands as well as miles of sandy coast at Bolsa Chica, CA,” according to their website. See Surfrider in action at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el2YOF9GaVU.

More recently the Foundation has taken a stand against polluted “Urban Runoff.” According to their website more beaches were closed and given negative health advisories in the last year, than any other year in fifteen years of research history. The Surfrider Foundation is taking steps to implement a zero tolerance policy for sewage dumping. They have taken the view that oceans are “indispensable and necessary.” Sighting such facts as “Oceans produce over 50% of the oxygen that sustains life on earth,” the Surfrider Foundation provides reasons why even non-surfers should care about oceans. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjnxwCQTv84&feature=related.