Rising sea, stronger storms hammering West Coast shorelines

[Forkboy]

With summer in full swing, area beaches see a lot of action. But the shores of the western coast of the United States may be hit with large-scale erosion in coming years, wiping out coastlines that provide protection from the surf, as well as pleasure.

That’s according to a new study led by the U.S. Geological Survey. Scientists from San Diego to Seattle shared data from the 2009 – 2010 winter during which powerful waves and higher-than-usual water levels tore away and reshaped shorelines.

In western Washington, near Willapa Bay, more than 300 feet of erosion destroyed a road that winter.

Patrick Barnard with the USGS says in many cases, these erosion levels were unprecedented and what’s more the problem is not going away.



http://www.kplu.org/post/rising-sea-stronger-storms-hammering-west-coast-shorelines?utm_source=AllTodaysNewsRSS&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sightline%2FfHib+%28All+Today%27s+News+-+Sightline+Daily%29

[me b zola]

1. An inconvenient truth n/t

[freshwest]

2. I read the western shores of the UK are having the same problem in some places. Of course the Gulf

State have been losing a lot to hurricanes. We're pretty prepared, though in the northwest and don't have as many properties overlooking the Pacific as California. They've got some great homes there with those beautiful views.