How much has the sand supply to beaches of the Oceanside littoral cell from rivers and streams has been reduced due to dams and urban development?
a. 5 %
b. 25 %
c. 55 %
Dam at Lake Hodges on the San Dieguito River. Photographer Pat Masters. Image used with permission.
a. 5 %
b. 25 %
c. 55 %
Dam at Lake Hodges on the San Dieguito River. Photographer Pat Masters. Image used with permission.
othing is more critical to the future of the California coast than sand supply.
Sandy beaches are "first responders" that protect our coasts from erosion when high-energy winter storms bring heavy surf. Beach sand dissipates the destructive energy of waves and prevents wave damage to sea cliffs and coastal property. However, dams and increasing urbanization in southern California interrupt the necessary supply of sand from the watersheds to the beaches. Sand-starved beaches cannot shield the coast from erosion.
Bluff collapse at Solana Beach, California. Photograph by Pat Masters. Image used with permission.
Coastal Morphology Group • Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Last modifed Thursday September 23, 2004