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ryan b. anderson

Environmental, cultural, and coastal anthropology
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Composite photograph showing an image from 2026 with a black and white inset from the late 1980s to early 1990s.

California Coast Rephotographic Project: Carlsbad Seawall

August 20, 2026

After Tamarack State Beach made the news for losing a bunch of it’s sand in the last couple of weeks, I managed to get down there for a few comparative photographs. The composite above shows a stretch of the seawall that’s at the end of Sycamore Avenue in Carlsbad. This one was pretty easy to relocate and photograph. I found the historical image, which dates to the late 1980s or early 1990s, via the Carlsbad Library:

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In Photography, Coastal Anthropology Tags Seawalls, San Diego County, Carlsbad, Repeat photography

“Near the shore after leaving Oceanside.” Photograph of coastal North San Diego County from the 1880s. From the Huntington Digital Library: https://hdl.huntington.org/digital/collection/p15150coll2/id/12006/rec/7

Near the shore after leaving Oceanside (1888)

November 22, 2025

This is a photograph from the Huntington Digital Archive that I stumbled across while I was working on a recent draft for a paper about the long-term coastal histories of California. I was searching for images of Oceanside, California, which was one of the case studies mentioned in the draft, and I found this one.

It’s from the 1880s. It’s part of a small collection of photographs that someone put together after a trip through parts of Southern California.

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In Coastal Anthropology, Photography Tags Repeat photography, Tamarack, San Diego County

Latest Posts

Featured
20260812-444A7730-2BW-web.jpg
August 23, 2026
Tamarack erosion and seawall
August 23, 2026
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August 23, 2026
Erosion and sand loss at Tamarack State Beach
August 23, 2026
Erosion and sand loss at Tamarack State Beach
August 23, 2026

I took the photograph above back in March 2018 at Tamarack. That was when the beach was full of sand after a relatively recent replenishment. I went back to the same spot during my most recent trip. I couldn’t take a photo from the same location because the sand where I was standing in 2018 was gone. Here’s what things looked like in 2026:

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August 23, 2026
Tamarack Parking lot in 1959 and 2026
August 22, 2026
Tamarack Parking lot in 1959 and 2026
August 22, 2026

Here’s another photo from my recent trip down the Southern California. I headed down in part because my old home beach of Tamarack was in the news. Check out some of the coverage via the SF Gate here, and NBC7 here.

Long story short, high tides and large waves from a summer south swell swept a lot of sand off the beach at Tamarack. It also undermined the riprap that was protecting the parking lot. In some of the coverage, people express concern about the loss of sand from the beach. Others say that this is how the beach actually used to look years ago.

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August 22, 2026
California Coast Rephotographic Project: Carlsbad Seawall
August 20, 2026
California Coast Rephotographic Project: Carlsbad Seawall
August 20, 2026

After Tamarack State Beach made the news for losing a bunch of it’s sand in the last couple of weeks, I managed to get down there for a few comparative photographs. The composite above shows a stretch of the seawall that’s at the end of Sycamore Avenue in Carlsbad. This one was pretty easy to relocate and photograph. I found the historical image, which dates to the late 1980s or early 1990s, via the Carlsbad Library:

Read more →
August 20, 2026
IMG_4984-Blacks Beach DEC 2005.JPG
August 9, 2026
Black's Beach, December 2005
August 9, 2026
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August 9, 2026
CRW_2451_RT8_BW-small.jpg
August 9, 2026
Wilder Ranch in 2005
August 9, 2026
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August 9, 2026
The Cliff House in SF
August 4, 2026
The Cliff House in SF
August 4, 2026

Here’s another spot I’d like to rephotograph up at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. The photograph above was taken by William Henry Jackson between 1880 and 1910. It’s from the 1974 monograph of Jackson’s work that was edited by Beaumont Newhall and Diana E. Adkins (published by Morgan & Morgan). This is the second Cliff House, so it had to be taken after 1896.

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August 4, 2026
Location Scouting: Lover's Point, Pacific Grove CA
August 4, 2026
Location Scouting: Lover's Point, Pacific Grove CA
August 4, 2026
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August 4, 2026
Wadell Creek Beach, 12/1/24.
August 4, 2026
Wadell Creek Beach, 12/1/24.
August 4, 2026
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August 4, 2026
Asilomar, July 2026
August 1, 2026
Asilomar, July 2026
August 1, 2026
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August 1, 2026

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