South Jetty in Oceanside, CA, summer 2019. Technically, this is a “groin,” but most people refer to it as “South Jetty.” It is one of the better and more consistent surf spots in North County, and a good example of the effects that engineered structures can have not only on the coast, but also the people who use that coast.
As part of my current research on the human impacts of coastal erosion and sea level rise, I have started documenting all of the ‘armoring’ up and down California. This includes rip-rap, sea walls, and other forms of stabilization. The California coast—like many developed coastlines around the world—is largely shaped by human engineering. Once you start paying attention, you’ll notice just how much of the coast is being upheld by rock, concrete, and other structures. Here are a few images from this ongoing series…
This is a large rip-rap sea wall that protects the coast at a place called “Terramar” in Carlsbad, CA. Image from 2017.
There are a few different ways to try to stabilize or protect the coast. One is to install “hard” structures such as rip-rap and concrete sea walls. Another way is to create “soft” forms of protection, such as pumping new sand onto beaches that have eroded. Beach sand replenishment, also called “nourishment,” is common up and down the California coast. It is often one of the more popular approaches because the effects are immediate and it does not require the costly engineering and planning of hard armoring. But beach sand replenishment is still costly, and one of the main downsides is that all it takes is one winter storm and it can all be washed away. This image is from a sand replenishment project in Carlsbad, CA in March 2018.
As I mentioned in the image above, beach sand replenishment is popular, common, and problematic. All too quickly, the sand is washed away. This is an image taken from the Oceanside Pier in December 2018, showing how the ocean strips away newly replenished sand. In the long run, the ocean always wins.
This is a view of Wisconsin Avenue from summer 2018. This stretch of the coast has been armored with rip-rap for decades. One of the problems with this form of coastal armoring is that it protects the land or structures behind the wall, to the detriment of the beach in front of it. This image shows what you end up with over time: little to no beach at all. This is one of the key dilemmas of coastal planning. As Orrin Pilkey puts it, the issue often comes down to debates about protecting beaches or buildings.