. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. due in large measure to the rapid and unprecedented population growth in coastal areas. The battle can never be completely won, but its risks and casualties can be minimized with education and planning. For years, geologists and engineers have warned of the dangers of buying on the coast, with good reason. Severe hurricanes like Fran, though infrequent, can have devastating effects. And even without the high winds and waves associated with hurricanes, research shows that ocean shorelines change constantly,
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. due in large measure to the rapid and unprecedented population growth in coastal areas. The battle can never be completely won, but its risks and casualties can be minimized with education and planning. For years, geologists and engineers have warned of the dangers of buying on the coast, with good reason. Severe hurricanes like Fran, though infrequent, can have devastating effects. And even without the high winds and waves associated with hurricanes, research shows that ocean shorelines change constantly, and many experience long-term patterns of erosion. New oceanfront property owners need to anticipate these changes and plan for them. Foremost, they should know how to build and where to build or buy. Informed decisions are important because replacing a beach once it's gone is not easy — moving the house is easier. Quick fixes don't exist, and the solutions are expensive. Beach renourishment is one approach that some coastal communities have used to fight erosion. Dredges and pipelines pump offshore sand onto the beach, where neighbors hope it will stay. But this alternative must be constantly maintained and may pose problems because the supply of offshore sand is smaller than people think. "Sooner or later there will be serious problems with this," says William J. Geary, a geologist at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a Sea Grant researcher. "Sand is an important commodity and a depleting resource in our ; Not only is the availability critical, Cleary says, but "it's going to be so incredibly ; It now costs from $2 to $5 a cubic yard to pump sand onto a North Carolina beach, making it unaffordable for many communities. "In New Jersey, it costs about $30," Cleary says. "And in Japan, sand costs about $250 a cubic meter and has to be imported from ; The fix isn't permanent because sand trav
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcollectionunclibra, booksubjectoceanography
