. Atoll research bulletin. Coral reefs and islands; Marine biology; Marine sciences. 140 Further south, where a recreational club existed on the western side, there were steps leading down to the beach; now that shoreline is well eroded and the steps have disintegrated. By early 2006, most of the sand had disappeared from large stretches, exposing the underlying limestone. Further south still, the protective rim is now only about a metre wide in places and already some small plumes of beach sand are being pumped through onto the road at high tides ().. ' Figure 5. Erosion of the seaward s
. Atoll research bulletin. Coral reefs and islands; Marine biology; Marine sciences. 140 Further south, where a recreational club existed on the western side, there were steps leading down to the beach; now that shoreline is well eroded and the steps have disintegrated. By early 2006, most of the sand had disappeared from large stretches, exposing the underlying limestone. Further south still, the protective rim is now only about a metre wide in places and already some small plumes of beach sand are being pumped through onto the road at high tides ().. ' Figure 5. Erosion of the seaward side of the western arm of Diego Garcia. The observer is standing on the high tide level, the thin rim behind him is now all that stops inundation of the road at this point. On other atolls there are no fixed structures against which erosion has been measured, but familiarity with several locations shows similar patterns. Therefore, erosion by the sea has been a continuing and accelerating process, one which is not caused only by storms and tsunamis but by every high tide, especially spring tides. The process is being forced faster by rising sea levels. The present brief survey results must be considered against this background. RESULTS Direct Damage on Islands Reports by residents on the day of the tsunami are largely limited to their observations of several large 'tidal cycles' occurring in the lagoon of Diego Garcia during the course of the morning, and of considerable terrestrial debris (palm fronds etc.) being transported along the shorelines. The residents are all located on the western and. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Smithsonian Institution. Press; National Research Council (U. S. ). Pacific Science Board; Smithsonian Institution; National Museum of Natural History (U. S. ); United
Size: 1835px × 1362px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauth, bookauthorsmithsonianinstitutionpress, bookcentury1900
