The counter argument, if you will, is that beaches (i.e. sandy shores) migrate and always have. I do see a lot of complacency with regard to sea level rise based upon the misperception that a gradual rise will take a long time to be relevant. In fact, storm surges multiply that rise to levels that have become significant already. But, Paul, is your erosion coming from the direction of the bay or from precipitation runoff?
J.E., very good point! We have the phenomenon of some of our coastal beaches washing away in winter and being naturally replenished in spring and summer. As well, our coastal cliffs fall into the sea from time to time. It’s all natural.
Those erosive events are far less common in the bay. I’ve just not seen it. That’s why I was so surprised to find this portion of the island washing away. I have no definitive proof that this is the result of climate change, but I think it’s something to keep an eye on.
USF&WS has offices on the island, and I’m going to talk to them about monitoring vegetation changes, seeing if salt tolerant plants are replacing other plants. That would be more reliable evidence of sea level rise. Thanks for your thoughts!
The water table has dropped significantly in the county I live in up here in SW Oregon. I first noticed it when the blackberry bushes on our front slope dried up & died, which had never happened. Pine trees further up also slowly began to die. In subsequent years there have been reports of many private wells going dry, needing deeper ones drilled.
I'm assuming over-usage is a factor, but the droughts have certainly had their influence.
James, oh my, yes. That is something I hadn't thought of, but you're right. I've seen that happen, too. You remember Borrego, the desert east of San Diego. There is a lot of citrus farming out there, and they use a lot of groundwater to grow the fruit trees. There are now big areas where the desert vegetation has died, because the groundwater table has fallen so much.
And your observation is correct. We have been pumping out too much water, but the recharge of the aquifers has diminished because of the droughts. Seeing those dead bushes and the dead cactus in the desert can be sad.
I've noticed a lot more mosquitos in San Diego over the past two years, and I've wondered if that's due to global warming. It's certainly much hotter than it was in the past.
Catherine, yes! One of the things I liked about San Diego when I moved here was that there were almost zero mosquitos. Now, this week, I got bit three times. There are new species of mosquitos that are here now. Did you know that?
The counter argument, if you will, is that beaches (i.e. sandy shores) migrate and always have. I do see a lot of complacency with regard to sea level rise based upon the misperception that a gradual rise will take a long time to be relevant. In fact, storm surges multiply that rise to levels that have become significant already. But, Paul, is your erosion coming from the direction of the bay or from precipitation runoff?
J.E., very good point! We have the phenomenon of some of our coastal beaches washing away in winter and being naturally replenished in spring and summer. As well, our coastal cliffs fall into the sea from time to time. It’s all natural.
Those erosive events are far less common in the bay. I’ve just not seen it. That’s why I was so surprised to find this portion of the island washing away. I have no definitive proof that this is the result of climate change, but I think it’s something to keep an eye on.
USF&WS has offices on the island, and I’m going to talk to them about monitoring vegetation changes, seeing if salt tolerant plants are replacing other plants. That would be more reliable evidence of sea level rise. Thanks for your thoughts!
The water table has dropped significantly in the county I live in up here in SW Oregon. I first noticed it when the blackberry bushes on our front slope dried up & died, which had never happened. Pine trees further up also slowly began to die. In subsequent years there have been reports of many private wells going dry, needing deeper ones drilled.
I'm assuming over-usage is a factor, but the droughts have certainly had their influence.
James, oh my, yes. That is something I hadn't thought of, but you're right. I've seen that happen, too. You remember Borrego, the desert east of San Diego. There is a lot of citrus farming out there, and they use a lot of groundwater to grow the fruit trees. There are now big areas where the desert vegetation has died, because the groundwater table has fallen so much.
And your observation is correct. We have been pumping out too much water, but the recharge of the aquifers has diminished because of the droughts. Seeing those dead bushes and the dead cactus in the desert can be sad.
I've noticed a lot more mosquitos in San Diego over the past two years, and I've wondered if that's due to global warming. It's certainly much hotter than it was in the past.
Catherine, yes! One of the things I liked about San Diego when I moved here was that there were almost zero mosquitos. Now, this week, I got bit three times. There are new species of mosquitos that are here now. Did you know that?