PACIFIC BEACH – Longtime North Pacific Beach resident Cheri Tabb can attest to coastal erosion north of Crystal Pier being a real problem.
She’s dealt with it for many years. And she can tell you it’s going to continue to get worse — unless something is done to help make it better.
A big part of the solution, in Tabb’s view, is to find the political will to prevent people from accessing cliffs where they don’t belong, which only adds to their degradation.
“I’ve lived next to the cliff’s edge on a one-way, dead-end street, and I consistently advocate for the protection and preservation of the cliffs,” said Tabb.
“I have first-hand knowledge, having watched coastal erosion for almost the past 40 years. We have watched people sitting on the cliff’s edge. Twenty years ago or more, the soil gave way and a boulder came crashing down.”
Ongoing scientific research, meanwhile, is gradually adding to the understanding of coastal erosion, offering insight into ways of counteracting its debilitating effects.
Coastal erosion refers to how coastlines get worn down over time due to increasing tropical storms, winds, tides, wave energy, and currents — all contributing to the deterioration of rocks, soil, and sand along a beach’s coastline and cliffs. Erosion can change the shape of coastal landscapes, deterring tourism, altering biodiversity, and devaluing beach property.
Human activities and climate change contribute to coastal erosion, as increased CO2 emissions and warming oceanic temperatures have a profound effect on coastal behaviors such as currents and rising sea levels.
Following three years of recent cliff surveys, researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego determined, for instance, that wave strikes directly affect the base of cliffs, while rain mostly affects cliffs’ upper regions.
“It’s something that I’ve been trying to quantify for a long time,” said coastal geomorphologist Adam Young. “We’ve always known that waves were an important part of the cliff erosion process, but we haven’t been able to separate the influence of waves and rain before.”
“What we’re seeing today is not so much Mother Nature; it’s the man-made erosion that is continuing and hurting our coastline,” Tabb said. “I don’t think there’s any enforcement (preventing access) for people sitting/walking on them or building fires and camping or living up in the cliffs.”
Charlie Nieto, Pacific Beach Town Council president, said coastal erosion is “an issue that PB is no stranger to,” and one that not only won’t go anywhere but will inevitably continue to get worse if there is no intervention to mitigate it.
“While today our beaches are the ‘golden goose’ of San Diego, perpetually constrained budgets and deferred maintenance may one day result in our goose being cooked. Furthermore, with pedestrian paths, staircases, and homes all at risk of collapse if something isn’t done, it’s clear that this is an existential public-safety issue.”
In an excerpt from a past study on coastal erosion, Professor Doug Inman, founding director of the Center for Coastal Studies at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, concluded: “Beaches face a critical imbalance as global warming threatens to increase the rate of sea-level rise. Southern California’s beaches today are ephemeral rivers of sand backed by sea cliffs.
“Following winter storms, when cobbles and rocky platforms are exposed, waves attack the base of the sea cliffs. Studies show that 86 percent of California’s coast is actively eroding. Climatologists warn that global sea level may rise by half a meter or more by the end of the century, increasing coastal erosion.”
Tabb would like to see meaningful consequences for activities that compromise the stability of cliffs, including sanctions against planting, watering, seeding, or other forms of disturbance. She says a dedicated task force that conducts regular, scheduled inspections of the cliffs, removes individuals from restricted areas, and immediately addresses issues that threaten structural integrity — such as filling in man-made caves as soon as they are discovered — is needed.
“Consistent monitoring would both deter misuse and help preserve the long-term stability of our coastline,” she said.
Tabb believes placing warning signs or tape and leaving signs or tape unattended for extended periods is not the solution. “While we cannot control natural forces, we can address and prevent man-made erosion through enforcement, maintenance, and accountability.”
Cliffs account for most of California’s 1,023 miles of coastline. Landslides and collapses have caused injuries and multiple deaths in recent decades. Coastal infrastructure potentially at risk includes highways, public coastal access points, homes, military bases, wastewater treatment plants, power plants, and railways.
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