Why We Should Be Careful When Building at the Beach
The beach. Well, that is the image most associated with the beach. When people think of the beach they think of a stretch of white sandy beach and a lifeguard on duty. In most pictures the Lifeguard is holding a surfboard and waves the beach and people just clap and jump into the water. But the truth is that the Beach is much more than that. The beach can be anything that you make it.
Beach pollution can pollute any body of water no matter how clean it may seem. The pollution in our seas comes from many sources but mainly from fishing and other industries which leave toxic waste in the ocean. The pollution in our seas comes from waves crashing against shorelines and from the pollutants that come out of factories around the world. No one really knows how much damage can be caused by these chemicals in the ocean until an eruption happens or when there are large earthquakes.
Sand erosion is caused by wind and other factors. If it isn’t moving then it doesn’t erode. Because of this, sand erosion is the main cause of beachline erosion. As the tide moves over the beach an area where it meets sand gets pushed inland creating sloping beach. As long as the beach slopes continue to erode then eventually it will erode to the point where it can no longer support the soft rock that makes up the beach.
Soft rock is also eroded by the waves. This is especially true near the end of a long day because the beach is being eroded as the sun sets. As the beach erodes it takes the sand with it. When the beach does this the minerals found in the sand get washed away along with it.
These processes can all take place at different times of the year. Sand movement and beach eroding can take place anytime of the year but the most common times for these processes to occur are when there are fewer tides. When the longest possible summer season happens there is very little tidal energy left in the sand. As a result, there is little movement in the beach erodes at a much slower rate.
As you can see from the above information you can see how important a beach management plan for your area can be. A proper planning for beach management will keep you from building right on top of an ocean or on a bed of soft sands. It will help to keep the beach dry and keep the nutrients flowing in the water to nourish the surrounding marine life. In the end it will save you money on erosion due to sea level rise and other environmental factors.