Beach Erosion on the California Coast
Cliffs in San Diego are eroding fast. See our list of problem areas below.
Our precious sand is disappearing right before our eyes. Up and down the California Coast erosion is already taking away our beach sand. Now scientists are predicting that between one-third to two-thirds of the beaches in Southern California will suffer such extreme erosion that they will be completely gone in the coming decades. In other words, the rising ocean will be slamming waves on cliffs and bluffs instead of rolling in and out on sandy beaches. Even the beaches that are not entirely gone could be much smaller and have little to no dry sand at higher tides.
Structures are falling into the ocean in Pacifica with no end in sight
By the year 2100 it has been predicted that the sea level will rise about 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 meters). Computer models now can show what will happen to California beaches under this scenario. The erosion model is fairly accurate because scientists have compared the data to actual erosion from 1995 to 2010 with surprising and scary precision.
Large rocks are being piled at beaches along the coast like these in Miramar Beach
Impacts from the loss of our beaches will be far reaching for the state economy and the quality of life of Southern California residents. Travelers to California from all over the globe spend most of their time and money near the coast. Beaches draw more people than theme parks and other tourist attractions. For those of us that live in California, going to a beach that is either all rocks or all wet is less appealing. Even though our public agencies, including the US Army Corps of Engineers, already design and implement sand replenishment solutions, it’s likely that in the future this costly work would be in vain as higher sea levels would remove it too quickly.
The list below includes many examples from south to north.
California Beach Erosion Locations
- Sunset Cliffs, San Diego (beach access difficult in many places)
- South Carlsbad State Beach, Carlsbad (campground is threatened)
- South Oceanside Beach, Oceanside (no beach at high tide)
- San Onofre Bluffs, San Clemente (high rates of cliff erosion)
- San Clemente City Beaches (narrow beaches getting worse)
- Capistrano Beach, Dana Point (park is being consumed by waves)
- White Point Beach, San Pedro (recent large slides nearby)
- Portuguese Bend, Palos Verdes (high rates of cliff erosion)
- Beaches in Malibu (many beaches affected)
- Northern Ventura Coastline (beaches disappearing)
- Isla Vista Beaches, Santa Barbara Area (many homes threatened)
- Point Sal State Beach Guadalupe (access lost due to erosion)
- Shell Beach Beaches, Pismo Beach (beach accesses lost)
- Arroyo del Corral, San Simeon (re-routing Highway 1 due to erosion)
- Big Sur Coast (many recent major slides on Highway 1)
- West Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz (rock piles trying to save the street)
- Martins Beach, Half Moon Bay (beach and bluffs eroding)
- Miramar Beach, Half Moon Bay (city roads falling onto beach)
- Esplanade Beach, Pacifica (buildings falling into the ocean)
- Thornton State Beach, Daly City / San Francisco (closed now)
- Arch Rock Beach Point Reyes (arch collapse and erosion nearby)
- Gleason Beach, Bodega Bay (homes falling into the ocean)
See the list below with more beaches affected by erosion
We hate to be the bearer of bad news, especially about the future of California beaches, but it is important to talk about this topic. If you would like to learn more about this predicted beach erosion, see the NASA Earth Observatory Page about Anticipating Future Sea Levels. We are thankful that NASA (and other scientists) keep us informed with reports based on real data so we can do more to help mitigate the impacts of rising sea levels.
Rock jetties minimize lateral sand transfer but will not stop erosion from rising tides