Living Together: Estuaries: Productivity and Vulnerability
Estuaries and wetlands are among the most productive areas anywhere, literally teeming with life. But these environments are often threatened by nutrient discharge from agricultural or farm land, as well as the building of homes or other forms of de...
Due West: Ventura, California Marina
The Ventura, California marina was built in the 1950s with little or no understanding of the dredging that would be necessary to counteract the accumulation of sediment underwater. As a result the harbor has not functioned effectively for much of th...
On the Coast: Living with Erosion and Sea Level Rise
While the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are considered to be relatively gentle coastlines, erosional problems can pose problems in these areas, just as they do on the west coast. In Massachusetts, for example, the combination of erosion and sea level ris...
Due West: Point Mugu Naval Air Station
Restoration and protection of the Point Mugu, California wetlands has been a great success story, despite the challenges associated with agricultural runoff and other by-products of urbanization.
Due West: Malibu Coast, The
The Malibu coast is plagued by serious erosion problems-especially landslides. Given that coastal erosion is an unavoidable fact of life, the focus in this fabled community is not so much on stopping it, but finding ways to live with it. These inclu...
Look Out Below: Growth of a Tsunami
A tsunami wave usually begins as barely a ripple above the surface out in the open ocean, often thousands of miles from its ultimate destination. By the time it reaches shore, a tsunami may have grown to nearly a hundred feet in height, and can be a...
On the Coast: Coastline Changes Over Time
Whatever a coastline's shape today, it was probably different yesterday, as it will no doubt be tomorrow. Coastal zones are among the most dynamic areas on Earth, subject to a host of factors that make every coast a work in progress.
On the Coast: Coastline Classification
There is no single, universally agreed upon system of classifying coastlines. Given the large number and variety of classification approaches, oceanographers often gravitate towards the method they consider to be most useful in studying coastal zone...
Look Out Below: Tsunami and Tectonic Events
Tsunami are usually the product of a tectonic event, such as an earthquake. They most commonly take place in the Pacific Rim region, because of the relatively higher frequency of large, shallow earthquakes in this area.
On the Coast: Defining the Coast
There is no universally accepted definition of coast. It is essentially a boundary between the land and the sea, but it's a broad zone rather than a single line.