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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 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 all 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 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 quickly.

Beach Erosion Worst Hit Areas (so far)

See the list below that includes 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 results of this study by the American Geophysical Union here. We are thankful that this model is being presented now so we can do more to help mitigate the impacts of erosion.

Rock jetties like this one minimize lateral sand transfer but will not stop erosion from rising tides