Kurt, re. beach condition..

[Kurt]

Great post Paula!

 

[taterbaby]

What a beautiful post Paula-It certainly puts nature into perspective. Thanks for the insight-I just might make a lesson about the whole beach rejuvenation thing-I think my students would enjoy that.

 

[Paula]

Thanks for the kind words about the posting. I, too, was so worried about the beaches (which is why I came to the area right after Ivan) and then I learned to have perspective -- and to appreciate the beaches and natural beauty even more after Ivan. I figure if we're lucky we'll all live long enough to see the beaches change several times over many decades! I also figure that the dunes to damaged in the line of duty -- they protected property and endangered species (and probably a few people, too) from huge waves that could have done so much more damage. Kudos to the dunes, with or without vegetation!

And I should also say thanks to Kurt and others who posted photos of the area to keep everyone informed.

 

[Rita]

Paula,
Thanks for your post. I will have my teenage daughter read it too!

 

[BeachDreamer]

Wonderful post, Paula! I really enjoyed reading it. Nature is such an amazing and intricate thing!

 

[JB]

Agreed, that was a good post. The area should really consider itself lucky in many ways. I have numerous friends who own property in and around Gulf Shores. They weren't as lucky. It still looks like a war zone over there.

In Walton County, I think within a year, the only noticible remnant from Ivan will be lack of vegitation in the dunes. First-time visitors to the area probably won't even notice anything unusual.

 

[phdphay]

Yup, a good post, Paula ... yet another reason that we stopped vacationing at Sea Island, GA. They built up their beaches using a concrete base with sand on top. However, because the beach is truly fake, the moisture from the ocean doesn't keep the sand-covered concrete cool. So they have to use sprinkler hoses to cool off the sand enough to make it bearable to walk to the ocean barefoot. PLEASE! How fake is that? Thus, the imperfections that we've had to deal with in our beach since Ivan seem trivial compared to the beach (a.k.a. sand-covered parking lot) at Sea Island.

 

[Paula]

Well, clearly I'm in love with the area and I suppose my post is an open love letter of sorts and I'm glad visitors to this site appreciated it. Taterbaby suggested having students do some research on beach changes after hurricanes. It would definitely be interesting to have students discuss/debate/learn about the differnt strategies of having nature do all the rebuilding slowly over time, having people rebuild the beaches, and having some mixture of both strategies. I'd sure like to read those papers or hear that debate because I'm sure I'd learn a lot. I'd want to know how long it takes for dunes to rebuild themselves naturally, including how long it takes for vegetation to come back naturally. Is it better for humans to rebuild them quickly or to just wait? How do endangered species survive after hurricanes? Do they sense that they're coming and run to safety? Why was it that there were so many gorgeous shells on the beach for just a few weeks after the hurricane?

 

[RiverOtter]

They built up their beaches using a concrete base with sand on top. However, because the beach is truly fake, the moisture from the ocean doesn't keep the sand-covered concrete cool.

:shock: That is unbelievable! Hard to believe the Corp of Engineers or EPA or the State let them do that. Truley a shame

 

[lenzoe]

I'd sure like to read those papers or hear that debate because I'm sure I'd learn a lot.

If you're interested in papers and debate, there's quite a bit published on those subjects. Here's just a starter link:

http://www3.csc.noaa.gov/beachnourishment/

Check out the engineering section which includes links to University and Government sites studying beach nourishment, shoreline change, beach conditions, effects of storms, etc. The Duke University link seems to have a pretty extensive database.

For something more local, check out the Walton County's beach monitoring site:

http://www.protectwaltoncountybeaches.com/monitoring.asp

There was a Walton County 2002 paper on the state of the beach:

http://www.protectwaltoncountybeaches.com/pdf/2002-state-of-the-beaches.pdf

an update to the above was scheduled for this month. Ivan may have thrown off that schedule, but I am really interested to learn what they have to say when they publish the update.