Join Coastal News Today for news and analysis from across the coastal space. Subscription is free and confidential!
The California Coastal Commission keeps our beaches and scenic views accessible to all, and that is a good thing, writes Lookout political columnist Mike Rotkin, who fought to pass the 1976 Coastal Act that followed the commission’s establishment.
The federal government has committed $420 million over 10 years to protect the Great Lakes, which hold 84 per cent of North America’s surface freshwater and face a litany of threats.
Supporters of deep-sea mining say collecting the metal nodules deposited at the bottom of the ocean in an area of the central Pacific called the Clarion Clipperton Zone is a less damaging way to gather metals — nickel, copper, manganese and cobalt — than it is to mine for them on land.
1,324 house still in emergency housing paid by FEMA, including 580 in Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee and Sarasota counties
A massive 8,000km long blob of seaweed is floating towards Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
The task of moving people away from the coast faces a hurdle: economic complexities.
An international research team develop guidelines for governments and policymaking bodies to evaluate preparedness for ocean acidification
For beachgoers and coastal property owners alike, it’s time for Rhode Island’s General Assembly to finally come together and write a clear boundary into General Laws.
The Town recently joined with local environmental groups to unveil new floating litter trap technology – known as Collec’Thor – at Tappen Marina.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New York City is at a disadvantage when it comes to New York State’s funding distribution policies, according to Mayor Eric Adams.
Friday, March 27th, 1964 was a warm, sunny day on the North Oregon Coast. Anyone listening to the radio or watching TV around 7 p.m. that night had the normal programming interrupted by breaking news of a very large and destructive earthquake along the south coast of Alaska.
NORWICH, United Kingdom — Concerning new research from the University of East Anglia reports that the continual warming of Earth’s climate may result in the proliferation of potentially fatal infections caused by bacteria found all along the East Coast of the United States.
The study also found that acidity is increasing in the Gulf of Maine faster than at other locations on the East Coast.
Climate change is not just a threat, it’s already happening. The world needs to act now
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it has taken an enforcement action against Calrincón Corp. and Karimar Construction Inc. for discharging fill material into wetlands without a permit in the Municipality of Rincón, Puerto Rico.
State in search of revenue to replace BP spill money
This coverage is made possible through a partnership with WABEand Grist, a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
March 26 (UPI) -- Officials in Miami Beach have declared a state of emergency as "massive crowds" of Spring Breakers descend on the Florida city causing mayhem, including the shooting deaths of two people.
SWANSBORO, N.C. (WITN) - A year-long project managed by the NCDOT is underway near one Eastern Carolina shoreline to help protect a causeway that is vulnerable to erosion.
(New Zealand ) - Overseas experts in managed retreat say the owners of the worst damaged properties in recent extreme storms in New Zealand must get a seat at the decision-making table about possible red zones.
Despite optimistic pronouncements months ago from company officials, several of the projects have often been slowed by local opposition.
Wagner Park, a cherished waterfront greenspace in Battery Park City that boasts unobstructed views of the Statue of Liberty, will be demolished and rebuilt soon.
The Florida Department of Transportation’s much-anticipated plan to protect State Road A1A in Flagler Beach is almost anti-climatic, shifting much of the responsibility back to other governments.
The Delaware Congressional Delegation announced $25 million from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be used for renourishment projects for Delaware’s bay beaches.
Florida residents may have trouble breathing after inhaling hydrogen sulfide
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - With recent decisions, the state Land Board has sent a clear message to shoreline landowners: They’ll have to start dealing with rising seas and shouldn’t expect government bailouts.
This winter’s stormier-than-usual weather has led to “big-league erosion” on La Jolla’s beaches and elsewhere, leading to undesirable and even dangerous conditions both on land and at sea, local experts say.
A town on North Carolina's Outer Banks made headlines last year when three homes collapsed into the sea. Rodanthe has become a symbol of the devastating impact of rising seas. Some residents are now moving their houses back from the sea, but it's a temporary solution.
It’s spring break in Southwest Florida with tourists and seasonal visitors flocking to Collier County. Although Hurricane Ian ripped through the Gulf Coast six months ago, heavy traffic and long waits at restaurants demonstrate damage from the storm won’t deter those wanting to visit the Paradise Coast.
The only U.S. beach that ranked #1 recently on the world’s best list will apparently not be restored.
The Federal Government has agreed to a major beach restoration project in Orange County to restore almost 2 million cubic feet of sand lost to storm erosion over the past several years.
Fremantle’s popular and cherished South Beach is being impacted by erosion, like many around the country. What are we prepared to pay to save this important part of the Australian way of life?
First it was the eerie images of barrels leaking on the seafloor not far from Catalina Island. Then the shocking realization that the nation’s largest manufacturer of DDT had once used the ocean as a huge dumping ground — and that as many as half a million barrels of its acid waste had been poured straight into the water.
New Bedford, long-known for its fishing industry, has a major role in offshore wind farms being built off the Massachusetts and Rhode Island coasts.
Tijuana’s Citizens’ Flood Monitor offers a model for data collection in the flood-affected West.
A survey of more than 1,400 residents of flood-prone urban areas found that almost half would consider moving if flooding becomes more severe.
The Gulf of Maine Research Institute offers free workshops to help residents prepare.
City officials are seeking local input on mitigation measures for rising sea levels that are expected to hit Dorchester’s nearly 10-mile coastal waterfront in the coming years.
A public hearing will be held Thursday to discuss a bill aimed at providing financial support to the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA), a group that represents Maine’s lobster industry.
In Sussex, just a few hundred metres from busy coastal towns like Shoreham-by Sea, Worthing and Bognor Regis, a story of hope is emerging, as historic kelp forests lost for decades are beginning to flourish, demonstrating the ocean’s ability to recover when it’s protected from destructive fishing activity such as trawling.
IN THE SUMMER OF 1926, HEAVY RAINS ACROSS THE MIDWEST SWELLED THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO RECORD LEVELS, precipitating a catastrophe that would unfold in slow motion . . .
The largest European center for sea trials entirely dedicated to floating wind power and marine renewable energies, called the OPEN-C Foundation, has been set up in France by major industry players.
In partnership with Miami-Dade County and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the regional water-safety agency also works to reduce litter and debris from reaching the bay through the regional canal system.
The Ocean Carbon and Acidification Data System (OCADS) is a data management system at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
AnchorGaurdian from Swiss Ocean Tech hopes to revolutionise environmentally conscious safe anchoring practices……
A rare and virulent parasitic infection has killed four sea otters along the California coast. Scientists worry about a potential public health crisis, although this lethal type of Toxoplasma hasn't been seen in humans so far. It's feared the dangerous strain could rapidly kill healthy adult otters and other wildlife
The dead man’s soul reunited with its maker long ago. Researchers now hope they can return his body to his family. In the process, they have brought to life a new understanding of a Gullah-Geechee community that lived on the shores of Winyah Bay in the decades after the Civil War.
SWANSBORO, N.C. (WITN) - On the Eastern Carolina coastline, a project creating defenses against erosion is happening Thursday.
Both REITs admit climate risk is a material risk factor in their 10Ks. Coastal Risk, a consulting firm, and I tried estimating such risk using publicly available data. We made some progress but could not go too far. We need rules on quantitative climate risk disclosures that would help investors bound such risks, contrary to claims that our current voluntary disclosure regime is adequate.
According to December data, 97% of all structures on the island were damaged in the hurricane.
Climate change is leading to an increase in potentially fatal bacterial infections is the U.S. East Coast. The Vibrio vulnificus bacteria thrive in warm coastal waters and can infect cuts or insect bites. A new study reveals that infections have risen from 10 to 80 per year over three decades, with cases now spreading as far north as Philadelphia. The bacteria, often referred to as “flesh-eating,” can cause severe damage, sometimes resulting in limb amputations for survivors.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — For years now, if a commuter were to glance to the north side of the San Mateo Bridge, they might see a lonely barge, painted with the words “Lind Marine,” floating a few hundred yards from the shoreline.
The death of a 43-foot North Atlantic right whale that washed up on Virginia Beach in mid-February was not caused by the offshore wind industry.
As momentum to develop offshore wind energy builds in North Carolina, researchers, environmental groups and state and federal government and utility leaders are working to address the challenges of this burgeoning industry.
Head of seabed authority accused of abandoning neutrality at critical point with first commercial application imminent
AP – A U.S. judge last week ruled that the National Marine Fisheries Service violated the law when it failed to develop a plan to prevent West Coast commercial sablefish fishermen from harming humpback whales.
HR 1008 would add algal blooms to the list of environmental crises such as tornadoes and hurricanes covered by some disaster declarations, making it easier for governors to receive federal help when their states are hit by damaging blooms.
Multiple environmental groups are weighing their legal options after a judge in Baton Rouge dismissed their lawsuit challenging the construction of a liquified natural gas facility.
Pasadena-based consulting and engineering firm Tetra Tech Inc. announced today that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s water office awarded it a five-year, $105 million contract to restore and protect watersheds and water bodies throughout the United States.
The looming doom of a gargantuan sargassum bloom is an ominous omen for Florida's tourism industry, which heavily depends on its breathtaking beaches to draw in millions of travelers annually.
The federal Interagency Working Group on Ocean and Coastal Mapping (IWG-OCM) has released the fourth annual report on progress made in mapping U.S. ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes waters.
HONOLULU (KHON2) — The Marine Mammal Research Program is a team that conducts research focused on marine life located at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology on Moku o Loe. It has been an institution of the University of Hawaii at Manoa since 1995.
A University of South Florida associate professor is attempting to break a world record by living underwater for 100 days. Joseph Dituri is studying how the human body responds to long-term exposure to extreme pressure – all while teaching his biomedical engineering class online.
The world’s fastest sea star could get a little boost from the U.S. government.
Dr Louay A Mohammad—former researcher, academic, design consultant, owner representative, engineering manager, and designer—combines theory with practice in his new book A Practical Design Guide for Coastal Rubble Mound Structures.
Through the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP) (www.fishhabitat.org), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and partners are providing more than $39.2 million to support 95 fish habitat conservation projects in 24 states.
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corp. (GLDD) has recently been awarded several major dredging contracts totaling $138.8 million.
Union Beach will finally receive flood protection from a slew of new projects. Port Monmouth, Highlands and Keansburg will also see new flood protections. Keyport and Middletown have been left out of Army Corps of Engineer planning for the moment.
Coastal wetlands protect communities during hurricanes by reducing storm surge flooding and damages. Previous studies have quantified surge reduction benefits of wetlands, but there is less understanding of how the combination of wetland loss and coastal development influences the spatial distribution of flood extents and damages.
Four homes in Rodanthe have been condemned after yet another house in North Carolina’s Outer Banks collapsed into the ocean.
One thousand acres of New Hampshire’s Great Bay were once covered by live oyster reefs. Today, 90 percent have vanished, lost to pollution, disease, and harvest.
Louisiana's comprehensive 50-year master plan for mitigating the impact of extreme weather on vulnerable coastal communities can provide guiding principles for every region.
LABUAN: Labuan waters have not been spared from ghost nets - fishing nets lost or abandoned at sea.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced funding for the agency’s National Wildlife Refuge System for Albemarle-Pamlico restoration initiatives.
Videos posted to social media showed boats ploughing through a blanket of dead fish smothering the water, with the surface barely visible underneath.
Chile declared some 100,000 hectares (247,100 acres) in the Gulf of Corcovado in Northern Patagonia a marine protected area, the highest category of protection. The area is an important feeding and breeding ground for endangered blue whales as well as home to numerous other marine mammal species. However, it represents only a small fraction of the blue whales’ range, so scientists say additional conservation efforts must continue.
National Coastal Mission budget cut from Rs 723 crore in proposal to just Rs 12.50 crore in allocation
Beachfront homes line the Southern California coastline and bluffs, offering multi-million dollar views out to the blue Pacific, where the sun dips daily down into the ocean’s colorful horizon.
Dr Friederike Otto, one of the authors of IPCC report on climate change, talks about the 'political sense of urgency' required to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The I.P.C.C. report contains no new data; nevertheless, it manages to alarm in new ways.
It's a striking sight: Four multi-family homes sitting very, very close to where a hillside started collapsing down to the beach this Wednesday. Beyond the dramatic images, the collapse renewed longstanding concerns about coastal erosion.
Rhode Island is set to receive a boost to its economy and Blue Economy initiative as the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Operations Center-Atlantic (MOC-A) is set to move from Norfolk, Virginia, to Naval Station Newport.
While coastal wildlife and residents gasp under the burden of Southwest Florida’s red tide, development interests are quietly blocking attempts in Tallahassee to address the nutrient sources fueling these tragedies.
Daytona Beach Shores Mayor Nancy Miller said her office has been told that construction projects will have to be completed by May 1, when turtle nesting season begins, which usually runs through the spring and into the summer.
Unlike beaches in most coastal states, nobody can buy Texas beaches. Nobody can fence them off. Thanks to the Texas Open Beaches Act, passed in 1959 and harkening back to a time when the hard-packed sand served as wagon roads, the rich and powerful can’t privatize them, can’t transform them into “Glass Onion” enclaves of privilege.
Amid a stalemate with the Army Corps of Engineers over a policy delaying beach renourishment, local officials got a West Wing engagement.
Coastal erosion claimed three homes in Hemsby last weekend and a further two properties in the village are deemed at serious risk. Are there other Hemsbys along the coast and what can be done to protect the communities which live there?
Odisha is fast losing its shoreline to rising sea levels. Its adaptation plans must not only be immediate but also foolproof
Fearing sea erosion could become a major threat to the Tourism Industry of Goa, Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao has moved a Private Member Resolution recommending the government to appoint a high-level inquiry commission to investigate the coastal soil erosion in Goa.
St. Helena Island outside Beaufort is among the many unique places along South Carolina’s coast and serves as a major focal point of our nation’s African American history.
Gov. DeSantis, others speak in Fort Myers
A massive buildup of seaweed that scientists have tracked for months has started to wash ashore the Sunshine State, with experts warning that the worst could still be ahead.
Rising seas, fires, and outdated government policies threaten a repeat of the subprime mortgage meltdown
They named the whale Windy. "Windy was a young humpback whale taken in the prime of her life," read the caption on a March 3 post in the Facebook group Protect our Coast NJ showing the diseased humpback whale on the beach near Seaside Park.
Never could a single sentence better highlight the disconnect between those who now legislate on the Hebridean seascape, and those who work within it.
The Biden administration announced a host of new environmental protections last week to limit future drilling in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, just before it approved development of the massive Willow oil field.
Millions of fish have washed up dead in southeastern Australia in what authorities and scientists say is caused by floods and hot weather
In 2016, then-President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada jointly charted a new course for collaborative leadership in the Arctic. With the motivation provided by our shared borders, close economic ties and the common challenges faced by the Indigenous peoples in both countries whose culture and way of life has flourished in this remote part of the world for thousands of years, Canada and the United States have played a pivotal role in promoting solutions to shared challenges in the Arctic.
On the eve of a GOP-led hearing into offshore wind technology, state environmental officials said there is no link between those activities and the deaths of whales washing up on Jersey Shore beaches.
Despite concerns of various groups and individuals about herring extirpation in the Strait of Georgia, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) says the area comprises about 50 per cent of coastwide herring biomass. Still, it prioritizes conservation and takes a precautionary approach to protect the health of future stock.