Free Republic

With 73 days left in the Atlantic hurricane season, communities across the Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard face risk of more storms like Beryl or Debby — storms that pose expanded danger thanks to a flurry of new home construction in flood-prone areas since 2001. Between 2001 and 2019, about 850,000 new homes have been built in floodplains, a new study in the journal Earth’s Future has found. That makes up a footprint of 2 million acres of at-risk property — about the size of Delaware — of which nearly half were in Florida. In a sense, this is good...

Erosion along Daytona Beach, Florida, caused mainly by two hurricanes last fall, exposed a shipwreck last week that archeologists hope to learn more about, according to reports. FOX 35 in Orlando reported that researchers planned to examine the wreckage Monday, though it is not clear whether inclement weather deterred those plans. The wreck was exposed near Daytona Beach Shores because of beach erosion allegedly caused by hurricanes Ian and Nicole in 2022 and high tides. Aerial footage captured by the station’s SkyFox drone depicts wreckage in the shape of a hull, estimated to be 25 to 30 feet long. FOX...

Democratic consultant and political commentator James Carville said Monday on MSNBC’s “The Beat” that the Democratic party needs to stop listening to “elite coastal people” who push identity politics. Thursday on MSNBC, former Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean said, “I’ll make this prediction right now. We’ll pick up two to three in the Senate and pick up the House. We will pick up seats in the House and not lose them.”

Those who argue human greenhouse gas emissions are causing dangerous climate change regularly point to rising seas as one of the most certain and devastating impacts on human communities.According to environmental activists, mainstream media outlets and some scientists—who routinely cite Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports—unless governments take drastic action to transform the world’s economic system, including ending the use of fossil fuels for energy in a very short period, entire island nations will disappear beneath the seas and low-lying coastal cities will be swamped, forcing a great migration of populations inland.The threat of rising seas to various communities...

A Northern California judge ruled Wednesday against a Silicon Valley billionaire who had shut down public access to a beach beloved by surfers and swimmers, ordering him to reopen his private road to the beach. San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Barbara Mallach ruled that venture capitalist Vinod Khosla would have to obtain permission from the California Coastal Commission if he wished to close off Martin's Beach, a secluded stretch of coast south of Half Moon Bay. The case, brought by the surfer and environmental group Surfrider Foundation, had been seen as a test of 1970s laws ensuring public access...

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration will announce its plans for coastal oil and gas drilling leases by the end of March, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Wednesday. Salazar told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that he was preparing two plans to govern leases on the outer continental shelf — one with court-mandated changes that would apply through June 30, 2012, and another completely new blueprint for leasing from July 1, 2012, until 2017. The decision to go with sequential schedules means Salazar is scrapping a Bush-era proposal for 2010 through 2015 that would have allowed leases on Pacific...

Amid NBC’s messy late-night lineup fight, a “wired army” has used blogs, Facebook and Twitter to support embattled “Tonight Show” host Conan O’Brien. There’s little cyber backing for Jay Leno. It’s always been trendy to prefer O’Brien or David Letterman. Everyone knows they’re funny and Leno’s not. But when it came to actual viewers, Leno consistently beat Letterman while O’Brien has struggled as his replacement. (Leno has flopped at 10 o’clock.)

BAGHDAD — With more than 75 percent of Iraq’s gross domestic product coming from revenues generated by its offshore oil platforms, Iraq has a keen interest in protecting and controlling its territorial waters. To that end, representatives from the Iraqi Navy met with U.S. military personnel here June 12-14 for discussions on building coastal patrol boats.At this work definition conference, officials agreed on specifications to construct 35-meter patrol boats. The first four of a 15-boat construction program are due for delivery to Iraq by the end of 2010.“These patrol boats will protect Iraq’s offshore oil platforms, which are vital to...

I've always said that there are likely hundreds of geological "gems" in the country's state parks. Here's one of them. Click for full-size. The source of this photograph has got a pretty amazing portfolio. I recommend checking it out on the header link. The Santa Cruz County "Bridge to Nowhere" is another winner. His Hawaii pictures are pretty phenomenal too. This photographer is a master of coastal seascapes. Explanation of the geology of the park (which it has a LOT of): Geology of Salt Point State Park, CA Here's a PDF map showing location and features. Salt Point State Park...

I always enjoy it when you see a picture of a place that's remarkable and different and you never heard of it before. So that's what I've got here. One view from space and one from the ground. Click the source link to get the story; click the picture to see it full size. Same instructions for the second one, but what's shown below is 10x smaller than the original. (Easy to do the math!)

Coastal Growth, Not Global Warming, Blamed for Rising Storm Losses February 25, 2008 A hurricane that hit Miami in 1926 would cause up to $157 billion in damage if it were to strike today, according to a recent study. U.S. storm costs are rising because of higher populations and wealth on the coasts, not a spike in the number or power of hurricanes, the study said. Its conclusions run counter to the notion that the $150 billion in damages caused by the destructive Atlantic hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005 might be linked to global warming, which some scientists believe...

I've probably seen lots of pictures of this place/area, but I finally learned its name. Spectacular coastal karst. This is a World Heritage Site -- deservedly.

For the first time in its 34-year history, the state Coastal Commission has chosen a developer to be its chairman. Multimillionaire builder William Patrick Kruer of San Diego was recently selected by his peers to lead the powerful agency, which oversees land use along California's 1,100-mile coastline. So why aren't environmentalists ranting about a fox being chosen to watch the hen house? Because they consider Kruer – who has a reputation as a political moderate – to be friendly, fair-minded and accessible. In fact, it's hard to find anyone who doesn't. But the commission is a high-stakes, survival-of-the-fittest political arena....

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron (NCWRON) 34 from Naval Coastal Warfare Group (NCWG) 1 deployed to Kuwait Aug. 22 and 24 to provide harbor and port security. They are tasked to protect ships carrying supplies for allied forces in Iraq. “This is my second time going over there, and it feels really good to help our troops get what they need to accomplish their mission,” said Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Martin Garcia of NCWRON 34. NCW squadrons use sensor platforms to provide a technical picture of the ports and harbors as they patrol the harbors for...

On a sandy bluff overlooking the Pacific, surfer Mark Massara sees a developing threat to a California amenity: guaranteed beach access for average families. Luxury hotel builders are hovering over the coastline, hoping to expand to California's shores the nationwide trend of developments split between high-priced hotel rooms and privately owned condominiums. Where developers see opportunity in "condo hotels," Massara and others see a legal loophole that lets private buyers snap up parts of the coast which are supposed to remain public. And that, he fears, will make getting to the beach harder. In this low-key northern San Diego County...

A network of reserves to protect California's rich array of marine wildlife moved closer to becoming a reality on Tuesday after a state panel selected a plan to put large swaths of coastal waters off-limits to fishing. The Fish and Game Commission voted at a packed meeting in Monterey to ban both commercial and recreational fishing across more than 200 square miles between Santa Barbara and Half Moon Bay, just south of San Francisco. The plan still must undergo a final environmental review before it goes into effect. The new protected areas likely would not become official until at least...

It may not be on a scale of Franklin D. Roosevelt's attempt to pack the Supreme Court, but Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez's bid to pack the Coastal Commission with his cronies is very troubling all the same. As speaker, Núñez, D-Los Angeles, gets to make four appointments to the 12-member panel. Under state law, if an appointee is unable to attend a Coastal Commission meeting, he may send a designated alternate in his place. Núñez, however, is attempting to dictate who the four alternates will be – a clear usurpation of each commissioner's legal authority. What's more, the timing of...

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (NNS) -- A commissioning ceremony was held May 20 for Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron (NCWRON) 4 at Hospital Point Park at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Va. The pennant of commissioning was broken by the squadron’s first commanding officer, Cmdr. James Campbell, who ordered his Sailors to man their fighting positions and “bring the squadron to life.” NCWRON 4 is the seventh NCWRON, the first active-duty unit on the east coast, and is comprised of a Mobile Inshore Undersea Warfare Unit, Inshore Boat Units (IBU) 41, 42, 43 and staff. “The overall mission of our combined units and staff...

Given the military's opposition, should oil and gas drilling be allowed in waters off the Virginia coast? Yes No Undecided

7:27 am PT, Thursday, Jan 26, 2006 Using New Methods, Oregon State University Archaeologists Uncover 10,000-Year-Old Coastal Site By Mark Floyd, 541-737-0788/OSU CORVALLIS, Oregon - Researchers from Oregon State University have analyzed a second archaeological site on the southern Oregon coast that appears to be about 10,000 years old, and they are hopeful that their newly fine-tuned methodology will lead to the discovery of more and older sites. Results of their study were just published in the journal Radiocarbon. The site, located on a bluff just south of Bandon, Ore., included a large number of stone flakes, charcoal pieces and...