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I think that your readers should be aware that this article on beach erosion is based upon a report by the Heinz Center for Science that’s being widely disputed. Susan Halsey’s opinion that nothing can be done to stop these losses is in direct conflict with a National Research Council report, “Beach Nourishment and Protection,” that finds that “beach nourishment is a viable engineering alternative for shore protection and is the principal technique for beach restoration; its application is suitable for some, but not all, locations where erosion is occurring.” Halsey’s assessment that there isn’t enough sand in the Sahara to renourish these eroding beaches appears to be nonscientific hyperbole. It’s interesting to note that the Spanish government has actually imported sand from the Sahara to undertake more than 50 beach projects, including the construction of new beaches where none had existed before.

Richard Seymour
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
La Jolla, Calif.