How does the ongoing coastal erosion affect Tybee Island's stability and tourism?
Tybee Island faces risk from dramatic coastal erosion and rising sea levels The erosion has created five-foot cliffs and forced local businesses, including chair and umbrella rental operations, to cease beach activities. The island faces risk from this degradation, which is exacerbated by sea levels rising about half an inch annually.
- Effect
- Strong negative
- How direct
- Stated in the reporting
- When
- Over the long term
- The story
- Gone quiet
How it reaches Tybee Island
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Bret Bell commented on the state of the DeSoto Beach Hotel area, noting that the dune system near the hotel appears severely damaged, resembling a cliff instead of a gradual slope. According to reports, human activity, including development, sea walls, and shipping channels, has disrupted the natural process of sand accumulation on barrier islands like Tybee Island, Georgia. The Army Corps of Engineers has been performing beach renourishment, but the natural sand-sharing is further interrupted by the shipping channel.
The full event1independent outlet -
Bret Bell noted that dramatic erosion near the DeSoto Beach Hotel has resulted in a five-foot cliff instead of a gradual slope on one stretch of the dune. This erosion, combined with rising sea levels (about half an inch a year), puts Tybee Island at risk.
1 report connects these two. Brind only summarizes; follow a link to read the reporting itself.
- grist.org Oct 7
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city in Chatham County, Georgia, United States
Everything about Tybee Island
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The facts so far
As reported. Each one links to where it comes from.
- On one stretch near the DeSoto Beach Hotel, the dune looks like it’s been chopped in half, ending in a five-foot cliff instead of a gradual slope.grist.org
- The sea level is rising about half an inch a year due to climate change.grist.org
- The dramatic erosion has forced chair and umbrella rental operations off the beach in some places.grist.org
- The city, Chatham County, and the state of Georgia have worked to set aside enough funds to cover 40 percent of the $20 million price tag for renourishment.grist.org
- The Corps plans to deposit sand from the Savannah River shipping channel in the shallows off Tybee’s beach this winter.grist.org
Why it matters
Tybee Island relies heavily on its beaches and dune system for protection against storm surge and encroaching oceans. The erosion threatens the island's physical integrity and its economic viability, as evidenced by the DeSoto Beach Hotel losing bookings due to the poor state of the beach.
Coastal erosion is a widespread issue on the East Coast, where the Army Corps of Engineers has been dredging and depositing sand since the 1970s. Tybee Island's situation highlights the challenges of funding these necessary, long-term mitigation efforts, which were previously underfunded by Congress.
What we don't know yet
- How effective will the new plan to deposit sand from the Savannah River shipping channel be in extending the life of the nourishment?
- Will the city, Chatham County, and the state of Georgia secure the remaining local match funding for the federal beach renourishment program?
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Reporting
- grist.orgOct 7
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