Lake Michigan shoreline erosion

[gumpus]

A news article and some recent pictures from the Lake Michigan shoreline about 5 miles from where we live. The same prevailing winds that created the largest collection of freshwater dunes in the world are now working with record water levels to reclaim some of the sandy shoreline and bluffs.

https://www.southbendtribune.com/mu...ion_848ee62f-a6a1-51f4-bb63-b7d71a36a035.html

 

[PaddlingPitt]

Gotta feel sorry for those people losing their homes.

 

[frozentripper]

Toronto also has an shoreline erosion problem at the Scarborough Bluffs when water is high and during storms. The eroded sand over thousands of years was transported west by alongshore currents to form the Toronto Islands which enclosed Toronto Bay.

In historical times, early surveyors and engineers recommended against shoreline house construction since the erosion rate was fast enough to be visible and measurable. But no, there was way too much money to be made in real estate development in such a scenic area, so subdivision and construction went ahead, in spite of the scientific evidence against.

Today taxpayer's megabucks, many millions, are being spent in shoreline protection measures, shoreworks and hardening with lakefillling and armorstone. Developers and politicians walked away being made wealthy on something that should have never been approved by responsible government.

 

[gumpus]

I'm not sure if I feel sorry for those folks or not. My guess is that they are well insured and that many have multiple homes. There was talk on the news that the local communities are applying for federal disaster relief...to get the government to dredge up sand and rebuild the beaches like they apparently do after hurricanes. I don't have a lot of in-depth knowledge but offhand I don't want to sponsor efforts to resist Mother Nature.

 

[Zac]

They are experiencing erosion in Minnesota along the shore of lake superior as well. During a blizzard last month a 'sea stack' at Tettegouche State Park was toppled by the waves. Interestingly, the stack was the lake-ward leg of a natural arch that fell in 2010.

I don't get why people have such a hard time with these things. Erosion is real. There is indisputable scientific evidence of it's existence, yet people are alarmed and it become news-worthy when it happens. Floods are real. If you have flood insurance, expect to get flooded. If you live in an area prone to hurricanes, expect a hurricane. If you live at a northern latitude, it will be cold and there will be blizzards in the winter. Please stop complaining about these things when they happen!

 

[gumpus]

Nature is impressive. I enjoy the Toronto perspective and I've never heard of a sea stack before. Great stuff.