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Category Archives: Beaches

Beaches lose up to 3m of sand after king tides

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Topics: new brighton beach, south golden beach

BYRON Bay Beaches continue to cop a battering with South Golden and New Brighton beaches losing up to 3m of sand with the recent king tides and large ocean swells.

Beach accesses in South Golden Beach at Pacific Avenue, Peter, Helen and Robin Streets are all closed. Gloria Street beach access is open.

Byron Shire Council's executive manager of community infrastructure, Phil Holloway, said the beaches in the north of the shire had been significantly impacted from the high tides and large ocean swells over the past week.

"The three viewing platforms at Peter, Helen and Robin Streets are now very close to the dunal escarpment and will be removed over the coming days.

"The timber will be carefully stored at the council works depot until such time that they can be safely rebuilt."

Just over a month ago, council removed the viewing platform at Gloria Street in South Golden Beach due to coastal erosion.

Mr Holloway said the recent weather, tides and ocean swells have meant that the beaches have not had time to replenish.

"There is simply not enough sand present to be able to reinstate the beach accesses.

"When some sand has returned, staff will be able to get in and build better walking gradients for beach accesses," he said.

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Beaches lose up to 3m of sand after king tides

After Sandy: NYC beaches a model for rebuilding

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Garrison Architects

A digital rendering of Garrison Architects' beach comfort station. These modular structures are being installed on New York City beaches that were damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

By Denise Chow LiveScience

After Hurricane Sandy ravaged New York City's coastlines, city officials knew that any effort to rebuild the damaged beaches had to make sustainability a top priority. Rather than simply replacing what was destroyed, they had to make sure new structures on the shores were built to withstand the next Sandy-like storm.

Enter Jim Garrison. In December, his Brooklyn-based firm, Garrison Architects, was contacted by the New York City Department of Design and Construction to build a collection of lifeguard and comfort stations for beaches in Staten Island, the Rockaways in Queens and Coney Island in Brooklyn. The new permanent structures are intended to replace those that were destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012.

Garrison Architects was awarded a $106 million contract to build at least 35 buildings on an ambitious deadline: 19 of the structures were expected to be openMemorial Day weekend. [On the Ground: Hurricane Sandy in Images]

"There's still a lot to do, but it's great to finally see them in place," Garrison said. "I'm very critical of our work all the time I judge us according to the highest standards, but I think these are very good."

With only five months to construct the beach stations, Garrison and his colleagues came up with a design for so-called modular buildings, which are structures that are put together from prefabricated sections, or modules.

"We've been working on this process for quite a while," Garrison told LiveScience. "We wanted it to be highly industrialized, something capable of being built in a factory with all its components. It had to be a system that was prototypical and repeatable."

The steel-framed modular stations will sit on a series of pilings, elevating them above current storm-surge levels put forth by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and making them flood resistant. But Garrison also wanted the facilities to be energy efficient, equipped with solar panels to help generate electricity and hot water heating, skylights to capture natural sunlight and ventilation that takes advantage of wind coming off the water.

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After Sandy: NYC beaches a model for rebuilding

"WAVE SOUND" Best CARIBBEAN BEACHES Relaxing Video Ocean Sounds 4 HOURS WAVES DVD Videos Playlist – Video

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"WAVE SOUND" Best CARIBBEAN BEACHES Relaxing Video Ocean Sounds 4 HOURS WAVES DVD Videos Playlist
DISCOVER the #1 MOST Beautiful Relaxing 1 Hour Instrumental Music Videos Playlists (BELOW). RELAX on the BEST BEACHES with Ocean WAVES for Free with Youtube ...

By: wavesdvdcom

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"WAVE SOUND" Best CARIBBEAN BEACHES Relaxing Video Ocean Sounds 4 HOURS WAVES DVD Videos Playlist - Video

Beaches open on Memorial Day despite Hurricane Sandy scars

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LONG BEACH -- Not all the repairs are finished, not all the sand is replaced and not every nearby business has recovered.

But seven months after Superstorm Sandy devastated hundreds of miles of shoreline, most of New York and New Jersey beaches are officially open this Memorial Day weekend.

After a cleanup effort that cost tens of millions of dollars, visitors from the Rockaways to the Hamptons to Seaside Heights to Atlantic City will be able to enjoy miles of seashores that have been groomed and cleaned up by volunteers and work crews.

In some places, two-story-tall sand dunes have been washed away. In other places, miles-long stretches of boardwalk still need to be replaced. In still others, sunbathers may have to squeeze their towels a little closer on beaches shrunken in some places by half its normal size by the effects of erosion.

"People are going to rewrite the formula for the beach," says Andrew Field, co-owner of the popular Rockaway Taco restaurant near Queens' Rockaway Beach, a 7-mile stretch of sand off the Atlantic Ocean that was perhaps the city's hardest-hit beachfront. Repairs at Rockaway Beach have so far cost about $140 million.

"They're going to stand in front of the beach, look to the left and look to the right, and say, 'Where do we go?'" At Rockaway Beach, about half of the 5.5 miles of boardwalk was destroyed by the storm. The city plans on replacing the stretch of boardwalk. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will work all summer to restore 3.6 million cubic yards of sand in a stretch of beach where, at high tide, what last summer was prime real estate for sunbathing is now part of the ocean.

The work to restore a 100-foot-wide beach from the boardwalk will occur periodically throughout the summer, prompting partial beach closures in work areas.

"It'll totally be different," says Field, whose beachside concession stand won't open until July, though his main taco spot blocks from the beach opened this month despite severe damage from the late-October storm. "It's going to take time, but people are just looking for some normalcy."

Still, after spending more than $270 million in repair costs, all 14 miles of New York City's beaches will be open for the Memorial Day weekend, including Coney Island, Brighton and Manhattan Beaches in Brooklyn; Orchard Beach in the Bronx; Midland, Wolfe's Pond, Cedar Grove and South Beaches in Staten Island; and, of course, Rockaway Beach in Queens.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg had promised soon after the storm that the beaches would reopen by Memorial Day, and he trumpeted the accomplishment Sunday in his weekly radio address.

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Beaches open on Memorial Day despite Hurricane Sandy scars

NY beaches open despite Superstorm Sandy scars

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NEW YORK (AP) Not all the repairs are finished, not all the sand is replaced and not every nearby business has recovered.

But seven months after Superstorm Sandy devastated hundreds of miles of shoreline, most of New York's beaches are officially open this Memorial Day weekend.

After a cleanup effort that cost tens of millions of dollars, visitors from the Rockaways to the Hamptons will be able to enjoy miles of seashores that have been groomed and cleaned up by volunteers and work crews.

In some places, two-story-tall sand dunes have been washed away. In other places, miles-long stretches of boardwalk still need to be replaced. In still others, sunbathers may have to squeeze their towels a little closer on beaches shrunken in some places by half its normal size by the effects of erosion.

"People are going to rewrite the formula for the beach," says Andrew Field, co-owner of the popular Rockaway Taco restaurant near Queens' Rockaway Beach, a 7-mile stretch of sand off the Atlantic Ocean that was perhaps the city's hardest-hit beachfront. Repairs at Rockaway Beach have so far cost about $140 million.

"They're going to stand in front of the beach, look to the left and look to the right, and say, 'Where do we go?'"

At Rockaway Beach, about half of the 5.5 miles of boardwalk was destroyed by the storm. The city plans on replacing the stretch of boardwalk. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will work all summer to restore 3.6 million cubic yards of sand in a stretch of beach where, at high tide, what last summer was prime real estate for sunbathing is now part of the ocean.

The work to restore a 100-foot-wide beach from the boardwalk will occur periodically throughout the summer, prompting partial beach closures in work areas.

"It'll totally be different," says Field, whose beachside concession stand won't open until July, though his main taco spot blocks from the beach opened this month despite severe damage from the late-October storm. "It's going to take time, but people are just looking for some normalcy."

Still, after spending more than $270 million in repair costs, all 14 miles of New York City's beaches will be open for the Memorial Day weekend, including Coney Island, Brighton and Manhattan Beaches in Brooklyn; Orchard Beach in the Bronx; Midland, Wolfe's Pond, Cedar Grove and South Beaches in Staten Island; and, of course, Rockaway Beach in Queens.

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NY beaches open despite Superstorm Sandy scars

After Sandy: NYC Beaches Serve as Model for Post-Disaster Rebuilding

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After Hurricane Sandy ravaged New York City's coastlines, city officials knew that any effort to rebuild the damaged beaches had to make sustainability a top priority. Rather than simply replacing what was destroyed, they had to make sure new structures on the shores were built to withstand the next Sandy-like storm.

Enter: Jim Garrison. In December, his Brooklyn-based firm, Garrison Architects, was contacted by the New York City Department of Design and Construction to build a collection of lifeguard and comfort stations for beaches in Staten Island, the Rockaways in Queens and Coney Island in Brooklyn. The new permanent structures are intended to replace those that were destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012.

Garrison Architects was awarded a $106 million contract to build at least 35 buildings on an ambitious deadline: 19 of the structures are expected to be open this Memorial Day weekend. [On the Ground: Hurricane Sandy in Images]

"There's still a lot to do, but it's great to finally see them in place," Garrison said. "I'm very critical of our work all the time I judge us according to the highest standards, but I think these are very good."

With only five months to construct the beach stations, Garrison and his colleagues came up with a design for so-called modular buildings, which are structures that are put together from prefabricated sections, or modules.

"We've been working on this process for quite a while," Garrison told LiveScience. "We wanted it to be highly industrialized, something capable of being built in a factory with all its components. It had to be a system that was prototypical and repeatable."

The steel-framed modular stations will sit on a series of pilings, elevating them above current storm-surge levels put forth by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and making them flood resistant. But Garrison also wanted the facilities to be energy efficient, equipped with solar panels to help generate electricity and hot water heating, skylights to capture natural sunlight and ventilation that takes advantage of wind coming off the water.

"It was our belief that they had to be extremely sustainable," Garrison said. "Our first idea was to design them in such a way that they were totally open structures, where the breeze could flow through and the sun could shine in. Our mantra is to use passive means to make buildings sustainable by absolutely maximizing the effectiveness of ventilation, control of the sun and insulation. Then, we add as little mechanical systems as possible."

The stations are 12 feet (3.7 meters) tall by 15 feet (4.6 m) wide, and extend up to 57 feet (17.4 m) in length. The structures are made of stainless steel to protect them from saltwater damage, and they are free of painted finishes features that will help them stand up to conditions along the shoreline.

"Buildings on the beach get sandblasted daily," Garrison explained. "And if there's a rainstorm, they get drenched with saltwater, so we have to be very careful with all of that."

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After Sandy: NYC Beaches Serve as Model for Post-Disaster Rebuilding

Beach report card gives high marks to some local beaches

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A clean harbor advocacy group is giving strong grades to most Boston Harbor beaches in its second annual report card, but it's also highlighting some problems.

More than half of the 15 beaches graded by Save the Harbor/Save the Bay scored either an A or A-plus in the report released Sunday. That means they were open at least nine out of 10 days last year.

Three beaches, two in Revere and one in Winthrop, didn't shut down once.

But King's Beach, which straddles Swampscott and Lynn, and Tenean Beach in Boston filled out the bottom of the list, with Tenean Beach closed once every five days because of high fecal bacterial levels, which can cause illness. Still, those two beaches both improved from the previous year.

Bruce Berman of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay said last year's dry weather, which reduced the flow of dirty storm water runoff, as well as pipe repairs helped continue a turnaround for Boston Harbor beaches.

The foul conditions at the beaches were once famous enough to be the focus of The Standells' Boston tribute song, "Dirty Water." But years of extensive cleanup, costing billions, has produced years of cleaner beaches.

"Just 25 years ago, these beaches were awash with human waste," Berman said. "We should be proud of what we've done and be prepared to finish the job."

The 2012 report card, based on analysis of thousands of state water samples, said Winthrop Beach and Revere Beach and Short Beach in Revere were open every day of the beach season, between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

State Rep. Kathi Reinstein of Revere said the perfect scores boost tourism and development and are important in a community where everyone calls their local beach "my beach."

"There is incredible personal ownership of the beaches you grew up on," she said. "And when it doesn't look good ... we hear about it."

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Beach report card gives high marks to some local beaches

Dirty Beaches: A Nomad Musician Starts Over (And Over, And Over)

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Dirty Beaches is the performing title of the Taiwanese-Canadian musician Alex Zhang Hungtai. His new double album is called Drifters / Love Is the Devil

Dirty Beaches is the performing title of the Taiwanese-Canadian musician Alex Zhang Hungtai. His new double album is called Drifters / Love Is the Devil

Alex Zhang Hungtai is a musician who has spent his life drifting from home to home. His parents were children of communist China, and since setting out, he's lived in places as far-flung as Honolulu, Montreal and most recently, Berlin.

Under the name Dirty Beaches, Hungtai makes washy, dreamy rock music that often feels nostalgic. Hungtai's whole last album was dedicated to his father; he was inspired after finding out his dad had been in a doo wop cover band during his youth in China.

"What was left of that was only a picture," he explains. "There was no recordings; he didn't tell me what songs they played. It was just a photo that I found."

But seeing his father in that photo was magnetic.

"He was wearing a suit. And he was surrounded by three guys two backup singers and one guitar player. And he was the one in front, standing in front of the microphone," he says.

The experience moved Hungtai to look back at the rock music of the 1950s and '60s. The resulting album, Badlands, was at once disconnected and intensely personal.

Hungtai's new album as Dirty Beaches is a twofer: a double-disc set called Drifters / Love Is The Devil. He spoke about it with NPR's Jacki Lyden; click the audio link to hear more of their conversation.

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Dirty Beaches: A Nomad Musician Starts Over (And Over, And Over)

Beaches erode under force of nature

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Lifeguard Zsolt Dallos at the severely eroded Marcoola Beach on the Sunshine Coast. PIC: Megan Slade Source: The Courier-Mail

THE state's beaches are taking a hammering.

Big tides, a powerful swell and a strong southerly sweep created by 20 to 30 knot winds ripped precious sand away at several locations over the weekend.

The popular footpath and hill climb at the Gold Coast's Nobby Beach has been shut down and there is extensive damage to ocean-front entrances.

A viewing platform near the Miami Surf Life Saving Club has also collapsed.

On the Sunshine Coast, lifeguard supervisor Anthony King said 2m-plus tides and solid waves had carved into dunes at Marcoola, Twin Waters and Peregian.

Big seas and high tides over the weekend have caused significant beach erosion at Mermaid Beach. PIC: Tim Marsden

"The beaches had been coming back, but we have lost more sand in the past few days."

Surfers revelled in the rougher conditions, flocking to the more protected points at Alexandra Headland, Moffat Beach, Point Cartwright and Noosa's outer bays.

Volunteer surf lifesavers, now enjoying their off-season, honed some of their rescue skills at Mooloolaba Spit, which hosted the Ocean Roar IRB Surf Series.

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Beaches erode under force of nature

Report card grades Mass. beaches as season starts

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BOSTON (AP) A clean harbor advocacy group is giving strong grades to most Boston Harbor beaches in its second annual report card, but its also highlighting some problems.

More than half of the 15 beaches graded by Save the Harbor/Save the Bay scored either an A or A-plus in the report released Sunday. That means they were open at least nine out of 10 days last year.

Three beaches, two in Revere and one in Winthrop, didnt shut down once.

But Kings Beach, which straddles Swampscott and Lynn, and Tenean Beach in Boston filled out the bottom of the list, with Tenean Beach closed once every five days because of high fecal bacterial levels, which can cause illness. Still, those two beaches both improved from the previous year.

Bruce Berman of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay said last years dry weather, which reduced the flow of dirty storm water runoff, as well as pipe repairs helped continue a turnaround for Boston Harbor beaches.

The foul conditions in Boston Harbor were once famous enough to be the focus of The Standells Boston tribute song, Dirty Water. But years of extensive cleanup, costing billions, has produced years of cleaner beaches.

Just 25 years ago, these beaches were awash with human waste, Berman said. We should be proud of what we've done and be prepared to finish the job.

This years report card, based on analysis of thousands of state water samples taken in 2012, said Winthrop Beach and Revere Beach and Short Beach in Revere were open every day of the beach season, between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

State Rep. Kathi Reinstein of Revere said the perfect scores boost tourism and development and are important in a community where everyone calls their local beach my beach.

There is incredible personal ownership of the beaches you grew up on, she said. And when it doesnt look good ... we hear about it.

See the article here:

Report card grades Mass. beaches as season starts


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