Recent rain and high surf has led to coastal erosion along San Diego County’s bluffs and with another storm expected to hit San Diego this weekend, the issue has been top of mind for researchers.
Geologists have told NBC 7 recently that the oversaturation from those storms weakens coastal bluffs and cliffs, which can be dangerous to beachgoers.
It’s something researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography are always keeping a close eye on.
Storm Coverage
Get San Diego local news, weather forecasts, sports and lifestyle stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC San Diego newsletters.
Adam Young, a researcher, at Scripps, says the coast is currently experiencing a lot of erosion following last week's high surf and high tide, in addition to rain.
”Coastal erosion is driven by wave energy on our coastline,” Young said. “So when we have big waves, wave energy increases and that causes elevated erosion.”
Drones, radars and even jet skis are methods Young uses to collect data on eroding bluffs and cliffs.
”Today we’ve been reviewing some of the data we collected last week and looking at how much erosion occurred and we’re planning for next week,” Young said.
In the meantime, the access point to Stonesteps in Encinitas was closed Thursday after a post-storm assessment revealed eroding below the landing, according to Travis Karlen, the Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts Director for the City of Encinitas. Locals who frequent the steps were surprised to see it closed Thursday.
”It’s ebbing up on us. These waves, these storms and the structural changes that are going to be needed to be made for safety,” Natacha Stolz said.
Although it means losing beach access, it does provide peace of mind.
”I feel good that we’re addressing these issues and I’m hoping that it’s opened up sooner than later,” Stolz said.
Karlen told NBC 7 Thursday that a meeting was held to address repairs at Stonesteps, but to ensure safety, it will remain closed for the time being.
