[Texgreen] Texas Gulf homes washing away

[Roger Baker]

"...About two-thirds of the coast is eroding so fast that the state =20
considers the condition critical. These include some of the most =20
heavily developed areas of the state. Annual erosion rates can run as =20=

high as 35 to 40 feet near the Louisiana border and 10 to 15 feet on =20
South Padre and Galveston Island..."


                     =20
*************************************************************

Web posted San Antonio Express-News, December 2, 2007

Receding Coastlines
by Anton Caputo


  SURFSIDE BEACH =97 Charles Watson stands by the side of the road =20
smoking a cigarette and snapping photos with a digital camera. He =20
seems transfixed as he watches his family's longtime beach home =20
jacked off its pilings and rolled slowly down the street.

Several neighboring houses in this sleepy coastal town will meet the =20
same fate this very day.

Forty years ago, 200 feet of sandy beach buffered Beach Drive from =20
the sea. But today, the surf runs freely between the pilings and over =20=

the remains of concrete foundations.

The erosion has become so severe that Texas declared the property a =20
public beach and gave the owners a choice: Take state money to cover =20
the cost of moving the house or go to court.

Another stretch of Beach Drive in the same condition has qualified =20
for a federal buyout. Eventually, all 37 homes on the gulf side of =20
the road will be removed or torn down.

Given the choices, and the expense of buying new property for the =20
aging beach house, Watson's family decided to sell the home only a =20
few days before to a Houston company that bought several on the block.
Talk Back

     * Many believe global warming has impacted our environment. Tell =20=

us what you think.

"It's sad," Watson said. Before him lay the mangled sheet-metal =20
remnants of a bulkhead that was overwhelmed by the surf. "But this is =20=

a harsh environment. You've got the sun, the sand and the water, and =20
I think the highest point out here is 6 feet high. It's really a war =20
of attrition."

Beach Drive lost this war with nature, an early victim of rising seas =20=

and global warming and in many ways a harbinger of the effects of =20
climate change on Texas.

Global warming often is associated with exotic places. The United =20
Nations chose the Indonesian island of Bali as the setting of its =20
international climate change summit that begins Monday. And to much =20
of the world, melting polar ice caps, receding Alpine glaciers and =20
the rapid decline of polar bear populations represent the most =20
visible and immediate effects.

But climate change also has reached temperate Texas. Rising seas and =20
sinking land have created some of the worst erosion rates in the =20
world along the state's Gulf Coast. Extreme weather, which many =20
scientists believe will become the norm because of global warming, =20
has produced torrential storms and severe droughts in recent years.

In 2006, after two years of drought, South Texas water suppliers =20
restricted use for irrigation and for lawn watering. Shortages are =20
expected to worsen.

And birds indigenous to Mexico and the border have extended their =20
range hundreds of miles north of the Gulf Coast.

Of all the looming effects of global warming, sea level rise and its =20
potential to spur coastal erosion is the easiest for many to =20
comprehend, particularly for those who live in or are familiar with =20
coastal communities.

That's because the seas have been rising for as long as anyone can =20
remember, adding to the erosive effects of storms. Decades of tidal =20
measurements and recent satellite data document the phenomena beyond =20
doubt.

"This is no model now," said Paul Montagna, a marine ecologist at =20
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. "You can look at the data. It's =20
there. The rates along the Texas coast are absolutely stunning."

And the water is expected to rise twice as fast globally this century =20=

than last, a fact that's mostly being ignored by those pushing =20
coastal construction, according to a February report by the =20
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the group responsible for =20
gathering and analyzing research on climate change.

Rising sea, sinking land

Texas is no stranger to changing sea levels. Most of the state was =20
covered eons ago by an ocean. When it receded, the sediment became =20
the rocky limestone landscape San Antonians tread on today. During =20
the height of glacial periods, sea level in Texas was at least 300 =20
feet lower than it is now.

It wasn't until about 3,000 years ago that today's coastline was more =20=

or less set, according to the Handbook of Texas.

Large and growing communities now hug the coast. And, unlike past =20
cycles of purely natural sea level rise, scientists believe the hand =20
of man is making this one considerably worse.

Rising temperatures are melting the planet's glaciers and ice caps. =20
Further expansion is caused by the simple heating of the oceans. The =20
rising heat this century could be comparable to the period that ended =20=

the last ice age, according to IPCC forecasts. But that warming, says =20=

Texas A&M professor Andrew Dessler, took 15,000 years.

"I see this as a big danger point," said Jennifer Smith-Engle, =20
assistant dean of the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi College of =20
Science and Technology.

During the last half of the 20th century, oceans rose at an average =20
of 1.8 millimeters a year, according to the IPCC. Over a hundred =20
years that would be about 7 inches.

Unfortunately for communities like Surfside, the rate of rising seas =20
across the globe seems to be increasing. =46rom 1993 to 2003, the rate =20=

accelerated by more than half.

That trend is expected to continue. The IPCC predicts seas will rise =20
another 7 to 23 inches this century, which puts the midpoint at about =20=

15 inches.

Even without global warming or sea level rise, much of Texas' =20
coastline has been sinking for years. The phenomenon, called =20
subsidence, is natural but is aggravated by human activity. =20
Aggressive pumping of groundwater =97 and to a much lesser degree, oil =20=

=97 has left a void for the land to sink into.

Much of Texas is thus worse off than other coastlines when it comes =20
to rising seas. The problem is most severe close to the Louisiana =20
border. Parts of Galveston, for example, are experiencing a =20
combination of rising seas and sinking land of nearly 21/2 feet a =20
century, according to decades of tidal gauge readings compiled by the =20=

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. Down coast at Port =20
Mansfield, sea level rise mirrors the global average.

If the numbers aren't startling enough, many coastal experts believe =20
the IPCC's predictions are conservative. The group all but =20
acknowledged that in its report when it admitted it could not even =20
begin to judge the impact of one of the largest possible causes of =20
future sea level rise: the potential melting of the Greenland and =20
Antarctic ice sheets.

Vanishing ice sheets could cause the seas to rise 10 feet or more, =20
according to some nightmarish scenarios that many respected =20
scientists believe are legitimate concerns.

International scientists who gathered at the University of Texas in =20
March to lobby for a study of the melting of the West Antarctic ice =20
sheet were a little more guarded in their prediction. The group said =20
this ice sheet could easily double the rate that the oceans rise.

"I think people who build sea defenses for low-lying cities or =20
agricultural areas, they want to know: How high do I have to build my =20=

sea defenses to make it last for 50 years or 100 years?" said Robert =20
Larter of the British Antarctic Survey. "That's what nobody can tell =20
them at the moment."

Vanishing beach

The gulf's waves already claim about 235 acres of land every year =20
along Texas' 367 miles of coastline.

Barrier islands that shield the mainland from the brunt of storms =20
flank most of the coastline. They tend to shift and move as tides and =20=

storms exert pressure.

Nearly two-thirds of those islands are protected by a combination of =20
parks, refuges and natural areas. Developers view the remaining =20
beachfront property as gold.

About two-thirds of the coast is eroding so fast that the state =20
considers the condition critical. These include some of the most =20
heavily developed areas of the state. Annual erosion rates can run as =20=

high as 35 to 40 feet near the Louisiana border and 10 to 15 feet on =20
South Padre and Galveston Island.

Long-term erosion rates in Surfside are just under 10 feet a year. =20
The debris and abandoned houses along the stretch of Beach Drive are =20
testament to the power of that erosion.

It wasn't always such a mess.

Watson remembers the beach stretching out at least 75 feet from the =20
back door when his family bought the house in 1976. Records show =20
there was at least 200 feet of sandy beach when the neighborhood was =20
built in the 1960s.

But the beach retreated from the encroaching gulf over the decades. =20
Finally, in October 2006, a voracious two-day bull tide finished the =20
job, rushing under beachfront homes, wrecking dune walkovers and =20
swamping Beach Drive.

It's impossible to pinpoint the exact impact global warming will have =20=

on other communities like Surfside. But Rice University oceanographer =20=

John Anderson said it would undoubtedly make a bad situation worse.

"I think what we're seeing in Galveston Island and in Surfside today =20
is probably fairly minor compared to the erosion that we will see at =20
the end of the century," he said. "That doesn't bode well for the =20
coast."

In specific areas, much will depend on storm and hurricane activity. =20
And although the science is still controversial, recent studies =20
suggest global warming will create more intense storms. Also thrown =20
into the mix is the effect of man-made channels in the barrier =20
islands and peninsulas that can cause erosion by cutting off the =20
natural supply of sand that flows perpendicular to the shore.

Home floats away

Despite the mounting scientific evidence, most coastal development =20
rules in Texas don't consider erosion rates. The only statewide =20
setback requirement is that building construction be above the =20
natural vegetation line. The intent is to keep sandy beaches open to =20
the public and, in most places, vehicles.

Beyond that, the state leaves it to each community or county to set =20
dune protection rules. Some, like Surfside, have decided against =20
stronger setbacks. Others, like Galveston, have required setbacks =20
that can be as limited as 25 feet beyond what the state requires. =20
Nueces County is on the other end of the spectrum, mandating a =20
setback of 350 feet from the vegetation line.

Until recently, there hasn't been much emphasis on curtailing =20
development around erosion in most coastal communities, said Eddie =20
Fisher, director of coastal protection for the Texas General Land =20
Office. He believes that's because the state's coastal erosion =20
program isn't even 10 years old and, historically, most of the Texas =20
coast wasn't being targeted for big-dollar development.

"Until the state program came into being, people weren't really aware =20=

of how bad erosion was," Fisher said. "Until you a build house or =20
some other permanent structure on the beach, you don't really notice =20
it."

James Gibeaut, a coastal geologist at the Harte Research Institute in =20=

Corpus Christi, is heading up efforts to increase attention on =20
coastal erosion and sea level rise.

"We've got big problems and we really need to take hold of this and =20
start planning the future better," he said.

Gibeaut is trying to map the effects sea level rise and erosion will =20
have on coastal communities in 60 years.

He's already produced his first map for Galveston Island, the site of =20=

the devastating 1900 hurricane that killed at least 6,000 people. The =20=

island now sports its famous seawall. Erosion is so severe that in =20
places the sea laps up against concrete embankments and stone riprap.

Gibeaut's results show the sea invading at least to Galveston's main =20
highway and into residential areas in 60 years. The problem, =20
according to Gibeaut's work, will be particularly bad on the =20
fashionable western end of the island where thousands more homes and =20
condo units are planned.

Standing on the balcony of a vacation rental in the popular Galveston =20=

Island community of Bermuda Beach, Ralph LeGrande contemplates the =20
thought of future erosion. On this afternoon, there is nothing but a =20
few yards of flat sand between the homes that line Bermuda Beach and =20
the surf. There are no dunes or vegetation.

LeGrande, a Houston native, has been coming here for 30 years and has =20=

seen the sea steadily work its way in. He believes it's just a matter =20=

of time before it claims the home he's enjoying for a week and makes =20
the one behind it beachfront property.

To make his point, LeGrande motions a mile or so down the beach where =20=

the remnants of a home, nothing more but pilings and a few beams, can =20=

be seen about 30 yards into the surf. For a nearer example, he points =20=

to a blue garbage can sitting beside the house he's renting, much =20
closer to the front than the back.

"It floated there this weekend," he said, describing how the waves =20
ran under the home. "I watched it."

Resisting change

Gibeaut expects to start developing maps for North Padre and Mustang =20
Island next. But even Gibeaut, who is issuing a call to arms against =20
erosion in Texas, isn't taking global warming into account.

His forecasts are based on historic rates =97 not projected rates that =20=

include global warming. It's not that he doesn't believe in the =20
IPCC's science; in fact, like many, he called the projections =20
conservative. This means he's acknowledging the erosion will be even =20
worse than he's predicting.

So why ignore global warming?

"The answer is strictly practical," he said. "We already have a =20
really high sea level rise rate, and I just think we can get more =20
traction than if we ask people to put their faith in what they view =20
as a big political mess."

Despite this attempt to avoid politics, Gibeaut's first hazard map =20
failed in the political realm. Galveston Island city officials =20
decided earlier this year against using the map as a guide for =20
development.

Smith-Engle, the university administrator who helped institute the =20
most stringent dune-protection rules in the state in Nueces County, =20
has fought similar battles on Mustang Island and Padre Island time =20
and time again. She said she's never surprised when there's =20
resistance to rules that might curtail development, no matter how =20
well-founded they are in science.

"You have to keep in mind how much money has been invested out here," =20=

she said. "But I don't think the development community appreciates =20
sea level rise enough and I think the scientific community has done a =20=

poor job of localizing the information."=20=