Hawaii beaches starving for sand by Zuzana Zelenakova

One of the most significant features of Hawaii is threatened, its beaches. Locals notice that white sandy beaches which are the reason for vast majority of tourists to come to the islands are gradually disappearing. And it is happening not only with several beaches but all over the islands. Geologists expect the present condition to deteriorate further in years to follow and that is due to global warming that makes sea levels rise more and more rapidly. "It will probably have occurred to a scale that we will have only been able to save a few places and maintain beaches, and the rest are kind of a write-off," said coastal geologist Dolan Eversole. According to the experts a! bout 70 percent of Kauai beaches are eroding, when it comes to Oahu, the most populous of Hawaii islands, about 25 percent of its beaches have been lost or has shrank significantly over the last century. The global warming is not the only reason for this development. The losses occurred in places where beaches lacked sand in front of various shoreline structures and seawalls constructed to protect buildings and coast in general. Seawalls prevent the coastal lands from eroding but at the same time redirect the erosion to the beaches. The loss of shoreline would affect Hawaii on many levels. The tourism is the main source of income for the islands. The annual tourism revenue is about $11.4 billion. Also the coastal marine ecosystem would suffer as a result. Sandy beaches are important to many plants and animals, for example the green sea turtle that lays eggs there. In addition, sandy beaches are a part of Hawaii´s heritage and are deeply rooted in its culture. They are ! the place of relaxation, enjoyment and the source of higher en! ergy for Hawaii´s people.

related story (sgx15913): http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091115/ap_on_re_us/us_shrinking...

by Zuzana Zelenakova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.