Sophomore Carlos Matias carefully sits down on a thick sea wall behind his condo just north of Lantana beach.Strong ocean winds whip around the small 15-by-15 back porch as waves lap along the cracked white wall where the beach has disappeared (above).
Matias is seeking his degree at Florida Atlantic University through the Environmental Sciences certificate program. "My passion is in environmental health. It's a hands on issue, and the program here at FAU allows students to research and explore environmental topics through a broadly-based interdisciplinary program."
Matias walks barefoot through the sinking grass to his concrete patio, where roommate Kristine McKean looks at old photos of the Imperial House.
Leafing through the tattered brown album McKean says, "my grandfather and grandmother purchased this condo in the 1960s. I love living on the beach, but the state and county need to agree on a permanent solution to this erosion. It's a serious matter that has plagued this area for years."
Such solutions are what Matias wants to per sue after graduation. "I basically want to mediate the fight between Mother Nature and human life.Whether its erosion or pollution, I would enjoy a career that addresses these problems," says Matias.
Along Lantana Beach, the ocean has almost swallowed all of a dune system that Palm Beach County constructed to shield the condos from the pounding surf. In June, 6,750 cubic yards of sand was placed from the south end of the Lantana municipal beach to the Horizon East condo near the northern limit of South Palm Beach. Now, 96 to 97 percent of the project had been washed out.
"When working with or in a marine environment your work conditions and tasks vary from working in the marine environment itself, gathering information and or specimens to working in a laboratory studying microorganisms under a microscope. In this profession, it is not uncommon to spend weeks aboard are search vessel working around the clock," Matias explains.
"It's a broad line of work. Close friends of mine that have already graduated have found successful careers in environmental conservation, fisheries protection, water management and environmental consultancies," says Matias.
Becoming a marine biologist doesn't happen overnight. "It takes years of hard studying, a soul for the job and dedication," advises Matias.
And as for the fractured sea wall, Matias point out, "For the time-being, the county has decided to ask the state Department of Environmental Protection for permission to rebuild the dune system this winter."
Beach erosion is an endless battle between humans and Mother Nature. As humans we create our environment and expect it to be as is— forever. But this is not so and we need to realize it. The truth is erosion will torment us for as long as human kind roams this planet and we will eventually have to accept it.
Our beaches are constantly eroding every day, slowly and steadily. Sometimes even right before our eyes. People panic and expect some sort of solution to fix or prevent the matter. The fact of the matter is there is no real permanent solution to stop or fix this. A sea wall can be put up; sand can be pumped from out of state to replace a beach that was once there; jetties and rocks can be placed to divert current and water flow in an area to help slow the erosion process, but all in all it is something that we just need to deal with and most of all-understand. In my opinion, we are in the hands of Mother Nature and we need to play her game not ours.
"It's extremely unfortunate. The sea wall here at the Imperial House has sustained such major damage during recent storms that it just gave in," Matias explains. "And as a result of the collapsing wall, my backyard itself has sunken three feet. It can be scary at times."
Matias is seeking his degree at Florida Atlantic University through the Environmental Sciences certificate program. "My passion is in environmental health. It's a hands on issue, and the program here at FAU allows students to research and explore environmental topics through a broadly-based interdisciplinary program."
Matias walks barefoot through the sinking grass to his concrete patio, where roommate Kristine McKean looks at old photos of the Imperial House.
Leafing through the tattered brown album McKean says, "my grandfather and grandmother purchased this condo in the 1960s. I love living on the beach, but the state and county need to agree on a permanent solution to this erosion. It's a serious matter that has plagued this area for years."
Such solutions are what Matias wants to per sue after graduation. "I basically want to mediate the fight between Mother Nature and human life.Whether its erosion or pollution, I would enjoy a career that addresses these problems," says Matias.
Along Lantana Beach, the ocean has almost swallowed all of a dune system that Palm Beach County constructed to shield the condos from the pounding surf. In June, 6,750 cubic yards of sand was placed from the south end of the Lantana municipal beach to the Horizon East condo near the northern limit of South Palm Beach. Now, 96 to 97 percent of the project had been washed out.
"When working with or in a marine environment your work conditions and tasks vary from working in the marine environment itself, gathering information and or specimens to working in a laboratory studying microorganisms under a microscope. In this profession, it is not uncommon to spend weeks aboard are search vessel working around the clock," Matias explains.
"It's a broad line of work. Close friends of mine that have already graduated have found successful careers in environmental conservation, fisheries protection, water management and environmental consultancies," says Matias.
Becoming a marine biologist doesn't happen overnight. "It takes years of hard studying, a soul for the job and dedication," advises Matias.
And as for the fractured sea wall, Matias point out, "For the time-being, the county has decided to ask the state Department of Environmental Protection for permission to rebuild the dune system this winter."
Beach erosion is an endless battle between humans and Mother Nature. As humans we create our environment and expect it to be as is— forever. But this is not so and we need to realize it. The truth is erosion will torment us for as long as human kind roams this planet and we will eventually have to accept it.
Our beaches are constantly eroding every day, slowly and steadily. Sometimes even right before our eyes. People panic and expect some sort of solution to fix or prevent the matter. The fact of the matter is there is no real permanent solution to stop or fix this. A sea wall can be put up; sand can be pumped from out of state to replace a beach that was once there; jetties and rocks can be placed to divert current and water flow in an area to help slow the erosion process, but all in all it is something that we just need to deal with and most of all-understand. In my opinion, we are in the hands of Mother Nature and we need to play her game not ours.
1 comment:
It's always silly to me, not that it was a feature in this article, when tornadoes or hurricanes hit and people stretch their arms to the heavens calling out, "Why God! Why??"
Hurricanes were coming off the tip of Africa long, long before we built condos right in front of them. Bible belt tornadoes are no different. It's like putting your arm on a train track and then pining over the loss of your limb.
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