Beach Errosion on Long Island

Now that I am older, I cannot imagine living without the indescribable beauty of our Long Island beaches. Its not just spending the day in the hot sun anymore. The beach to me is driving over to Robert Moses Field Five and watching the sunset from the lighthouse. There is nothing like the sun going down over the Great South Bay from a place so familiar to me, I can call it my home. Never could I imagine losing something so special to me. These picturesque beaches are what make Long Island so extraordinary, and if we all don’t play our part in preserving them, they will slowly but surly erode away.

What is causing Long Island’s beaches to disappear? There are several m

ain factors to look into. Despite all of the efforts taking place to save our beaches, erosion is a relentless threat.

Environmental issues such as these are irreversible, and unfortunately there isn’t much we can do about them. Yet, even the nastiest storms cannot equal the damage humans make to our precious beaches. On the south shore there have been many man-mad inlets and jetties built to navigate boats and protect some of the favorite stretches of beach. In turn, this has destroyed the important east-to-west flow of sand. This sand movement is a natural occurrence that blows 100,000 to 600,000 cubic yards of sand westward every year. Its almost like a river of sand flowing from Montauk to the west end. This flow should greatly benefit Long Island, but when it is interrupted by humans, it causes the worst erosion that our Island will see. The best example of this is in Westhampton on Dune Road. Erosion from man-made construction there has had devastating effects.

It is very distressing to know what the outcome of Long Island may be in one hundred years from now. What will be left of my home in years to come? Will there be anything left for my grandchildren or great-grandchildren? Only the future will tell. For now I have to just be conscious of what I can do to make a difference. I want to be able to enjoy Robert Moses and Jones Beach and all the o

Some topics in this essay:
Island Islanders, South Bay, Road Erosion, Erosion Island, Adelphi University, Jones Beach, Field Five, Earth Science, “third fork”, Robert Moses, coast montauk, robert moses, sand dunes, island beaches, sea level, erosion island,