To Our Readers

Bulkhead proponents claim that seawalls do not harm the recreational beach. This viewpoint is based on an underlying assumption that such structures do not regularly come in contact with the ocean. Supporters claim that only periodic storm events would bring the ocean in contact with the armored shoreline and, therefore, no long term problems will occur. This argument rests upon the larger fundamental assumption that sea level will remain essentially constant for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, this assumption is terribly incorrect. In fact, sea level is currently entering a period of undisputed and accelerated rise. And if the ocean is getting bigger, its not too hard to figure out where its going to end up on a regular basis. Nonetheless, bulkhead advocates malign public concern and allege that the community is simply hysterical and "not being led by the facts". Well, lets review the facts: A climate impact assessment workshop held this month at Columbia University's Earth Institute (sponsored by the United States Office of Science and Technology Policy) concluded that global warming is occurring, and that the New York Metropolitan Region will see higher flooding of low-lying coastal areas and increased erosion over the next 20 to 30 years. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded in late 1997 that "sea level is expected to rise 15-95 centimeters by the year 2100 causing flooding and other damage. Physical infrastructure will be damaged, particularly by sea level rise and extreme events may increase in frequency and intensity in some regions." In other words, the ocean is getting closer and its furry may be felt more often. The 1996 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) , State of the Climate Report , finds that "global sea level has risen about 5 to 10 inches over the past 100 years". According to the report, "best estimate models project an increase in sea level of about 20 inches from the present to the year 2100." Technical research recently concluded by Johan Varekamp at Wesleyan University, analyzed marsh sediments on the Atlantic seashore and concluded that "the rate of sea level rise has increased ... with a strong acceleration at the end of the 19th century". The New York Harbor tide gauge indicates a relative rise in sea level of approximately 1 vertical foot between 1856 and 1986. In a 1997 Generic Environmental Impact Statement for the Village of Quogue, coastal geologist, Dr. Steven P. Leatherman, (author of 12 books on coastal processes and 130 technical documents, including a "Geomorphic Analysis of the South Shore of Long Island") concludes categorically that "the impact of bulkheads on beaches in long term and incremental... directly leading to diminishment of beaches, placement loss, passive and active erosion." Similarly in 1988, Dr. Orin Pilkey, Director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Duke University, (author of more than 150 technical papers on coastal processes) concluded in the article Seawalls Verses Bulkheads (Journal of Coastal Research) that sea walls can degrade beaches in three ways (1) passive erosion due to tendencies which existed before the wall was in place, (2) active erosion due to the interaction of the wall with local coastal processes, and (3) construction of walls in the intertidal zone. In sum, the scientific evidence about the long term effects of a rising ocean is undeniable, and objectively substantiated. Ironically, those who sell and promote the armoring of Southampton's shorelines still rail defiantly against the public as the ones who are uninformed. Consultants can certainly make a lot of hollow promises, but the promotion of any shoreline stabilization method that dismisses the critical issue of sea level rise, is extremely inadequate and deceptive for both the public and the property owner. This editorial appeared in The Southampton Press on April 2, 1998. On Tuesday, April 28th, the Southampton Town Board passed a six-month moratorium on the construction of new bulkheads and other coastal barriers. This will give the town an opportunity to gather vital data about the shoreline before it allows anymore coastal seawalls to be constructed.