California's coveted coastal cliffs eroding in atmospheric rivers

[February 29, 2024]  By Jorge Garcia

SAN CLEMENTE, California (Reuters) - The views of the Pacific Ocean from Alan Ashavi's cliff-top property are breathtaking, but underneath lurks a danger to the dream home he has been building for the last 12 years.

When the first round of atmospheric rivers battered the California coastline last year, several of his neighbors' backyards collapsed, but Ashavi was spared.

The 66-year-old was not so lucky earlier this month, when another atmospheric river caused a landslide underneath his property.

“Well it is nerve-wracking because you deal with it on a daily basis and you come in here and check every day or every hour sometimes," Ashavi told Reuters.

"I know this is a El Nino year as far as the rain, so I've had it in the back of my mind about being involved with the construction."

On Feb. 5, a storm pounded the state with heavy rainfall and hurricane-force winds, initially knocking out power to more than a million customers. It was the second so-called Pineapple Express weather system, or atmospheric river, to hit the most populous U.S. state in a week.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in eight counties with a combined population of more than 20 million people, and flash flood warnings were issued for parts of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

While such storms are not uncommon to the West Coast, meteorologists say they are likely to become more extreme over the next century if planetary warming from fossil fuel-driven climate change continues at current rates.

HOMES ON VERGE OF COLLAPSE

Along the Southern California coast, a swimming pool teeters on the edge of an eroded cliff, and several patios have fallen down to the sea, leaving luxury homes on the verge of collapse. Whole cliffsides are covered in tarps and hillside stairways to the beach have been compromised.

A backyard pool is left hanging on a cliffside after torrential rain brought havoc on the beachfront town of San Clemente, California, U.S. March 16, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

Kathleen Treseder, a climate change professor at the University of California at Irvine, has some startling news for the Golden State: Experts predict a 100-yard (91 meters) destruction of sea cliffs going inward and any resident or business within that distance should be concerned.

With her hand, Treseder easily scrapes away cliffside dirt and rocks, a sign of the vulnerability of the iconic California landscape.

"We have these atmospheric rivers coming off the oceans, drops the rain here on these hills and then the hills start eroding as well," Treseder said. "And so not only do we have this erosion right here from the waves, but we also have erosion up inland caused by the rainfall."

Over the years, California has built a lot of infrastructure along its coast, and plowed monetary investment into the idyllic and much sought-after real estate.

There is a nuclear power plant right on the coast in San Onofre that is vulnerable to erosion and sea rise. The train line along the coast has been closed when landslides cover the tracks.

And Treseder cannot sugarcoat what is in store for the owners of some of the most coveted homes in the area.

"We have many, many multi-million dollar homes all along this coast that will be falling into the ocean," she said.

San Clemente coastal resident Susan Pope, 69, walked along the beach with her husband and lamented the toll on her community.

"It's just so sad to see the destruction that is happening, and I hope the future planning is better for that," Pope said.

(Editing by Mary Milliken and Aurora Ellis)

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