The Earth Around Us by Jill Schneiderman

Author:Jill Schneiderman [Schneiderman, Jill]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780367096748
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Published: 2019-06-13T00:00:00+00:00

Lotus Bay is located on the southeastern shore of Lake Erie south of Buffalo, New York. The arrows indicate net longshore sand transport directions.

Mile-long Lotus Bay contains a sand and pebble beach and a 15- to 20-foot bluff composed of thin-bedded shales of Devonian age (360-410 million years). Like most Lake Erie beaches, the sediment largely comes from material eroded from the rocky parts of the lake shore and glacial deposits common throughout the area. It also comes from erosion of the bluff itself, which provides the pebbles found on the beach. Cattaraugus Creek, which enters Lake Erie just west of Lotus Bay, also carries sediment to the beaches. Because of the coincident alignment of Lake Erie and the prevailing winds, sediment travels from southwest to northeast along the southeastern shore of the lake.

Exposed to the prevailing westerly winds, Lotus Bay often experiences the large waves and storm surge I've described. Despite its exposed location, Lotus Bay has one of the lowest bluff recession rates along the Lake Erie shore—less than one foot per year—because the beaches absorb much of the wave energy and the bluff shale effectively resists erosion.9 Fluctuating lake levels, however, affect the width of the Lotus Bay beaches and allow waves to break on the base of bluffs during fall and winter storms. Locals refer to these events as "bank busters," and much of the damage to engineered structures takes place when they occur. Also relevant is the fact that since 1997 lake levels have been above average, and Lotus Bay has lost significant amounts of sand. This loss has further narrowed Lotus Bay beaches and waves now break on the base of bluffs during even minor storms. Newly exposed, previously buried structures— abandoned beach wells and stairs that end above the height of the beach— stand as reminders of the extensive deposition and erosion that have taken place here.

Residents of Lotus Bay have battled Lake Erie for decades. Property owners living there year-round have pursued projects designed to provide them with beach access, water supplies, shoreline protection, or lake entry. However, because these people have consistently underestimated the power of waves and ice as well as the rate of erosion, the structures they have created have not endured. A casual stroll along the bay's shore provides the walker with a view of remnants of failed projects including stairs, boat ramps, docks, beach wells, pump houses, and concrete and boulder walls. The life span of some of these projects has been less than one season, whereas other projects have taken a decade or more to fail. In the end, most projects have succumbed to the power of the waves and winter ice, and the beach is strewn with concrete rubble and scrap steel—a record of human folly.

Most of the houses in Lotus Bay are set back more than 100 feet from the bluff, so present residents are not concerned about the loss of their homes. However, the same bluff that protects their properties also limits access to the beach below.

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