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John R. Gillis writes in the NYT that to those of us who visit beaches only in summer, beaches seem as permanent a part of our natural heritage as the Rocky Mountains but shore dwellers know that beaches are the most transitory of landscapes, and sand beaches the most vulnerable of all. Today, 75 to 90 percent of the world’s natural sand beaches are disappearing, due partly to rising sea levels and increased storm action, but also to massive erosion caused by the human development of shores. The extent of this global crisis is obscured because so-called beach nourishment projects attempt to hold sand in place(PDF) and repair the damage by the time summer people return, creating the illusion of an eternal shore. But the market for mined sand in the US has become a billion-dollar annual business, growing at 10 percent a year since 2008. Interior mining operations use huge machines working in open pits to dig down under the earth’s surface to get sand left behind by ancient glaciers.
One might think that desert sand would be a ready substitute, but its grains are finer and smoother; they don’t adhere to rougher sand grains, and tend to blow away. As a result, the desert state of Saudi Arabia brings sand for sandblasting all the way from Australia. Huge sand mining operations are emerging worldwide, many of them illegal, happening out of sight and out of mind, as far as the developed world is concerned. "We need to stop taking sand for granted and think of it as an endangered natural resource," concludes Gillis. "Beach replenishment — the mining and trucking and dredging of sand to meet tourist expectations — must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, with environmental considerations taking top priority. Only this will ensure that the story of the earth will still have subsequent chapters told in grains of sand."
(Score: 3, Funny) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Friday November 07 2014, @02:56PM
We are all guilty of posting without reading the article from time to time. But it would appear you haven't even read the summary:
One might think that desert sand would be a ready substitute, but its grains are finer and smoother; they don’t adhere to rougher sand grains, and tend to blow away.
What's next, people sharing their opinions before even reading the title?
(Score: 4, Funny) by Gaaark on Friday November 07 2014, @03:43PM
I think kittens SHOULD be used for juggling.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 07 2014, @07:25PM
Wrong moderation! This is not off topic but a perfectly valid and teary-eyedly funny reply to GP!
Well done Sir!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 07 2014, @04:04PM
Wait, you want to impose conditions on the people posting here? Yeah sure, you may say it's just reading the title. Surely reading the title is not that hard, is it?
But you are on a very slippery slope here. Look, today it's reading the title, tomorrow it's reading the summary, and at some time you must prove that you've read the complete bible before you are allowed to post. Then you'll have to prove that you've attended church, and ultimately it will end up that you only can post your opinion if the pope blessed it.
So you see, it may look like a harmless condition, but it is really the beginning of oppression of opinions! Therefore fight this oppression! Post without reading even the title! Maybe don't even read the comments you reply to! It's the only way to protect freedom of speech!!!!1111eleven
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Friday November 07 2014, @06:38PM
What are you talking about? I have plenty of stamps.