Kiki Patsch & Lauret Savoy 
Living with the Changing California Coast 

Crowded into the beautiful, narrow strip at the edge of the ocean, the large number of people who live near California’s dynamic coastline often have little awareness of the hazards—waves, tides, wind, storms, rain, and runoff—that erode and impact the coast and claim property on a regular basis. This up-to-date, authoritative, and easy-to-use book, a geological profile of the California coast from Mexico to the Oregon border, describes the landforms and processes that shape the coastline and beaches, documents how erosion has affected development, and discusses the options that are available for dealing with coastal hazards and geologic instability.


A completely revised and updated edition of
Living with the California Coast (1985), this book features hundreds of new photographs and the latest data on human activity on the coast, on climate change, on rising seas levels, and on coastal erosion and protection. With its dramatic photographs and mile-by-mile maps,
Living with the Changing California Coast will be an essential resource for those intending to buy or build along the coast, those who need specific information about various coastal regions, and those who are seeking information about how this remarkable coastline has evolved.


*279 photographs portray natural coastal features and processes and illustrate many instances of what can happen to buildings on the coast
*81 maps, covering the entire coast, detail types of coastal landforms, coastline erosion rates, locations of seawalls or armor, and other specific areas of interest
*Offers specific advice for homebuyers, residents, and developers on which areas to avoid, on what safety measures should be taken, and on what danger signals should be heeded

Table of Content

1. INTRODUCTION-A Perspective on the coast of California- Gary Griggs, Kiki Patsch, Lauret Savoy


2. THE EVOLUTION OF THE CALIFORNIA COAST – Gary Griggs, Kiki Patsch, Lauret Savoy


3. WEATHER, CLIMATE CHANGE, SEA LEVEL AND THE COASTLINE – Gary Griggs, Kiki Patsch, Lauret Savoy


4. UNDERSTANDING THE SHORELINE – Gary Griggs, Kiki Patsch, Lauret Savoy


5. THE EROSION OF THE COASTLINE- Gary Griggs, Kiki Patsch, Lauret Savoy



6. BUILDING OR BUYING ON THE COAST – Gary Griggs, Kiki Patsch, Lauret Savoy



7. RESPONDING TO COASTAL HAZARDS- Gary Griggs, Kiki Patsch, Lauret Savoy



8. CALIFORNIA’S COASTAL HAZARDS: THEORY AND PRACTICE

Charles Lester


9. THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST: THE OREGON BORDER TO CAPE MENDOCINO

Lauret Savoy, Gary Griggs, and Derek Rust


10. POINT DELGADA TO POINT ARENA

Dorothy Merritts, Lauret Savoy, Gary Griggs and Robert Walker


11. POINT ARENA TO SAN FRANCISCO

Lauret Savoy, Dorothy Merritts, Karen Grove and Robert Walker


12. THE SAN FRANCISCO COASTLINE

Gary Griggs, Kim Fulton and Lauret Savoy



13. SAN FRANCISCO TO ANO NUEVO

Jerry Weber, Gary Griggs, Ken La Joie and Scott Mathieson


14. ANO NUEVO TO THE MONTEREY PENINSULA

Gary Griggs and Kiki Patsch


15. THE MONTEREY PENINSULA TO MORRO BAY

Cheryl Hapke


16. MORRO BAY TO POINT CONCEPTION

Antony Orme


17. POINT CONCEPTION TO RINCON POINT

Robert Norris and Kiki Patsch


18. RINCON POINT TO SANTA MONICA

Antony Orme


19. THE COAST OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: SANTA MONICA TO DANA POINT

Douglas Sherman and Bernard Pipkin


20. DANA POINT TO THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER.

Reinhard Flick


APPENDIX A: References

APPENDIX B: Geologic Time Line

About the author

Gary Griggs is Professor of Earth Sciences and Director of the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is coauthor, with John A. Gilchrist, of Geologic Hazards: Resources and Land Use Planning (1983) and The Earth and Land Use Planning (1977). Kiki Patsch is Post-Graduate Researcher in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of California at Santa Cruz. Lauret Savoy is Professor of Geology and Environmental Studies at Mount Holyoke College.