Is Sea Level Rising in Santa Monica Bay?

This article is to document the extent of sea level rise on coastal flooding in an area near where I live and work, in Santa Monica Bay in Southern California, USA. The photos below are mine, taken on Thursday May 19th, 2011 in the late afternoon. The occasion was a combination of some fairly large waves, or ocean swells, with the high tide. There was no flooding of property from this event, as is evident in the photos. If the global warming alarmists are correct, this area of coast should be flooded regularly in the coming decade or two, certainly by 2050 when, they predict, sea levels will rise by a foot or more. It is my hope that someone, somewhere, will also have photos or videos of the present and can contrast these photos with the sea levels at that time.

The high tide of 6.2 feet occurred the night before these photos were taken, on Wednesday May 18th, 2011 at 10:35 p.m. Another, smaller, high tide of 3.6 feet occurred just before these photos were taken, at 12:28 p.m. The large swells were from the south, and were predicted to be 7 to 9 feet and occurring approximately 15 to 16 seconds apart. My observations showed the waves were quite a bit smaller than predicted. My estimate is approximately 5 to 6 feet swells. They were almost exactly 15 seconds apart.

This part of the coast is directly south of Marina del Rey's channel, and the mouth of Ballona Creek. There are many homes and condos built right on the beach, approximately 400 feet from the water. This is Dockweiler Beach, a public beach, with a well-used concrete sidewalk for pedestrians and bicyclists.

The first photo, Figure 1 below, shows the aftermath of debris and wet sand from the high tide and waves. The concrete sidewalk is approximately 15 feet wide. The bay is to the right, approximately 100 feet from the sidewalk. The water barely made it to the far side of the sidewalk.

Figure 1

View of Dockweiler Beach, bike path, 5-19-2011 looking South

(click on image for a larger view)

Next, the photo in Figure 2 shows another incursion of the water, and the debris carried by that water right up to the sidewalk. This view is just a few feet north of Figure 1. Note the tire track to the left of the photo.

Figure 2

View of Dockweiler Beach, bike path, 5-19-2011 looking North

Next, here in Figure 3 is shown the same image as in Figure 2, but looking just a bit to the left (or west) to show the distance to the bay. The tire track in the right of the photo is the same as that shown in Figure 2. The wave breaking in the left center (white foam) is approximately 4 feet high. There are four people taking some sun in the center-left of the photo. The buildings on the horizon (center right) are the two-story lifeguard headquarters and one-story public restrooms.

Figure 3

View of Dockweiler Beach, 5-19-2011 looking North

Next, in Figure 4 is the same water debris incursion, looking to the east and showing the many homes located at beach level. There are also many homes on the hill in the background. The unidentified person walking by provides some perspective and scale.

Figure 4

View of Dockweiler Beach, bike path, 5-19-2011 looking East

Finally, in Figure 5, is shown another area of water incursion along and just past the bike path. This is just a few feet to the north of the previous photos. Many more beach-front homes are shown to the right. Also shown to the right are several volleyball nets. Beach volleyball is a popular pastime in Southern California, both as a participatory and people-watching event.

Figure 5

View of Dockweiler Beach, bike path, 5-19-2011 looking North

It can be seen that the homes depicted above will be flooded if the sea levels rise as much as is predicted by the global warming alarmists. There are other homes and structures along the California coast that are in much more danger than these. These homes sit well back from the water. The expanse of sand acts as a sponge to absorb the water from the waves. However, if the sea levels rise two or three feet, these homes will likely be flooded regularly.

Of course, the satellite data shows the seas are not rising, in fact, the Pacific Ocean's level is dropping as I described in an earlier post. These homes are quite safe. CO2 has nothing to do with any changes in climate. If CO2 caused any type of global warming, the sea levels would indeed be increasing, and all the oceans would rise. Clearly, the Pacific Ocean did not get the word that it is supposed to be rising.

Roger E. Sowell, Esq.

Marina del Rey, California