
Photostory by Graeme Jackson | Photo Editor
Erosion in IV
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Parts of Isla Vista’s bluffs have been reinforced after concerns of the rapid erosion taking place along the coast.

Large areas of real estate have been abandoned and houses have been scaled back away from the edges of cliffs as as a result of these weathering processes.

According to Santa Barbara County, the bluffs in Isla Vista retreat an estimated six inches each year, but that a retreat of five feet at any given time is possible with increasingly frequent winter storms.

The Sedimentary rock many houses reside on are especially susceptible to weathering processes. Rainfall, wave erosion and groundwater seeps have steadily crumbled the sedimentary rock that supports the properties.

The dissipation of wave energy allows material carried by longshore currents to be deposited behind the sea breakers.