March 7, 2016

Temperature: 50 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: SW. Tide Level: 1.7 feet.

Number of people: 3. Number of dogs: 2. Walking or running: 3. Very few people, no people in noisy machines in the air. Two dogs on beach (one with me), both off lead, both under good control.

Lots of worm tubes.

Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Styrofoam, Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.).

Newly exposed roots/trees falling. Landslides/major boulder falls

No action to take. I don't know what the actual tide level was, low tide at the HMSC dock in South Beach was supposed to be at 5:14 p.m., and -.6'. I estimated based on that time and number. The tide was going out and was already fairly low. I took the largest piece of styrofoam back to the parking lot's trash bin. Photo below of typical driftline contents; there were multiple driftlines going up the beach. There's usually been a long stretch of driftlogs on this beach, from a bit north of the Alpine Chalets to past the AC beach access to where beach bluff height increases significantly (more resistant strata probably). Last year, the number of drift logs seemed noticeably less, this year there are more. It looked as though the ocean/waves have begun to transport sand back onshore, starting at the north end of the mile. On the south 1/3-1/2 mile of Mile 224, there was still an unusual amount of rock exposed at the base of the bluffs. Much of the slide on the north side of the culvert has been transported away, but it looked as though there had been an additional slide on the south side, but farther up the bluff (unless I somehow didn't notice it on my last mile walk). The culvert's channel continues to be cluttered with dead trees, large clumps of soil/slide debris, near its mouth where it exits from the tunnel under 101, while 30' west, the large volume of water (due to rain) and probably high tides have scoured the beach and culvert flow/stream channel down to bedrock. Heavier sand-sized particles of garnet, amphibolites, etc. (black minerals) very noticeable in the beach sand today. Further south, the tall bluff w/clearly visible strata exhibited smaller slides or erosion of lighter strata partway up the bluff (see photo).