Long Beach

A powerful El Nino event in the Pacific Ocean is threatening California's coastline, with beaches eroding as stronger storms and higher waves batter the shore. The phenomenon, which warms Pacific waters and alters weather patterns, raises concerns about coastal flooding, property damage and long-term loss of sand along California's popular beaches.

Reporting by Inside Climate News describes a 'sand debt' in Malibu, arguing that a century of development and shoreline intervention has left the California coastal community facing a reckoning over sand loss along its beaches. The story frames the erosion problem as an accumulated environmental liability now coming due as rising seas and storms intensify pressure on the coastline.

The shoreline in Imperial Beach, California, has been closed because of sewage contamination in coastal waters. Officials ordered the closure after wastewater pollution made the water unsafe for swimmers and beachgoers. Sewage-driven beach closures have become a recurring problem along this stretch of the US-Mexico border coast, and the closure affects local residents, surfers and businesses that depend on beach access.