Imagine the year 2050. Coastal cities are retreating. Iconic beaches like Waikiki, once teeming with people, have become distant memories, swallowed by rising tides. Homes, highways, and infrastructure have crumbled into the sea as the relentless forces of climate change and sea level rise reshape our coasts, bringing economic hardships along too. This could be our reality—unless we act now.
It’s only 2024, but in places like the Maldives, or even Louisiana, families are already being forced to abandon their homes as the sea encroaches on their communities. Recently, Oahu’s North Shore—particularly in areas like Rocky Point, Sunset Beach, and Mokulē‘ia—has experienced rapid shoreline retreat, with several homes already collapsing into the ocean. Coastal erosion threatens the very landscapes that make Hawaii iconic.
Coastal erosion occurs when coastlines are gradually worn away by natural forces, leading to the loss of beaches and critical infrastructure. Rising sea levels, strong coastal currents, human activities such as construction, and severe weather events like storms and high tides all contribute to this process.
Climate change has exacerbated these factors, with warmer global temperatures accelerating glacial melt, which in turn contributes to rising sea levels and intensifies storms. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the 10 warmest years on record have all occurred in the past decade.
The Climate Resilience Collaborative’s 2022 Annual Report notes that 13 miles of Hawaii’s beaches have already disappeared, and 70% of beaches on Oahu, Kauai, and Maui are experiencing chronic erosion. Projections suggest that sea levels could rise by 10 inches by 2050 and by up to 2 feet by 2100, further intensifying the coastal erosion crisis.
Monitoring: The First Step in Coastal Protection
Traditional Monitoring of the Coastline
In centuries past, hardening the shorelines would have been the kneejerk solution: walls and other structures to break waves and armor infrastructure, at the cost losing the beach. But now, we realize that a critical first step in facing coastal erosion is to monitor beaches over time to gather data. Continuous monitoring provides engineers and environmental experts with insights into the specific threats each beach faces, enabling tailored solutions for protecting coastlines and habitats.
Beach monitoring informs engineers about patterns vs. anomalies in unique coastal areas. Through long-term data collection on the ebb and flow of tides, sand displacement, and shoreline retreats, it becomes possible to predict sand movement trends in a particular area and pinpoint vulnerabilities that may not be immediately visible. This is essential for designing site-specific interventions such as beach nourishment or natural barrier restoration. With comprehensive and real-time data, communities can respond proactively, rather than reactively, to coastal threats.
Oceanit’s iBeach
Oceanit’s iBeach is a state-of-the-art tool designed to continuously monitor beach health and process valuable data to inform coastal preservation strategies. iBeach, an AI-powered system, ingests footage from IoT-connected high-resolution cameras installed at strategic points along coastlines. These cameras capture real-time data over days, months, and years, which is then uploaded to the cloud. The images are analyzed by proprietary AI software to detect shoreline changes, seasonal impacts, sea level rise, and extreme weather events.
iBeach Monitoring Beaches
Unlike traditional survey methods, which require intermittent in-person surveying and can miss critical environmental changes, iBeach offers continuous, automated data collection and processing at a fraction of the cost. This enables progressive monitoring, which is essential for understanding and addressing the dynamic nature of coastal erosion. iBeach significantly reduces costs associated with traditional beach surveying and profiling, surpassing previous methods in the coverage area, labor, equipment costs, and reliability.
The data gathered from iBeach is used to create models of beach behavior, tidal and sand migration patterns, and more, providing stakeholders with real-time insights into coastal erosion, infrastructure vulnerability, and environmental changes. Currently deployed at six locations across Hawaii, including Maui, Kauai, and Oahu, iBeach offers a cost-effective, scalable solution to a growing global problem.
As sea levels continue to rise and beaches erode at alarming rates, it is crucial to act now. With iBeach, Oceanit is offering a forward-thinking solution that can help safeguard our coastlines for the future. By leveraging advanced monitoring technology, we can better understand the threats facing our beaches and take meaningful steps to protect them. Together, we can ensure that Hawaii’s coastlines remain vibrant, accessible, and resilient in the face of climate change.
