California Sea Grant College Program

Ongoing research by Ashford and Driscoll suggests that erosion of the sea cliffs is an important source of sand to the beaches (50%) in the Oceanside Littoral Cell. This hypothesis is in marked contrast to the established paradigm that rivers supply the majority of sand (up to 85%) to the beaches in the Oceanside Littoral Cell and the cliffs are an unimportant source of sand.