The Aporia · Northern California’s picturesque coastline vanishing at a truly startling rate: study

Northern California’s picturesque coastline vanishing at a truly startling rate: study

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Wu, T. (2026, October 27). Northern California’s picturesque coastline vanishing at a truly startling rate: study. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/27/science/californias-coastline-is-crumbling-fast-ucsd-study-finds/

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Quick Summary

A new study from the University of California, San Diego reports that California’s coastal cliffs, which make up about 70% of the state's coastline, are eroding rapidly, especially in Northern and Central California regions such as Humboldt, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Monterey counties. The research found some areas experiencing erosion rates exceeding 30 feet per year, with one hotspot retreating by over 70 feet annually. Using lidar imagery from 2016 to 2023, researchers determined that statewide, cliff tops eroded an average of about 1.6 inches per year, posing significant hazards and safety risks for coastal communities.

Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-27, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

A new study by the University of California, San Diego reveals that California’s seaside cliffs are rapidly eroding into the sea at alarming rates. The research, focusing on Northern and Central California, found areas in Humboldt, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Monterey counties experiencing erosion of more than 30 feet or even up to 70 feet per year. For instance, the Lost Coast Headlands in Humboldt County saw an erosion rate of about 73 feet annually between 2016 and 2023, resulting in a landslide of over 1.4 million cubic yards of rock and soil.

Researchers warn that these high rates of cliff top retreat pose significant hazards to coastal communities. Lead author Danghan Xie noted the instability of cliffs due to ongoing erosion and collapse, citing fatal cliff landslides as a major concern. This rapid degradation is particularly alarming given predictions that an upcoming strong El Niño could exacerbate wave and tidal conditions, potentially causing even more severe erosion.

Written for “California Coastline Erosion Rate Stunning” on 2026-10-28, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Why this leaning score

This article does not take a side on a contested political question, so it has no leaning score. That is an answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political position.

No political leaning scored for article 110459 · logged 2026-10-27

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Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

13%

2 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

66/100

New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Environment

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Titus Wu

71 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 The conclusions may have some timely necessity given a historically strong El Niño may churn out stronger-than-usual waves and tides that could cause more erosion.

2026-10-27 · assertive framing · Northern California’s picturesque coastline vanishing at a truly startling rate: study

🔮 I felt like I could have lost my life.”

2026-10-23 · assertive framing · Deranged LA road-rage driver smashes woman’s car with crowbar, beats and bites her in savage attack caught on video

🔮 An officer wearing a bodycam positions himself near South 7th Street and South La Cadena Drive, where he said he could hear the suspect.

2026-10-23 · assertive framing · Train bandit goes after $50K in popular kids’ toys in brazen heist

🔮 The medical examiner will perform an autopsy to figure out a cause of death, the sheriff’s office said.

2026-10-23 · assertive framing · Shocking twist in search for dangerous sex offender after 4 weeks on the run

🔮 The first confirmed case was in early October, the department said, after which it began efforts to trace who else may have been infected.

2026-10-23 · mixed framing · San Francisco strip club linked to two cases of potentially deadly bacterial disease

🔮 California’s police chiefs sent a plea to Gov. Gavin Newsom Wednesday to not follow through on sparing 563 inmates from the death penalty — warning that doing so could have disastrous consequences for public safety.

2026-10-22 · mixed framing · Furious cops plead with Gavin Newsom to halt death penalty commutation: ‘Worst of the worst’

🔮 “California independents break for Becerra by 10 points, 46% to 36%, a group Hilton would need more support among to compete in the general election,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said.

2026-10-21 · assertive framing · New poll shows gap stretching in California governor race — with just two weeks to go

🔮 That’s six of eight parking spaces gone, he said, as he shared video of one tow-away sign that’s still up despite being expired in May.

2026-10-20 · assertive framing · Neighbors in posh California city erupt after exposing brazen parking tactic outside homes: ‘Sneaky’

🔮 Prosecutors say there may be more voter fraud ongoing.

2026-10-20 · mixed framing · Noncitizen snared in California’s biggest ever voter fraud bust reveals exactly how he did it

🔮 A Hollywood actress and ally of LA Mayor Karen Bass is demanding an apology from mayoral challenger Nithya Raman over comments praising a controversial policy from disgraced former LAPD Chief Daryl Gates, calling the remarks a “historical error” and a “personal assault.”

2026-10-17 · assertive framing · Veteran Hollywood actress shreds Nithya Raman over remarks about ex-police chief: ‘Where is your apology?’

Also by Titus Wu

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2026-10-25 · New York Post

Fan-favorite California coffee shop dramatically evicted as landlord demands $200K

2026-10-23 · New York Post

Deranged LA road-rage driver smashes woman’s car with crowbar, beats and bites her in savage attack caught on video

2026-10-23 · New York Post

Train bandit goes after $50K in popular kids’ toys in brazen heist

2026-10-23 · New York Post

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 71 articles by Titus Wu →

Narrative

Claims (15 extracted, 2 hedged)

California’s seaside cliffs — which make up roughly 70% of the state’s iconic coastline — are rapidly crumbling into the sea, according to a new study by University of California, San Diego. uncertain

which → make → California

Much of the coastal cliff erosion was concentrated in hotspots in Northern and Central California, specifically Humboldt, San Francisco, San Mateo and Monterey counties. asserted

Much → concentrate → California

They included areas retreating more than 30 feet or even 70 feet per year, in what one researcher called a “significant hazard to the coastal community.” asserted

researcher → include → community

They erode and collapse over time,” said Danghan Xie, lead author of the study, said in a university post. asserted

Xie → erode → post

“We’ve seen many sad news stories about fatal cliff landslides.” asserted

We → see → landslides

Researchers highlighted the example of the Lost Coast Headlands in Humboldt County, where the cliff top eroded by 22.3 meters, or about 73 feet, per year between 2016 and 2023. asserted

top → highlight → 2016

“Seventy feet per year is a lot, over the seven-year study period that is more than the length of a football field,” said Adam Young, a coastal geomorphologist at the university. asserted

Young → say → university

Cliff top retreat rates of 10 feet or more per year also ocurred on the coasts at the King Range, Redwood National Park, Point Reyes National Seashore, Big Sur, Vandenberg Space Force Base, Palos Verdes and more. asserted

rates → ocurre → Verdes

Statewide, 65% of cliffs showed a measurable change. asserted

% → show → change

Researchers conducted their study using lidar imagery of the coast in 2016 and 2023 to compare and contrast. asserted

Researchers → conduct → 2016

Using that method, researchers found that across the entire coast, cliff tops eroded approximately 1.6 inches per year in California. asserted

tops → use → California

The conclusions may have some timely necessity given a historically strong El Niño may churn out stronger-than-usual waves and tides that could cause more erosion. uncertain

that → have → erosion

Scientists at UC San Diego have created a California Coastal Cliff Erosion Viewer website for the public to see the erosion rate along any segment of the coast. asserted

public → create → coast

The site is expected to update potentially twice a year with more lidar data. asserted

site → expect → data

Knowing where and the rate at which cliffs are crumbling can be crucial for public safety, experts said — particularly with landslides. asserted

experts → know → landslides

Northern California’s picturesque coastline vanishing at a truly startling rate: study

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Claims (15 extracted, 2 hedged)