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Beach

Santa Monica Bay Coastal Resilience

Severe weather events stress the seven Bay habitats and their animals and plants in many ways, thereby affecting the quality of life for all Los Angeles residents and visitors.

The disruptive changes include:

  • Precipitation changes driven by warmer weather and fluctuations in ocean water temperature, leading to frequent intense storms and wave events that cause increased rates of erosion, coastal flooding, suspension of sediment, and burial of nearshore reefs
  • Pervasive drought-like conditions punctuated by heavy storms
  • Reduced flows and increased water temperature in our coastal streams and rivers
  • A chemical change in the ocean water that makes it more acidic
  • Melting glaciers and ice caps that, combined with the expansion of water as it absorbs heat, cause sea level rise
Beach

Adding Resilience to Key Habitats

SMBNEP and its many partners have many ongoing projects that are increasing coastal resilience and improving the health of our local habitats, including beaches and dunes, kelp, seagrass, wetland, and stream restoration projects.

Dolphin

Pelagic

Habitat Vulnerabilities:

Water Temperature Change
Ocean Acidification (or Aragonite Saturation)

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School of Fish

Soft Bottom

Habitat Vulnerabilities:

Fish Habitat Change for Key Species
Physical Change to Habitat (Area)
Ecosystem Metabolism
Dissolution of Carbonate Structures (Organismal)

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Starfish

Rocky Reefs

Habitat Vulnerabilities:

Water Temperature Change
Increased Storminess
Invertebrate Recruitment

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Sunset by the Sea

Sandy Shores

Habitat Vulnerabilities:

Shoreline Erosion / Topography Change
Nearshore Surface Water Temperature
Coastal Flooding
Hazard / Disturbance Response

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Beach

Rocky Intertidal

Habitat Vulnerabilities:

Habitat Change due to Sea Level Rise
Temperature Change (Water and Air)
Increased Storminess
Dissolution of Carbonate Structures (Organismal)

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Malibu-Lagoon-Landscape-Birds

Coastal Wetlands

Habitat Vulnerabilities:

Inundation
Change in Freshwater Input to System / Flow
Estuary Mouth Dynamics
Dissolution of Carbonate Structures (Organismal)
Ecosystem Metabolism

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fish-barrier-removal-projects - 20170908_152232

Freshwater & Riparian

Habitat Vulnerabilities:

Water Temperature Change
Water Flow and Alteration
Fire Vulnerability Index

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Protecting & Restoring

The Bay Foundation (TBF) implements many initiatives that protect and restore Santa Monica Bay.

TBF is growing sand dunes and exploring innovative nature-based solutions, to reduce the impacts of sea level rise and erosion on coastal infrastructure, beaches, and other habitats. Many plants adapted to grow on beaches trap sand blown by the wind or pushed onshore by ocean water. Through planting, TBF can grow dunes that make our beaches taller protecting our coastlines from flooding and extreme storms 

Frequent storms and larger waves pounding the Southern California coastline are major causes for concern if we hope to preserve our beaches and rocky shorelines for future generations’ enjoyment. To address this, TBF has restored over ~70 acres of kelp forest off the Palos Verdes Peninsula through our Kelp Forest Restoration Project. To better understand how kelp forests protect the shoreline TBF and researchers undertook theKelp Forest Hydrodynamics Project. The study showed that mature kelp forests dampen the effects of small waves and slow down water movement inside the kelp forest, both of which result in keeping sand and other sediment contained nearshore and reducing erosion.

California is home to over four million boaters, making it one of the top states for recreational boating in the U.S. While boating offers countless recreational opportunities, it can also impact our waterways. Boat-related pollutants—including sewage, used oil, hazardous waste, marine debris, invasive species, and emerging contaminants—threaten water quality. Launched in 1996 with a Clean Vessel Act Education and Outreach grant, TBF’s Clean Boating Initiative works to engage boaters in pollution prevention efforts. This ongoing educational program serves Southern California’s boating communities, providing essential tools and resources to help safeguard the health of local waterways for generations to come.

Furthermore, TBF works to foster reuse in restaurants and reduce marine debris. In 2018, TBF partnered with ReThink Disposable, a technical assistance program of Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund, to prevent excess waste before it starts. In doing so, restaurants and other food operators cut costs and improve patrons’ dining experience. In 2023, the City of Los Angeles launched its Reusable Foodware Microgrant Program to help advance single-use reduction and assist food service establishments with their transition to reusable foodware and foodware accessories. TBF is proud to have supported the program with implementation and technical assistance alongside Clean Water Action’s ReThink Disposable and APTIM. 120 restaurants participated in reducing single-use disposables at the source and championing reuse for dine-in.

Black-Perch

Frequent storms and larger waves pounding the Southern California coastline are major causes for concern if we hope to preserve our beaches and rocky shorelines for future generations to enjoy.

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Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission is a non-regulatory, locally based state entity that serves as the Management Conference for SMBNEP.

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The Bay Foundation (TBF) is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) whose missions is to restore and enhance Santa Monica Bay through actions and partnerships that improve water quality, conserve and rehabilitate natural resources, and protect the Bay’s benefits and values. TBF serves as Host Entity for SMBNEP.