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Powerful El Niño Washes Away Record Amount Of West Coast Shoreline

Houses hang over a cliff in Pacifica, Calif., in January 2016. Storms and powerful waves caused by El Nino have been intensifying erosion. (Josh Edelson/Getty Images)
Houses hang over a cliff in Pacifica, Calif., in January 2016. Storms and powerful waves caused by El Nino have been intensifying erosion. (Josh Edelson/Getty Images)

El Niño storms caused a record level of beach erosion up and down the West coast of the United States last year. Researchers studied beaches from California to Washington, and found that shorelines retreated 76 percent more than usual last winter.

Here & Now‘s Eric Westervelt (@Ericnpr) speaks with Patrick Barnard of the U.S. Geological Survey about his findings.

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