USGS - Most Beaches On Hawaii's 3 Largest Islands In Retreat; 9% Loss In Past Century

[happyslug]

2. This erosion has NOTHING to do with Global Warming

The Hawaii Islands are the product of the Pacific Plate flowing over a "Hot Spot". Presently the "Hot Spot" is centered in the big island, which is EXPANDING do the lava flows from the Volcano on the Big Island.

In the geological past, the various islands have flow over the "Hot Spot" and was in turn made bigger and bigger. Then the island moved away from the "Hot Spot" and lost its ability to expand. The next island in the chain became the island that grew till it in turn flowed from the spot the "Hot Spot" is at.

This is HOW all of the Islands of Hawaii were formed, and once the the island was NO longer over the "Hot Spot" it started to erode. Technically the island started to erode as soon as it was formed, but as long as the "Hot Spot" was adding lava to that island, it grew. Once the Volcano on that island went extinct, erosion continued, but with no new lava flows, each island became smaller and smaller. Thus the smallest island is the WeSt of the Chain, with the largest, the Big Island, in the East.

My point is this erosion of the beeches of Hawaii has NOTHING to do with global warming (Or the effect is very minimal) compared to the effect of erosion by waves of the ocean hitting these islands and beeches.

More on the Hawaii Hot Spot:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_hotspot

List of Islands of "Hawaii" starting with the big island, then going West to Midway (remains of an extinct volcano, through with a huge addition of Coral). to the Mejii Seamount (an island so eroded it is no longer above sea level) near the Aleutian chain and Siberia.

My point is the erosion of these island is a product of they being ISLANDS, global warming is NOT a factor in this erosion.