John Wiley
By John Wiley
Thinking about SBCC today got me looking at some aerial pix of the campus. Then I noticed this odd scalloped pattern in the sand/water interface of West Beach.
The shoreline there transitions from a long “normal” broad line on the Western (left) side of the pic, to short curved scallops. At maximum resolution I can see nothing apparent to explain this in the creek outlet.
Maybe it’s something about beach orientation to the break or wave reflection from the harbor sea wall? Anyone have ideas or a definitive answer?
Santa Ana blows down south cause a short period cross swell that runs counter to the down coast prevalent current and pushes up these cusps .