Patterns in time and space of fatal coastal cliff failures

A new global database compiled by Reiss and colleagues has tracked one hundred fourteen fatal coastal cliff failures dating back to nineteen twenty-seven, and the pattern is striking: most cluster in summer months, when beaches are packed with people. Eos reports the study, published in the journal Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, found clusters of these tragedies in places like Réunion Island and San Diego County. Researchers point to exposed beachgoers as the dominant factor, though rainfall also plays a smaller role in triggering collapses. The database's authors acknowledge it's incomplete, especially for older decades, but call it a timely warning for anyone visiting cliff-backed beaches.

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