From as far back as I can remember, I have loved the beach. It has always been a place of tranquility for me even as a young child. A day at the beach meant getting up at eight o"clock, packing lunch for the day and loading up all my beach toys. It meant burying my sisters in the sand, and my dad carrying me out into the fierce ocean. It was all so special to me, and when I was that young, I didn't realize that having the beach only a few minutes away from my house was something not all people could cherish. .
Now that I am older, I cannot imagine living without the indescribable beauty of our Long Island beaches. Its not just spending the day in the hot sun anymore. The beach to me is driving over to Robert Moses Field Five and watching the sunset from the lighthouse. There is nothing like the sun going down over the Great South Bay from a place so familiar to me, I can call it my home. Never could I imagine losing something so special to me. These picturesque beaches are what make Long Island so extraordinary, and if we all don't play our part in preserving them, they will slowly but surly erode away. .
What is causing Long Island's beaches to disappear? There are several main factors to look into. Despite all of the efforts taking place to save our beaches, erosion is a relentless threat. .
Geologists believe that over 12,000 years ago there was indeed a third fork to Long Island off the east coast of Montauk Point. This ridge of sand and rocks was built by a glacier just like the rest of Long Island was. Even though they are still not sure how or even when a glacier built this "third fork", there is no doubt in what had happened to it. .
Erosion over time has completely vanished this "third fork". An Earth Science professor from Adelphi University states, "In 12,000 years, several miles of terminal moraine have been totally eroded away." That is a very scary fact knowing how much beach actually makes up the whole of Long Island.