19th
2010
Google Earth Photos of Popham Beach…historical photo series: Popham Beach is one of our favorite beaches to visit, but the beach section is highly eroded and had changed drastically over the 10 years we have lived in Maine. This photo was taken on May 17, 2010, and shows how the Morse River channel has changed its path. I put a few arrows in for your reference. (Click photo for larger view).
The beach will hopefully be renewed as the calmer wave action of summer deposits sand over time. It will take quite a few years for the beach to get back to a larger size. Oh, by the way, the Maine Geological Survey states that, “The beach and dune eroded back 525 feet on the western beach from 2004 to 2007. This loss resulted in a net erosion rate of an astounding 130 feet per year!” WOW! you can read more about the Popham Beach erosion here. One more thing… I learned a new geologic term from the Bates magazine article…a tombolo is a sandbar that connects an island to the mainland or to another island.
Now…let’s take a walk back in time to view how the Morse River channel has changed its course. I was able to get historical Google Earth photos from 2007, 2003, and 1997. Very interesting…..Enjoy!
