Dr. Beach, the sand scholar - Charlotte Observer

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The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. To dig for treasures shows not only impatience and greed, but lack of faith. Patience, patience, patience, is what the sea teaches.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh,

"Gift from the Sea," 1955

Stephen Leatherman has collected more than 60,000 photographs and 10,000 maps of beaches and coastlines. Is he a surfer? A sea bird enthusiast? A beach bum? None of the above.

Leatherman, a native of Charlotte, is a geoscientist who specializes in coastal processes including hurricanes. He is also known as "Dr. Beach" (www.drbeach.org). With this alter ego, Leatherman creates an annual ranking of beaches, a list that has become akin to the Oscar award for coastal communities. A ranking in Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches is envied by tourism organizations around the country.

How does a professional geologist become the rock star of sandy beaches? A former professor at the University of Maryland, Leatherman taught a very popular course called "Waves and Beaches," where he used 60,000-plus beach images to explain coastal processes. One of his former students went on to work for Condé Nast Traveler magazine, and contacted him in 1989 for a list of his Top 10 favorite beaches. About to jump on a plane for China, Leatherman quickly rattled off a few favorites. Months later, he returned home to find hundreds of calls and interview requests for "Dr. Beach": His Top 10 list had been published and immediately became the litmus test for many beach vacationers.

As a scientist, Dr. Beach developed 50 factors to rank beaches - including annual days of sunshine, size and composition of sand, breadth and depth of beach, currents, amenities, and even unusual information such as smell and floatables (such as trash, or human waste).

This year, Cape Hatteras was ranked No. 5, which invariably translates into increased tourism for the upcoming year. The full list:

1. Siesta Beach in Sarasota, Fla.; 2. Coronado Beach, San Diego; 3. Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii; 4. Main Beach in East Hampton, N.Y.; 5. Cape Hatteras; 6. St. George Island State Park, Fla.; 7. Beachwalker Park on Kiawah Island, S.C.; 8. Coast Guard Beach on Cape Cod; 9. Waimanalo Bay Beach Park on Oahu, Hawaii; 10. Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne, Fla.

As a scientist specializing in coastlines, Leatherman was one of three scientists initially tapped to advise the state of Florida on climate change; his expertise on sea-level rise and coastline vulnerability was critical to the assessment of climate-change risks. Leatherman admits that all coastlines will be negatively affected by rising sea levels, and by extreme weather conditions such as hurricanes and storm surge.

03 Oct, 2011

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Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHqBkaJr2H2UzoKBILWuaGKOixW3A&url=http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/10/02/2659042/dr-beach-the-sand-scholar.html
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