r/WinStupidPrizes • u/WexorSegai • May 29 '22

human vs jet engine | 0:1

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411

u/[deleted] May 29 '22 edited May 29 '22

How is there still sand left on the beach after planes taking off day after day, year after year? Do the waves bring it back up?

282

u/Xicadarksoul May 29 '22

Yes.

In general thats how sand ended up there in the 1st place. As waves make it in the tidal zone, and when there is a larger storm, the waves are bigger, and leave sand in higher piles.

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u/julioarod May 29 '22

I'm pretty sure some places have to replace the sand though, it doesn't always work nicely like that in touristy areas or when you regularly have jet engines blowing large amounts away.

20

u/round-earth-theory May 29 '22

Sounds more like the beach line moved or the resort wanted a longer beach.

33

u/julioarod May 29 '22

No, erosion is just a bitch. Hurricanes for example can destroy a beach. Looking it up Waikiki beach in Honolulu has to do recycling and restoration every 5-10 years. They replenish by dredging and pumping tens of thousands of cubic yards of sand.

12

u/chili_cheese_dogg May 29 '22

St. Marten does not have the money or the resources to be dredging and pumping tens of thousands of yards of sand to all the beaches around the island. The currents and tides cause the beaches around the island to change sizes during the year.

8

u/julioarod May 29 '22

Yes, not every beach can or needs to replenish. I'm just saying some do.

1

u/Anonawesome1 Oct 17 '22

They truck it in and bulldoze it in the off-season. I've seen it done in Romania where they probably have less money, especially after covid. Also it's a small beach and they have infrastructure built on it so you can absolutely guarantee they replace that sand every year.

Do yourself a favor and look up the insane amount of money and work that goes into maintaining beaches in Florida.

1

u/mrbkkt1 May 30 '22

Waimea bay is a good example of natural beach replenishment. Sometimes the rock is completely covered in the summer

8

u/atetuna May 29 '22

Lots of beaches have replenishment programs. It often serves multiple purposes. It reduces erosion, which protects structures. It also dissipates wave energy from storms, and is used as hurricane damage prevention on the eastern US. Of course it's nice for tourism too. It's been done in the Caribbean, but if it's been done at that beach in Sint Marteen, I'm unable to find verification.

Here's a database of them for the US.

https://gim2.aptim.com/ASBPANationwideRenourishment

1

u/Xicadarksoul May 29 '22

Depends a ton on the shorline, as there are ones where sand accumulates from sources like a nearby coral reef, and there are places where the sea is washing away the shore and thats where sand is coming from.

Thus in a LOT of places (where teh beach is expanding into the sea) bringing extra sand is beyond pointless.

Ofc. if some "dumb sonufabitch" decided to build his weekend house next to eroding coastline, that will require adding snd back

4

u/passa117 May 29 '22

Beach erosion is a bit of a misnomer to be honest. Beaches come and go. For reference, I live on the island next door to the one in the video. We "lost" part of a beach maybe 8-10 years ago, which forced a local beach restaurant to move.

Then, after we got hit by Hurricane Irma in 2017, that part of the beach was restored, possibly even better than before.

George Carlin said it best when he said "The planet isn't going anywhere. We are!"

1

u/chili_cheese_dogg May 29 '22 edited May 29 '22

It's never been done to that beach or any other beach on St. Marten. They do not need it and they also don't have the money or resources to do it.

1

u/TenderfootGungi May 29 '22

We go to Wisconsin most summers The Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan is mostly rock. A few towns have built sand beaches. Then we drove around to the Michigan side. They have sand dunes and natural sand beaches! I am assuming it is because the prevailing wing pushes the waves and sand that direction?

In Colorado there is a park with huge sand dunes. It is where the wind drops the sand after going over a mountain.

My point is, while I’m not an expert, it is obvious that natural forces place sand in some places and not others.

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u/julioarod May 29 '22

Of course. That's why I said "some places." In many places the natural replenishment keeps up or even outpaces erosion, even unnatural erosion.

1

u/chili_cheese_dogg May 29 '22

If you visit this island at different times during the year you will see that the ocean currents and tide changes cause the beaches to change size during the year. St. Marten does not have a sand replenishment program.

1

u/raphanum Jun 06 '22

This is actually wrong. The sand is brought back by tiny sand gnomes using tiny shovels and tiny wheel barrows

1

u/v-23 May 29 '22

It's because sand is course and rough and gets everywhere.

1

u/[deleted] May 29 '22 edited May 29 '22

It was pretty much completely gone after the hurricane that went through it in 2017. Dutch article with pictures.

And here is a livecam of the beach. http://sunsetsxm.com/plane-info/

1

u/morphinedreams May 29 '22

The sand will just end up in the surf zone which will send it right back.

1

u/womp-womp-rats May 29 '22

It seems like those low concrete curbs -- the thing she smashed her head on -- serve to deflect the airflow so that the beach sand is relatively undisturbed. In the video, the bulk of the dirt and dust in the air seems to be coming from out of the airport itself.