The science behind the sand

By Phil Jarratt

If you’ve been to Noosa Main Beach or Little Cove over the past 18 months – and is there anyone who hasn’t? – you may have wondered where all the sand came from and how long it will stay.

Anecdotally, many old Noosa hands and veteran surfers have been claiming that this is the most sand seen on Main Beach in decades. Scientifically, Noosa Today can reveal that a new study shows that this is the most sand we’ve seen in at least 60 years. But if wide sandy beaches are your thing, you’d better love it while it’s here, because the study also predicts that future wave climates are likely to make this occurrence less frequent, with more erosive wave periods resulting in narrower beaches on…