Climate Change May Eliminate World Famous Santa Cruz Surf, USGS Study Finds

SANTA CRUZ (KPIX 5) – In Santa Cruz, it's an understatement to call surfing a way of life. The dramatic coastline, the fingerprint of the sea floor, and the swells of the Pacific Ocean deliver world class breaks like clockwork.

But the Pacific is delivering some bad news.

"I gotta say, it's a total bummer if it's true," said surfer Kevin Gallagher.

Nadine Golden of the U.S. Geological Survey helped put together a landmark study of the California coastline, giving scientists an intensely detailed look at the sea floor, and how the ocean swirls above it.

"This is something we've never tried before," Golden told KPIX 5.

Other scientists have already taken her data and predicted the future. Factoring in rising sea levels, and changing Pacific weather patterns, they think the beloved surfing spots of Santa Cruz could become victims of a changing climate.

"It cuts to the core. I'm serious, it really does," Gallagher said.

The graceful art of riding a wave depends on some complex hydrology beneath the board. "I know some surfers can do it in a second," Golden said.

But as we learn more about our changing oceans, science can now predict what was once unthinkable.

"The thought of future, serious issues with ocean levels rising and the disappearance of world class breaks like this...it's disappointing to even think about," Gallagher said.

If the forecast is correct, the decline in waves in Santa Cruz could be coupled with the creation of big surf breaks on other parts of the Pacific coast.