Half of the world's beaches could disappear by 2100 because of sea-level rise, more intense storms, and changing wind patterns and ocean currents. To combat this, a group of scientists has proposed using electricity to shock beaches into stasis. "By applying a mild electric stimulation to marine soils, we systematically and mechanistically proved that it is possible to cement them by turning naturally dissolved minerals in seawater into solid mineral binders," Alessandro Rotta Loria, the lead author of a study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, said in a statement.
The idea was inspired by marine animals with shells, like clams, mussels and other mollusks, that "use their metabolic energy to convert seawater minerals into their skeletons and shells," said Gizmodo. "After being treated, the sand looks like a rock," Rotta Loria said.
Other coastline conservation methods, like injecting cement into the ground and constructing seawalls, have their own problems. Not only do they "cost tremendous amounts of money per kilometer, but they might not even last," Rotta Loria said to Newsweek. Using electricity is cost-effective, almost instantaneous and reversible. In addition, "renewable energy sources can power it, and it does not require the constant upkeep that other methods do," said ZME Science.
Still, other solutions should be examined. While there's "merit to continue exploring these techniques, expectations need to be well-managed, as the required transformational challenge around the world's coastlines is not just more cement," Andres Payo, the head of coasts and estuaries at the British Geological Survey, said to Newsweek. | 
