There's no doubt Hawaii beaches are eroding, but new research shows the erosion rate will be faster than before. According to a Department of Land and Natural Resources study, a big chunk of our beaches could be gone by 2050.

Click here to watch Cam Tran's report.

"We're going to six inches to three feet per century. That's the accelerated sea level rise. That is estimated to result in a foot of sea level rise by mid-century. By 2050," said University of Hawaii School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology Associate Dean Chip Fletcher.

UH scientists looked at how an increase in sea level would affect 10 different beaches on Kauai, Oahu and Maui.

Scientists say with the increase in sea level rise, Hawaii's beaches could see 20-to-40-feet of erosion by 2050. To put that into perspective, if that were to happen at Ala Moana beach, it would mean sand from the water line to nearly the edge of the lifeguard stand.

"If you increase the level of the water, not only do you have the water coming up to the higher portion of the beach, but, theoretically, the whole beach system is moving upwards and lateralwards to keep up with this increasing sea level," said UH SOEST researcher Tiffany Anderson.

Anderson says the north shore of Oahu has the worst rate of erosion while one windward beach is doing the opposite.

"Kailua has been historically growing over the last several decades. That would be the ones that's the healthiest for erosion," said Anderson.

A dramatic decline in Hawaii's beaches could put a big dent into our economy like at Kaanapali on Maui where researchers say in 30 years, every hotel along Kaanapali Beach is going to be experiencing an erosion problem.

Fletcher and Anderson say they will individually map out how erosion will affect the 10 beaches they studied. Then, it's up to the stake holders to decide on how what to do about the beach erosion problem.

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DLNR study: Some Hawaii shorelines could be gone by 2050