geography: coastal management

soft engineering strategies

a strategy for maintaining coastlines that takes a more sustainable and natural approach and does not involve building artificial structures

hard engineering strategy

a strategy for maintaining coastlines that involves building artificial structures

hard engineering strategies

groynes, sea walls, rock armour

soft engineering strategies

beach replenishment, slope stabilisation

what is beach replenishment?

sand gets pumped onto the existing beach to replace sand that has been lost

advantages of beach replenishment?

looks natural, increases tourist attraction, cheap

disadvantages of beach replenishment

has to be maintained regularly as the sediment is easily transported away

what is slope stabilisation?

drains are installed at the top of a cliff to remove groundwater so the rocks don’t become saturated, this prevents slumping and reduces erosion

advantages of slope stabilisation

prevents mass movement, safer for people on the beach

disadvantages of slope stabilisation

expensive, cliff can still be eroded from below

what are groynes?

wooden structure extending into the sea at a right angle from the beach

advantages of groynes

builds a wide beach, attracts tourists

disadvantages of groynes

high maintenance as wood rots, leads to increased erosion further along the coast

what is a sea wall?

a concrete wall that reflects wave energy back towards the sea

advantages of a sea wall

protects the base of the cliff, stops water going over the top

disadvantages of a sea wall

expensive, unattractive, restricts beach access

what is rock armour?

large boulders places at the foot of a cliff which help to absorb wave energy

advantages of rock armour?

easy to maintain, cheap

disadvantages of rock armour?

small scale, unattractive as they don’t blend in with the natural rocks in that area

what are hard and soft engineering strategies an example of?

‘hold the line’ strategy of shoreline management

what are the four shoreline management options?

no intervention, hold the line, managed realignment, advance the line

what is managed realignment?

allowing the shoreline to change naturally but managing the process

benefits of managed realignment

creates salt marshes which are diverse ecosystems that provide habitats, cheaper

costs of managed retreat

loss of land

what is ‘advance the line’?

building new defences in the sea

costs/benefits of ‘advance the line’

reduces power of waves but expensive

what does the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) do?

manage which areas of the coast to protect and how