Studied by 8 peoplesoft 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
Note
Flashcard