Geography #2: Coastal Development & Management

What human activities are found along the coast?

Housing, Tourism, Business Offices, Agriculture, & Industry

Why is housing a human activity on the coast?

The coast is popular to live in due to its natural beauty and quieter lifestyle compared to the city.

What is one downside when it comes to coastal housing?

The demand for coastal housing grows increases, causing new housing development and higher prices, causing the town to sprawl and increase in size, losing that quiet charm.

Why is tourism a human activity found along the coast?

The coast is a major tourist attraction, as many travel for holidays to do water sports, boating, scuba diving, snorkelling, and surfing.

What are the benefits and downsides of tourism?

They bring income and employment to the community but overcrowding tourists can bring traffic and pollution.

Why are business offices along the coast?

They’re relocating to avoid the high rent prices in the city centre.

What are the benefits and downsides of business offices in the coast?

They bring regular income for locals but can destroy the natural environment by their new buildings and increasing people commuting to the town.

How does human activity affect agriculture?

As the price of coastal land increases, farmers have to increase their profits with what they have, adding pressure to the land. Farms will work more extensively, not giving the land rest between crop harvests or rearing too much cattle, trampling the ground & destroying vegetation.

Why are industry plants found along the coast?

Industries, such as oil refineries & power stations requires a large volume of water during the industrial process.

What is a major risk when it comes to living on the coastline?

That the property and environment becomes flooded, causing severe damage, and events such as hurricanes, coastal storms, tsunamis, and landslides. This usually happens during extreme weather.

Explain what causes flooding.

The air pressure drops due to a low pressure weather system, causing the sea to be pulled upwards, forming storm surges. Storm surges are very tall waves, which overflow onto the land when they reach the coast.

Why will the risk of coastal flooding increase?

Due to Global warming.

How does global warming cause coastal flooding?

It causes the sea levels to rise around the world as seas warm and expand. It can increase the frequency of extreme weather.

Why is some property more at risk of collapsing than others?

The geology of the cliffs (soft & hard rock), increased weathering at the top of the cliff, and types of waves hitting the cliff (erosional & depositional).

Why is coastal management important?

To protect certain areas of the coastline from coastal flooding or high rates of erosion as people live there, work and earn money from tourism, and the wildlife and habitats exist there.

What are the 3 types of coastal management?

Hard engineering, Soft engineering, Managed Retreat

What is hard engineering?

Using artificial, man-made structures to reduce & halt erosion.

What are the benefits and downsides of hard engineering?

They are often very effective at preventing erosion in the desired area. But they are high cost and have a significant environmental impact due to the use of concrete and other materials.

What is soft engineering?

They use more natural materials to reduce erosion, in a more environmentally free way.

What is soft engineering better than hard engineering?

They aim to complement the physical environment by using coastal defense. They protect against sea level and coastal erosion.

What is managed retreat?

Allowing erosion rates to carry on unchanged, but instead monitor the rates and try to adapt in the future.

What are the factors when choosing the most appropriate management strategy?

The value of land for the economy, the cultural and social value, and the environmental value.

What are the 2 types of defenses for Soft Engineering?

Dune Stablization & Beach Nourishment

What are the 4 types of defenses of Hard Engineering?

Groynes, Sea Walls, Rip Rack (Rock Armor), Revetments

Describe Dune Stabilization.

Marram grass is planted there, the roots helping bind the dune, protecting the lands behind. Fences could also be put in place in there to catch the wind.

What are the benefits and downsides of Dune Stabilization?

Its cost effective, relatively cheap, causes minimum impact on the natural environment, and creates an important wildlife habitat. But… its time consuming and can be easily damaged by storms.

Describe Beach Nourishment.

Sand is added to the beach to replace the material lost through erosion and transportation.

What are the benefits and downsides of Beach Nourishment?

It maintains the beach, blending it seamlessly, bringing major tourist attractions as it keeps it attractive. But… large quantities of sand is needed on a regular basis.

Describe Groynes.

Wooden or rock structures built out at right angles into the sea. They trap sediment from longshore Drift.

What are the benefits and disadvantages of groynes?

Its cost effective & builds up the beach, protecting cliff and increasing tourist potential. But… deprives sediment in some areas, causing an increase of erosion, and it’s unattractive.

Describe rip rap (rock armor)?

Large rocks that reduce wave energy, but allow water to flow through.

What are the benefits and disadvantages of rip rap (rock armor)?

Its cost effective but.. the rocks are sourced elsewhere so they dont fit with the local geology and can be a hazard if climbed upon.

Describe revetments.

Wooden or concrete ramps that help absorb wave energy.

What are the benefits and disadvantages of revetments?

Its cost effective but.. it needs constant maintenance, adding cost and looks unattractive.

Describe Gabions.

Rocks held in mesh cages and placed in areas affected by erosion.

What are the benefits and disadvantages of Gabions?

They are cheap and absorbs wave energy but…. they look unnatural and aren't very strong.

Describe Beach Reprofiling.

It occurs after a sudden storm. A bulldozer moves sand up the beach and the sediment is redistributed from the lower part of the beach to the upper part of the beach.

What are the benefits and disadvantages of Beach Reprofiling?

They are cheap, simple, and reduces the energy of waves. But… it only works when the wave energy is low and needs to be repeated continuously which can be a hassle.

Describe Sea Walls.

Concrete Structures that absorb and reflect wave energy, with curved surface.

What are the benefits and disadvantages of sea walls?

Its effective at preventing erosion and the promenade bringing tourists, but… its expensive to construct and maintain, unattractive, and wave energy is reflected somewhere else with impacts on erosion rates.