1A.5 Sustainable Management Of Coasts

Question 1

Describe the residential land use of coastal areas.

Answer 1

Coastal regions cover 10% of inhabited space, yet they are home to 60% of the global population showing the desire people have for coastal living. EG. Demand often exceeds supply, which means that homes by the sea are very expensive and local people often lose out to people from the city. Homes along the North Antrim coast at Portballintrae attract people due to their beautiful sea view, but often in winter it is a ghost town as second-home owners do not visit.

Question 2

Describe the transport land use of coastal areas.

Answer 2

Natural harbours allow the safe passage of boats from the open waters of seas or oceans. Today, in order to accommodate the newest large ships (super tankers), many ports have to relocate to deeper water or dredge to increase their depth, as industries want products moved faster and more cheaply. EG. The coastal waters of Belfast Lough are used repeatedly every day for the import and export of goods in large ships, docking from as far as China and Indonesia.

Question 3

Describe the industry land use of coastal areas.

Answer 3

Coasts provide premium sites for industry and marine trade due to an abundance of flat land and access to shipping routes. EG. The fishing industry in Kilkeel, Co. Down provides a huge source of employment for local people. There are 700 fishermen/women in NI.

Question 4

Describe the tourism land use of coastal areas.

Answer 4

Coastal tourism has grown dramatically since the 1950s with people attracted to scenic locations, watersports and relaxing atmospheres. EG. 50% of the Spanish coastline has been developed for leisure use over the last 50 years (eg. Costa del Sol).

Question 5

Describe fully 3 reasons why coastal defences are needed.

Answer 5

• Since half the world’s population live within 200km of the coast, coastal defences are needed to ensure settlements along the coast are protected and people can have a good quality of life.
• Sea levels are expected to rise due to global warming. The average predicted sea level rise is 48cm by 2100. The World Bank estimates that a 1m rise would flood half of Bangladesh, and islands in the Pacific Ocean could disappear altogether.
• Economically, coastal defences are needed to protect jobs. 60% of Majora’s wealth is generated by tourism, which is centred around its beaches.

Question 6

Sea wall

Answer 6

• Tall concrete walls separating land from sea
• May be curved shaped to deflect the erosive energy of waves
• Protect towns and homes behind the wall from flooding and erosion
- Expensive (over £10,000/m)
- Reflected wave energy can cause erosion further out to sea or somewhere else along the coast
- Need to be replaced every 25-30 years

Question 7

Groynes

Answer 7

• Hard wood or concrete low fences stretching seawards along the beach at intervals of about 50m
• Prevents longshore drift from removing sand and leaving the coastline vulnerable to erosion
+ Relatively cheap (£8000 per structure)
- Trap sediment that is meant to be travelling to somewhere else, meaning other areas of the coastline may be more vulnerable to erosion
- May need continual maintenance and replaced regularly
- Can be seen as an obstacle to pedestrians

Question 8

Gabions

Answer 8

• Metal cage (1m x 1m) built on site from 6 metal mesh sides and filled with large rocks
• Placed at the base of cliffs and act to absorb the energy of waves
• When waves break against them, water percolates through the cage and friction with the rocks reduces the waves’ energy
• Reduces the energy available to erode the cliffs that may be vulnerable to erosion
+ Relatively cheap (£11/m)
- Uneffective in the long term as the cages can split and release the rocks inside, which can be used by the waves to erode the coast
- Make ideal homes for rats
- Can trap debris and pollution, which can rot leading to bad smells and health concerns

Question 9

Beach nourishment

Answer 9

• Involves artificially adding more sand or shingle to beaches to widen them and increase their area
• Sand is dredged from the seabed and added to an eroded beach or can be brought in by lorry load
• A large, wide beach protects the coastline from erosion as wave energy is absorbed through the sand
- Requires constant maintenance and recharging of beach material
- Expensive (£5000-£20,000/100m)

Question 10

PPQ Suggest how wind farm owners might be in conflict with the local tourist board.

Answer 10

The tourist board might feel that potential visitors would be discouraged from visiting the area because the wind turbines are unattractive and spoil the scenic appearance of the landscape. This would lead to a drop in revenue from tourism affecting local businesses. On the other hand the wind farm owners would want to make money from their business and feel that the wind farm produces non-polluting energy and does not interfere with other land uses.

Question 11

PPQ Outline how two human activities could be in conflict on a named stretch of coastline.

Answer 11

More tourists means more hotels are built on the seafront either forcing local residents to leave or pricing them out, for example Costa del Sol.