3.9 Coastal Management

Question 1

Name 5 hard engineering strategies.

Answer 1

• groynes
• offshore breakwater
• revetments
• rip rap
• sea wall

Question 2

Name 4 soft engineering strategies.

Answer 2

• beach nourishment
• cliff regrading
• dune stabilisation
• marsh creation

Question 3

Outline offshore breakwater.

Answer 3

A partly submerged rock barrier, designed to break up the waves before they reach the coast.

+ effective permeable barrier
- visually unappealing. potential navigation hazard

£10000 - £30000 per 10m

Question 4

Outline groynes.

Answer 4

Timber or rock structures built at right angles to the coast. They trap sediment being moved along the coast by longshore drift - building up the beach.

+ work with natural processes to build up the beach, which increases tourist potential and protected the land behind it.
- starve beaches further up the coats of fresh sediment, often leading to increased erosion elsewhere.

£5000 each.

Question 5

Outline marsh creation.

Answer 5

A form of managed retreat, by allowing low lying coastal areas to be flooded by the sea. The land then becomes a salt marsh.

+ relatively cheap. creates a natural bigger to powerful waves. creates habitats.
- agricultural land is lost. farmers etc need to be compensated.

Cost variable - depending on the size of the area of the land.

Question 6

Outline beach nourishment.

Answer 6

The addition of sand / pebbles to an existing beach to make it higher or wider. The sediment is usually dredged from the nearby seabed.

+ relatively cheap and easy to maintain. looks natural, blending in with existing beach. increases tourist potential as it creates a bigger beach.
- needs constant maintenance because of natural processes eg longshore drift and erosion.

£30,000 per 10m.

Question 7

What are the 4 recommendations of the SMP (shoreline management plans)?

Answer 7

• hold the line
• advance the line
• managed retreat
• do nothing