Coastal Environments Flashcards
What is the coast?
The transition zone between land and sea.
What is the coastline?
The frontier that separates land and sea.
What is offshore?
The sea part of a coastal environment
What is onshore?
The land part of a coastal environment
How far in the sea can offshore stretch to?
370km into the sea
How far inland can onshore stretch to?
Up to 60km
What four factors affect the coast?
Land, Sea, Weather/Climate, Human activity
How does land affect the coast?
Geology-type of rock, relief
How does sea affect the coast?
Waves, sea level, ecosystems
How does weather/climate affect the coast?
Wind strength/direction, rainfall, temperature
How does human activity affect the coast?
Settlement, development, coastal management
What factor most affects the white cliffs of Dover?
Land
What factor most affects Portsmouth harbour?
Human activity
What factor most affects the Great Barrier Reef?
Sea
What factor most affects Cape Cornwall?
Weather/Climate
What role do waves play in shaping the coastline?
They erode, transport and deposit materials
How are waves created?
Wind blows over the surface of the sea, and the friction between the two sets the waves in motion
What 3 things does the strength of a wave depend on?
The strength of the wind
The time it has been going for
The distance over which the wind has been blowing for (fetch)
What causes a wave to break?
As waves enter shallower water, friction with the sea bed causes the wave to tip over and eventually break
What is the difference between swash and backwash?
Swash is the forward movement, until it runs out of energy, and the backwash is when water runs back down the beach under gravity.
What impact does a constructive wave have on the beach?
Builds the beach up by deposition
What impact does a destructive wave have on the beach?
Wears the beach down by erosion.
What are the properties of a constructive wave?
Strong swash
Weak backwash
Long wave length
Small wave height
What are the properties of a destructive wave?
Weak swash
Strong backwash
Short wave length
Tall wave height
What are marine processes?
The way the sea, specifically waves, erode, transport, and deposit marine material.
What are the three types of marine materials?
Rocks, pebbles, and sand
How are waves formed?
Friction slows down the base of the wave, but the top continues moving fast
This means the circular movement of the wave becomes more elliptical
As the wave slows down the wave length decreases, which causes the wave height to increase
The top of the wave will eventually spill over, causing the wave to break
What is Hydraulic action
The pure force of the water acting on the rock, forcing air and water into the cracks. As more and more waves go in, the cracks get wider and wider, and bits start to break off
What is Abrasion?
When one rock is carried by the water and it smashes against another rock, and breaks it
What is Solution (in erosion)?
When an acid in water dissolves the soluble particles in rock
What is Attrition?
When rocks get fragments smashed off, and slowly get smaller, smoother and more rounded
What is another name for Hydraulic action?
Quarrying
What is Longshore drift?
When marine materials not only get moved up and down the beach, but also get moved along it.
How does Longshore drift work?
Waves transport beach material (rocks, pebbles, or sand) up and down the beach in swash and backwash
They will also very slowly transport things along the beach, because the swash carries material in at an oblique angle, and the backwash will take it straight down
By repeating this process, it moves material along the coastline
What are land processes?
Land processes describe how the coastline is being shaped by physical activity onshore. These are called subaerial processes.
What are subaerial processes?
Processes that occur in the open air.
What are the three main types of land (subaerial) processes?
- Weathering
- Mass movement
- Erosion
What is freeze-thaw weathering?
When water enters a crack, it freezes and expands, causing the crack to widen, and eventually split.
What is biological weathering?
When roots enter a crack in rock, they grow and it causes chunks of rock to break off, one by one.
What types of rock are susceptible to chemical weathering?
Limestone
Chalk
What are the four types of mass movement?
Mudflow
Rotational slip
Rockfall
Landslides
What are the two types of mass movement typically found in soft rock?
Rotational slip
Mudflow
What are the two types of mass movement typically found in hard rock?
Rockfall
Landslide
What is mass movement?
Mass movement is the downhill movement of sediment that moves because of gravity.
What is rockfall?
Bits of rock falling off cliffs due to freeze-thaw weathering (HARD ROCK) Does not necessarily require rainfall.
What is mudflow?
Saturated soil (full of water) flows down a slope (SOFT ROCK). Requires rainfall to occur.
What are landslides?
Large blocks of rock/boulders slide downhill (HARD ROCK). Doesn’t require rainfall.
What is a rotational slip?
Saturated soil (full of water) slumps down a curved surface (SOFT ROCK) Needs rainfall to occur
What is a concordant coastline?
A concordant coastline is when rock outcrops run parallel to the sea, and it produces a straighter coastline.
What is a discordant coastline?
A discordant coastline is when rock outcrops run at a right angle to the sea, and soft rocks get eroded faster, forming headlands and bays.
What is differential erosion?
Soft rocks get eroded faster, and retreat back quicker, forming bays, however hard rock erodes a lot slower, and as the rest retreats quickly and this stays, it forms a headland. This only happens in discordant coastlines.
In what type of coastline does differential erosion take place?
Discordant
How are sea stacks formed?
What are A and B
A: High tide berm
B: Low tide berm
What is a beach cusp?
A small, semi circular indent caused by the movement of the swash and backwash on a beach.
What are ridges and runnels?
At low tide, when water is low, you can see ridges of sand, and a runnel is a water filled trough in between two ridges. These are found between the high tide and low tide berm. (Inter-tidal zone)
How are depositional landforms formed?
They are formed by material from rivers, cliffs and the sea, and by constructive waves.
What is a storm beach?
When a storm launches large rocks up to the top of the beach
What is a beach berm?
The average height of the high and low tide
How is a spit and bar created?
Longshore drift causes the sand/shingle to build up when the coastline changes direction. This creates a spit. If the spit is on a bay, and there is no large river flowing from that bay, the spit may grow further, going across the whole bay, forming a bar.
Outline the difference between a Spit, Bar, Tombolo and Cuspate Foreland.
A spit is a build-up of marine materials where the coastline changes directions, while a bar is an extension of a spit, and stretches across a whole bay. A tombolo is a spit that has reached so far out to sea that it has connected to an island, and a Cuspate Foreland is a triangularly-shaped spit extending out to sea, when longshore drift has come from two different directions. Then, there is a collision between the two drifts, causing the sediment being carried to be deposited.
What is traction?
Traction is when large rocks or boulders are dragged along the sea bed
What is saltation?
Saltation is when smaller rocks or pebbles bounce along the sea bed
What is suspension?
Suspension is when fine pieces of sand or sediment are light enough to be suspended in the water and carried along with the tide
What is solution?
Solution is when particles like salts and minerals are dissolved in sea water, and carried along like that.
Which one of traction, saltation, suspension and solution requires the most energy and why?
I think traction requires the most energy because it is more of a weight to carry along.
How is a sand beach created?
A sand beach is created with destructive waves, and is typically wide and flat because particles are easily carried up and down the beach, causing a gentle profile.
How are shingles beaches created?
Shingle beaches are created with constructive waves, and are narrower or steeper, because it is harder to transport shingle up and down. This is made because a lot of the energy from the wave is lost when the water goes down through the gaps in the pebbles.
What are the three types of mobile sand dunes?
Embryo dune, fore dune, yellow dune
What do you call a sand dune that can be destroyed by a storm?
A mobile dune
What do you call a sand dune that cannot be destroyed by a storm?
Fixed dunes
What two types of dune are fixed dunes?
Grey dunes, mature dunes.
What plants help when creating an embryo dune?
Prickly-salt wort
What plants help when creating a fore dune?
Sea couch plants
Spartina
What plants help when creating a yellow dune?
Marram grass
Spartina
What plants help when creating a grey dune?
Sea Buckthorn
Dewberry
What plants help when creating a mature dune?
Pine trees
Explain the role of vegetation in the formation of a sand dune.
A Prickly-Saltwort helps create an embryo dune when wind carries sand by saltation, but gets slowed down by the Prickly-Saltwort’s leaves, and sand gets deposited at the base of the plant. As this gets continued, an embryo dune is created. Plus, the deep roots keep the dune stable, and its waxy leaves allow it to survive in dry conditions. This then becomes a Fore dune, where Sea couch plants (in addition to spartina) are keeping the dunes in place once sand starts to accumulate. Later, Spartina and marram grass stabilise the dune and trap the sand, causing it to pile up, anchoring the sand. Additionally, it grows really fast, keeping up with the accumulation of sand. This forms a yellow dune. Moving further from the coast, grey dunes are formed, and Sea Buckthorn and Dewberry causes the sand to gain more organic matter and humus, and become more stable. At the very end, a mature dune is formed, and Pine trees are now growing here, enabling the large dune to form further over time.
How is a sand dune formed?
When there is low tide, some of the sand gets blown to the back of the beach
The sand accumulates around a small obstacle, such as a plant – a pioneer species . As more sand gets added, it grows further. As it continues to grow, it becomes more stable. Another dune may develop in front, causing the other one to be more sheltered from the wind, and causing it to move more inland
As this continues, a series of dunes will develop in ridges.
What is plant succession?
The evolution of plants in a given environment where each new species is adapted to the environment
Where may plant succession take place?
In the formation of sand dunes
In saltmarshes
What are the four types of plants in plant succession?
A pioneer species
A long grass type species
A heath type species
A climax species
In plant succession of sand dunes, what is an example of a pioneer species?
Prickly saltwort
In plant succession of sand dunes, what is an example of a long grass type species?
Marram Grass
In plant succession of sand dunes, what is an example of a heath type species?
Sea buckthorn
In plant succession of sand dunes, what is an example of a climax species?
Oak
How does geology affect the shape of the coastline and its cliffs?
Hard or soft rock affect the shape of the coastline because hard rock gets eroded slower than soft rock, causing headlands and bays.
What role can vegetation play in creating erosional and depositional coastal landforms?
Preserves the coastline by accumulating and stabilising deposited material. Can also contribute to biological weathering.
How many years ago was the last glacial maximum?
25,000 years ago
How did the last glacial cycle affect sea levels?
It decreased sea levels, because more water was stored in the ice. When it melted again, water was let back into the sea, causing it to rise again. This is called eustatic change.
What is the difference between a submergent and emergent coastline?
A submergent is when the land falls, flooding the coastline, causing Rias and Fjords, and an emergent coastline is when the land rises, forming raised beaches.
What is an example of a feature on a submergent coastline?
Rias
Fjords
What is an example of a feature on an emergent coastline?
Raised beach
Rias and Fjord are both examples of submergent coastlines, but what is the difference between them?
A Rias is a drowned river valley and a fjord is a drowned glacial valley.
What is a raised beach?
A raised beach is a coastline with a beach that has risen so far up, that there is another small cliff, bordering a second, lower, beach. This is formed by isostatic readjustment.
What is isostatic readjustment?
Isostatic readjustment is when ice was on top of land, pushing it down, but then when the ice melts, it removes downward force, and allows the land to rise again.
Describe the global distribution of coral reefs.
Coral reefs are found between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. One example of this is the coral reefs bordering on Florida. An exception to this is a coral reef on the south coast of Australia.
What conditions are required for the formation of a coral reef?
In order for a coral reef to be formed, the temperature of the sea must be 17-33 Degrees Celsius, there must be salinity levels of 30-38 per thousand and clear water so sunlight can reach it for photosynthesis.
What are the three types of reefs?
Fringing reefs, barrier reefs and atoll reefs.
What is a fringing reef?
Small reefs along the shore, and are often protected by barrier reefs further out.
What is a barrier reef?
They often stretch far out to sea, and tend to be broader, older and more continuous than fringing reefs. They may flank continents.
What are atoll reefs?
The same as barrier reefs in terms of form and species composition, but were formed at the flanks of submerged ocean islands.
What is the meaning of biodiversity?
There is a large number of different species living in a particular habitat.
What is a polyp?
A small invertebrate with an exoskeleton, living within a compact colony.
Describe a polyp’s symbiotic relationship with algae.
Algae lives inside of the polyp, giving it its colour, and the polyp receives energy and nutrients from the algae. In return, the algae can be protected from the dangerous waters.
What is coral bleaching?
When the sea gets too warm, the algae evacuates the polyp, meaning the coral loses its colour. The polyp then dies, as it no longer has access to energy.
Why are coral reefs valuable?
There are many fish, and fish are a source of food and income. Plus, there is opportunity for tourism. Lastly, they are a buffer for storms and are a carbon store.
How can coral reefs be harmed by human activity?
Overfishing
Pearl Harvesting
Pollution
Diving and Boats
Mining
Tourism / Development
Agriculture (herbicides)
How does climate change pose a threat to coral reefs?
When the sea is hotter and the ocean acidifies, it is no longer an environment where the coral can thrive. This means coral bleaching will occur.
How is the Great Barrier Reef under threat?
Climate Change (Coral bleaching)
Coal
Hurricanes
Ports
Crown-of-thorns starfish
What three ways can we use to save coral reefs?
Protecting The Coral
Limiting Human Impact
Educating Stakeholders
What are three ways we are protecting and conserving the great barrier reef?
ReefClean
The stars of reef rehabilitation
Reef fisheries sustainability
Adapt to climate change
Reef water quality
eReefs
Eye on the reef
Sugar Cane Farming
What is the global distribution of mangroves?
Mangroves cover about 25% of the tropical coastline, and stretch just slightly further than the tropics of cancer and Capricorn. The largest area of mangroves being the forest in the bay of Bengal, Bangladesh.
Describe the typical conditions of a mangrove.
There are muddy waters (inter-tidal zone – between low tide and high tide mark), rich in nutrients and with temperatures over 24 Degrees Celsius. They also require 1250 cm of rainfall annually, and are home to a variety of sponges, worms, crustaceans, molluscs and algae.
Outline the ways in which mangroves are valuable.
Mangroves provide large quantities of food and fuel, building materials and medicine. Additionally, mangroves can protect coastlines by absorbing the force of hurricanes, monsoons and storms, and act as natural filters, absorbing nutrients from farming and sewage disposal. They are also a carbon store, and very biodiverse.
Describe how mangroves and coral have a mutually beneficial relationship.
Corals act as a first line of defence against storms and waves, which could harm the mangroves, and they provide the sediment in which mangroves grow. In return, the mangroves filter sediments and agricultural runoff out of the water, which could have harmed the coral.
Why are mangroves under threat?
Rice Paddies
Shrimp farms
Erosion
Aquaculture and Agriculture
Overfishing
Pollution
Deforestation
How much % of mangrove losses are due to conversion to aquaculture and agriculture?
Over 60%
How does protecting mangroves offer a win-win?
By protecting mangroves, it allows the biodiverse ecosystem that lives there to continue thriving. By doing this, we allow sustainable fishing practices to continue, providing us with food and other important resources. Additionally, they act as a storm barrier, which protects us and our homes. The preservation of mangroves allows coastal communities to make more money out of the forest by keeping it alive rather than cutting it down.
What is the Mikoko Pamoja Project?
They conduct health checks on mangroves, looking for signs of new growth and biodiversity.
Where is the Sundarbans Mangrove and how large is it?
6,000 square kilometers around the coastal regions of Bangladesh
How does the forest department protect the sundarban mangroves?
- Give permits to harvest things, but sustainably
- The alternative livelihood program allows people who are forest-dependent to have another source of income
- Smart patrols allow the government to ensure compliance with their goals.
Who is co-managing the sundarban mangroves?
The forest department and the forest-dependent people.
What evidence is there that the co-management of the sundarban mangroves is working?
Through the health of the forest and the creatures that live there, and the amount of carbon stored.
What is a salt marsh?
A low-lying coast wetland, which is flooded and drained by salt water brought in by the tides. They are very fertile ecosystems, and are created by vegetation succession.
Where are salt marshes found (in relation to tides)?
The inter-tidal zone
Why do tides help salt marshes form?
The tides supply mud.
What conditions are required to form salt marshes?
- Sheltered locations/low energy environments (eg behind a spit, in river estuaries)
- High oxygen content
- High nutrient/light availability
- Halophytic (deep rooted plants, and plants need the ability to extract nitrogen straight from the air)
What is a pioneer plant when establishing a saltmarsh?
Eelgrass
What plant helps build up a salt marsh?
Spartina
What does Spartina do when establishing a salt marsh?
Helps the marsh build up and form creeks.
What plant helps form the salt marsh climax?
Sea Lavendar.
What services do salt marshes offer?
- Protection from coastal flooding and erosion
- Grazing/food for animals
- Refuge/nurseries
- Residential/agricultural development, marinas, tourist resorts
What are threats to salt marshes?
- Coastal development – noise and light pollution
- Eutrophication – excess nitrogen and phosphorus
- Industries and vehicles – release of heavy metals
- Pesticides and insecticides – salt marshes store pollutants
- Roads
- Invasive species – where flooding has been eliminated
- Drainage of salt marshes – to control mosquitos, leads to a decline in biodiversity
How are salt marshes formed?
Salt marshes are found behind spits in low energy conditions. As the tide comes in it brings mud with it. The mud is trapped by plants such as eel grass and spartina. Each tide brings a new layer of mud, and gradually marshland is established. Vegetation succession allows the marsh to build up, with plants like sea couch grass and reeds, stabilising the marsh. Creeks allow tidal water to drain in and out providing a constant source of mud.
What is an abiotic feature of an ecosystem?
One which is not living.
What is a biotic feature of an ecosystem?
One which is living.
What is nutrient cycling?
The transfer of nutrients around the stores of an ecosystem.
What is the biomass of an ecosystem?
The living matter / the biotic factors.
What is the litter of an ecosystem?
When nutrients are released as a result of the death of biomass.
What are the three stores in a nutrient cycle?
- Sea water / Mud / Sand
- Biomass
- Litter
How are nutrients transferred between the stores in a nutrient cycle?
- Uptake (abiotic -> biomass)
- Fallout (biomass -> litter)
- Release (litter -> abiotic)
How do nutrients get input to a nutrient cycle?
- Outside the ecosystem
- From rivers and eroded rock
How do nutrients get lost from a nutrient cycle?
- Evaporation
- Ocean currents
How are nutrients transferred? (Extended paragraph answer)
To get the nutrients from sea water to biomass, the nutrients are taken up by organisms. Next, they fallout as organisms die and becomes litter. The nutrients are then released back into the sea water as the litter decomposes. Sources of nutrients are from outside the ecosystem, from rivers and eroded rock. Nutrients can be lost by ocean currents and evaporation.
What is a scavenger in a coral reef ecosystem?
Sea Cucumber
What is a producer in a coral reef ecosystem?
Algae
Coral
What is a consumer in a coral reef ecosystem?
Coral
Octopus
Grouper
Parrot fish
How do nutrients get transferred within the biomass of a nutrient cycle?
Through the food chain
In what ways are coasts important to people?
Recreation and leisure
Historical and cultural significance
Sources of income (Tourism, Agriculture, Trade and industry)
Environmental services (Carbon stores, Protection from storms, Protection from coastal erosion)
What are the stakeholders of coasts?
Tourists, Industrialists, Farmers, Fishers, Property Owners and Conservationists
What is the main conflict in coastlines?
Tourism vs Industry
What do tourists want from coastlines?
To tourists, the most important thing is looking nice- clean beaches.
What do industrialists want from coastlines?
Space to be able to build new houses, hotels and roads. Access to ports and disposal of waste.
What do farmers want from coastlines?
Space to be able to plant their goods to grow and sell or eat. Access to freshwater and freedom to use fertilisers.
What do fishers want from coastlines?
Want fish to be able to sell them and increase their income. Large stock and space for processing.
What do property owners want from coastlines?
Good industry so they can easily buy groceries and access to heat, water and electricity. Buildings protected from erosion and flooding.
What do conservationists want from coastlines?
As much of the natural world as possible to be safe from destruction. Preservation of nature
How do coastal ecosystems benefit us socially?
Giving protection from storms and opportunities for leisure.
How do coastal ecosystems benefit us economically?
Provides sources of income such as tourism, agriculture and fishing.
How do coastal ecosystems benefit us environmentally?
Are carbon stores and protect from coastal erosion.
What are the main causes of flooding?
Weather events/ Tsunamis/ Storm surges
Climate change
Subsidence
How do weather events/tsunamis cause flooding?
Local and periodic sea level rise happens because of storm surges or tectonic activity. This pushes water in land, submerging low lying areas.
How does climate change cause flooding?
Global and long-term sea level rise happens because of global warming melting ice caps. This has already submerged some low-lying areas. Climate change is also creating some more intense tropical storms with higher storm surges.
What is subsidence?
The land in some coastal areas is sinking because of groundwater, oil and gas abstraction and delta compaction from urban development.
How does subsidence cause flooding?
Lower-lying land is more prone to being flooded.
What is industrialisation?
The process of building more factories and power stations as more economic activity in the secondary sector occurs.
What is urbanisation?
The process of more people living in towns and cities rather than rural areas.
What can be monitored to help predict the likelihood of a flooding event?
The predicted weather, especially in areas prone to hurricanes
The day-to-day rainfall that particular area is experiencing
Local and periodic increase in sea level
What technology is used to help predict the likelihood of a flooding event?
Satellite tracking of low pressure weather events.
How can forecasting and prediction help to limit the impact of flooding events?
People can prepare, and protect their houses, to minimize damage. People can also evacuate.
In high risk areas how can planning and building design be used to limit the impact of flooding events?
You can raise your houses, so they don’t sit on sea level to minimize damage to your furniture.
Why is Jakarta experiencing subsidence?
A lot of groundwater is being extracted daily, and the heavy buildings are weighing down on the ground, causing the land to sink. In addition, the sea levels are rising, drowning the city.
What is the consequence of subsidence in Jakarta?
The northern part of the city is located next to the java sea is very vulnerable to sea flooding.
What is the consequence of high tide in Jakarta?
Jakarta experiences high tides and storm surge conditions which result in periodic and local rises in sea level.
Where is Jakarta?
Capital city of indonesia.
What sea is Jakarta next to?
Java sea
Jakarta is a “mega city in a developing country”. What does this mean?
The city is quite industrial, compared to the rest of the country. Additionally, the city’s population is growing rapidly, in comparison to the rest of Indonesia.
What is a consequence of mangrove loss in Jakarta?
Jakarta was once protected by mangrove but much of this has been lost through deforestation meaning the city is not protected naturally from storm surge.
What is a consequence of monsoons in Jakarta?
Jakarta experiences intense rainfall events which fill its rivers and drainage canals very quickly owing to the impermeable urban environment. When this combines with high tides or storm surges the rivers and canals cannot discharge into the sea and so flood the city.
What is a consequence of climate change in Jakarta?
Global sea levels are rising and the intensity of tropical storms is increasing (so storm surges are higher and rainfall events more intense)
What are the impacts of flooding in Jakarta?
Death
Loss of belongings
Disruption of normal life
Increased level of disease - cross-contamination
When were the last two big floods in Jakarta?
2007, 2013
How does Jakarta respond to flooding?
Flood control centre provides early warning
Evacuation zones and shelters are created
Relocating informal housing
Sea wall, dredging canals are made
Why do poor people in informal housing in Jakarta suffer the most from flooding?
The poorest people in the city live in cheap houses right next to the dredging canals. These are more likely to flood, and their houses are more likely to be destroyed, and they have the least amount of money to bounce back afterwards. Additionally, they usually work on the streets. When these get flooded, they may lose their income for multiple days at a time. Richer people, however, still get their regular monthly income.
What is a sediment cell?
A section of coastline
How many sediment cells are there in england?
Eleven
What is a shoreline management plan?
An attempt to manage the coastline sustainably by protecting an area of coastline without creating problems elsewhere.
What are the four main options for the shoreline management plan?
Hold the line
Advance the line
Managed realignment
No active interventions
What are the two main management strategies?
Hard and soft management
What is the difference between hard and soft management strategies?
Hard engineering uses artificial structures to reduce the potential for erosion, while soft engineering works with nature to protect the coast.
What are the four types of soft management?
Beach replenishment
Ecosystem rehabilitation and revegetation
Managed retreat
Do nothing
NOTE: If you get this card, go to the table in class notebook to revise pros and cons.
What are the seven types of hard management?
Sea wall
Revetments
Gabions
Groynes
Rock armour
Cliff drainage
Cliff regrading
NOTE: If you get this card, go to the table in class notebook to revise pros and cons.
What are the typical costs and benefits of managing the coastline?
They are usually relatively cheap, and prevent too much longshore drift and coastal erosion from occurring.
How do sand dunes protect the coastline from storms?
They act as natural barriers against storm surges and high waves, absorbing wave energy.
Why is Marram Grass well adapted to the sand dunes?
Its root systems help to stabilise sand allowing the sand dunes to grow.
How are sand dunes being damaged by invasive species (Sea Buckthorn) and people?
Sea buckthorn is taking up space and minerals from the soil to grow, not allowing other plants to do so too, and people are killing plants by stepping on them and this makes the sand get loose.
Why do damaged sand dunes increase the risk of flooding?
Dunes provide a layer of defense, plus are raised, so when water can flow past it it increases the risk of flooding.
How can boardwalks and fencing help to protect rehabilitate sand dune?
The boardwalks prevent people from walking on and damaging the vegetation that is holding the sand dune, and the fencing ensures nobody goes off the boardwalks onto the sand dunes.
What are the benefits of sand dune regeneration?
Provides a barrier
Absorbs wave energy
Natural-looking coastline
Increases biodiversity
Relatively cheap
How does beach nourishment help to protect and enhance sand dunes and so protect the coastline?
Protects the coast from erosion and storm waves by building sand dunes on beaches.
What factors affect the cost of beach nourishment?
Project size
Transport distance
Sediment characteristics
Why is there a “hold the line” policy of coastal management in Northern Somerset?
How does rip help protect the coastline?
How does rock armour and a sea wall work together to protect the coastline?
How does the recurved sea wall protect Burnham on Sea?
What are the advantages of gabions over a sea wall?
Why should hard engineering be regarded as a last resort?
Who are the stakeholders involved in the conflict on Studland beach?
Tourists (Walkers, nudists sailors, swimmers, dog walkers, families)
Fishers
Industrialists
Farmers
How is conflict on studland beach being managed?
The national trust introduced zones within the coastline to identify which activities can be carried out in which area. They also created boardwalks to protect sand dunes. Car parks are on opposite ends of the beach, so people usually stay close to their cars and the area in the middle can be a nature reserve.
Why is the holderness coastline eroding?
Made of soft rock
Narrow beaches don’t reduce wave energy
Groynes reduce longshore drift which means new sand cannot come to fill in the gaps.
Waves have a long fetch and are powerful
Why has the management plan for the holderness coastline caused conflict?
Caused loss of homes and farms
Placement of management strategies (if it doesn’t protect their homes)
Negatively impacts tourism and economic advancement
