Coastal management

Question 1

what are the different types of coastal management?

Answer 1

-hard engineering
-soft engineering

Question 2

what are the different types of hard engineering?

Answer 2

-sea walls
-groynes
-rock armour
-gabions

Question 3

describe sea walls

Answer 3

a wall made out of a hard material like concrete that reflects waves back to the sea, placed at the top of the beach or the foot of the cliffs

Question 4

describe groynes

Answer 4

timber or rock structures built out to sea from the coast (at right angles), they trap sediment being moved along by longshore drift

Question 5

describe rock armour

Answer 5

pieces of large boulders dumped at the foot of the cliff, rocks force waves to break, absorbing their energy and protecting the cliffs

Question 6

describe gabions

Answer 6

wire cages filled with rocks that can be built up to support a cliff or provide a buffer against the sea

Question 7

what are the benefits of sea walls?

Answer 7

-effective against erosion
-gives a sense of security against flooding
-often has walkway or promenade for people to walk along

Question 8

what are the benefits of groynes?

Answer 8

-creates a wider beach which slows the waves, giving more protection which is beneficial for the tourists
-not too expensive
-useful structures for fishing

Question 9

what are the benefits of rock armour?

Answer 9

-cheap and easy to maintain
-quick to build
-absorb wave energy so reduces erosion and flooding
-versatile

Question 10

what are the benefits of gabions?

Answer 10

-cheap to produce
-flexible to design
-can improve drainage of cliffs
-will eventually merge into landscape

Question 11

what are the costs of sea walls?

Answer 11

-looks unnatural
-very expensive and high maintenance
-can impede access to the coast
-can create a strong backwash which erodes under the wall

Question 12

what are the costs of groynes?

Answer 12

-interruption of longshore drift, causes erosion elsewhere
-look unattractive
-stops people walking on the beach

Question 13

what are the costs of rock armour?

Answer 13

-can be expensive to transport
-doesn’t fit with local geology
-obtrusive
-access to the beach can be difficult
-can be moved by strong waves

Question 14

what are the costs of gabions?

Answer 14

-unattractive
-only lasts 5-10 years
-can only be used on sandy beaches as shingle will damage them

Question 15

what are the types of soft engineering?

Answer 15

-beach nourishment
-beach re-profiling
-sand dune regeneration
-managed retreat / coastal realignment

Question 16

describe beach nourishment

Answer 16

-adding sand or shingle to an existing beach to make it higher or wider
-sediment usually obtained locally

Question 17

what’s beach recharge?

Answer 17

material from the seabed

Question 18

what’s beach recycling?

Answer 18

material moved from down a drift area and returning it up drift

Question 19

describe beach re-profiling

Answer 19

-artificial reshaping of the beach using existing beach material
-in winter beach is lowered by destructive waves, so bulldozers move material back up the beach after winter storms

Question 20

describe sand dune regeneration

Answer 20

-artificial creation of new sand dunes or the restoration of existing dunes
-sand dunes are buffers to the sea but are easily damaged and destroyed by trampling
-marram grass is planted to stabilise dunes and fences are used to keep people of newly planted areas

Question 21

what are the benefits of beach nourishment?

Answer 21

-fewer waves reach the back of beach, reducing erosion
-cheap and easy to maintain
-blends in with beach
-increases tourist potential by creating a bigger beach

Question 22

what are the benefits of beach re-profiling?

Answer 22

-creates larger beach to be a buffer between land and sea
-beach looks natural

Question 23

what are the benefits of sand dune regeneration?

Answer 23

-sand dunes provide a barrier between land and sea
-maintains a natural coastline environment, popular with people and wildlife
-cheap and usually volunteer labour

Question 24

what are the costs of beach nourishment?

Answer 24

-needs constant maintenance
-taking material from the seabed can kill organisms

Question 25

what are the costs of beach-reprofiling?

Answer 25

-bulldozers restrict beach access
-steep high crested beach may look unnatural and uninviting to tourists
-expensive

Question 26

what are the costs of sand dune regeneration?

Answer 26

-time consuming to plant marram
-people don’t respond well to being prohibited from access to areas
-can be easily damaged by storms

Question 27

describe managed retreat

Answer 27

-deliberate policy of allowing the sea to flood or erode an area of relatively low-value land
-allows natural processes to take place and does not intervene

Question 28

what are the benefits of managed retreat?

Answer 28

-reduce risk of flooding of areas further along the coast
-cheaper
-creates new habitats

Question 29

what are the costs of managed retreat?

Answer 29

-relocation of people
-conflict over what land is allowed to flood
-short term costs may be high due to compensation
-land and habitats lost