coastal management - lyme regis

Question 1

coastal management benefits

Answer 1

maintains balance between the forces of nature and demands of people
protects from erosion and flooding

Question 2

coastal management costs

Answer 2

coastal defenses becoming more expensive
increasing costs may outweigh benefits
less common because are expensive and have high maintenance costs, interfere with natural coastal processes and can cause destructive knock-on effects elsewhere - for example, altering wave patterns along coast leading to new problems (e.g. cliff collapse), looks unnatural

Question 3

hard engineering

Answer 3

using artificial structures to control natural processes

Question 4

groynes

Answer 4

timber/rock structures built out to sea from the coast, trap sediment moved by longshore drift, enlarges beach which acts as a buffer to reduce wave damage
£150000 for every 200m

Question 5

groynes advanatges

Answer 5

creates wider beach, popular with tourists
provides useful structures for people interested in fishing
less expensive than other methods

Question 6

groynes disadvantages

Answer 6

interrupts longshore drift so starves beaches further along the coast, leading to increased rates of erosion elsewhere, problem shifted rather than solved
unnatural - can be viewed as unattractive

Question 7

rock armour

Answer 7

piles of large boulders dumped at foot of cliff, forces waves to break, absorbs energy and protects cliffs
£200000 per 100m

Question 8

rock armour advantages

Answer 8

relatively cheap and easy to maintain
can provide interest to the coast
often used for fishing

Question 9

rock armour disadvantages

Answer 9

rocks are usually from other parts of coastline or even abroad
can be expensive to transport
often do not fit in with the local geology
can be very obtrusive

Question 10

gabions

Answer 10

wire cages filled with rocks that can be built up to support a cliff or provide a buffer against the sea
up to £50000 per 100m

Question 11

gabions advantages

Answer 11

cheap to produce and flexible in the final design
can improve drainage of cliffs
can eventually become vegetated and merge into the landscape

Question 12

gabions disadvantages

Answer 12

for a while they look very unattractive
cages only last 5-10 years before they rust

Question 13

sea wall

Answer 13

concrete or rock barrier against the sea, placed at the foot of cliffs or at the top of beach, often has curved face to reflect the waves back into sea
£5000-£10000 per metre

Question 14

sea wall advanatges

Answer 14

effective at stopping the sea
often has a walkway or promenade for people to walk alongs

Question 15

sea wall disadvantages

Answer 15

can look obtrusive and unnatural
very expensive and high maintenance costs

Question 16

soft engineering

Answer 16

try to work with natural coastal processes, tend to be cheaper than hard engineering but may require more maintenance, generally more sustainable and are often preferred option for coastal management now

Question 17

beach nourishment

Answer 17

addition of sand or shingle to an existing beach to make it higher or wider, sediment usually obtained offshore locally to it blends in with existing beach material
up to £500000 per 100m

Question 18

beach nourishment advantages

Answer 18

blends in with existing beach
increases tourist potential by creating a bigger beach

Question 19

beach nourishment disadvantages

Answer 19

needs constant maintenance unless structures there to retain beach
expensive

Question 20

dune regeneration

Answer 20

marram grass planted to stabilise dunes (effective buffers) and help them develop, fences used to keep people off newly planted grass
£200-£2000 per 100m

Question 21

dune regeneration advantages

Answer 21

maintains natural coastal environment that is popular with people and wildlife
relatively cheap

Question 22

dune regeneration disadvantages

Answer 22

time-consuming to plant marram grass and fence areas off
people don’t always respond well to being prohibited from accessing planted areas
can be damaged by storms

Question 23

dune fencing

Answer 23

constructed on sandy beach along seaward face of existing dunes to encourage new dune formation - help to protect existing dunes
£400-£2000 per 100m

Question 24

dune fencing advantages

Answer 24

minimal impact on natural systems
can control public access to protect other ecosystems

Question 25

dune fencing disadvantages

Answer 25

can be unsightly especially if fences become broken
regular maintenance needed especially after storms

Question 26

managed retreat

Answer 26

deliberate policy of allowing the sea to flood or erode an area of relatively low-value land, form of soft engineering
doesn’t need large sums of money, becoming increasingly popular as sea levels rise

Question 27

coastal monitoring, management and adaptation

Answer 27

no active intervention - do nothing, no current plans to build defences
hold the line - maintain the current defences
advance the line - increase coastal defences to extend coastline out to sea
managed retreat
driven by costs and benefits, only areas of high value land protected by costly engineering

Question 28

lyme regis

Answer 28

small coastal town on south coast of england, heart of the world heritage site known as Jurassic Coast, famous for fossils, popular tourist destination

Question 29

reasons for management in lyme regis

Answer 29

much of the town built on unstable cliffs
coastline is eroding more rapidly than any in europe due to powerful waves from south west, many properties destroyed or damaged, sea walls have been breached many times

Question 30

coastal management in lyme regis

Answer 30

new sea wall and promenade constructed to east of mouth of river lym, wide sand and shingle beach, extension of rock armour, constructed new 390m sea wall in front of existing wall

Question 31

lyme regis coastal management positives

Answer 31

new beaches have increased visitor numbers and sea front businesses are thriving
new defences have stood up to recent stormy winters
harbour is now better protected, benefitting boat owners and fishermen

Question 32

lyme regis coastal management negatives

Answer 32

increased visitor numbers led to conflicts with some local people who think traffic congestion and litter have increased
some people think new defences have spoilt natural coastal landscape
new sea wall may interfere with coastal processes and affect neighbouring stretches of coastline, causing conflicts
stabilising cliffs will prevent landslips that may reveal important fossils - potential conflict