Coastal management strategies Flashcards
What is a sea wall?
Made out of hard material like concrete, reflects waves back to sea
Advantages of a sea wall
Prevents erosion of coast, acts as a barrier to prevent flooding
Disadvantages of a sea wall
Expensive to build/maintain and creates strong backwash that erodes under the wall
What is a Gabion
wall of wire cages filled with rocks, built at the foot of cliffs
Advantages of gabion
cheap and easy to build, absorbs wave enrgy
Disadvantages of a gabion
ugly, wire cages can corrode overtime
What is rock armour
Boulders piled up along coast
Advantages of rock armour
Create wider beaches, slow waves and cheap
Disadvantages of rock armour
Boulders can be moved with strong waves and need to be replaced
What are groins
Wooden/stone fences built at right angles to coast, trap material transported by longshore drift
Advantages of groins
Create wider beaches and slow waves and cheap
Disadvantages of groins
Starve beaches, making them narrow narrow beaches don’t protect coast well leading to greater erosion
What is beach nourishment
Sand replenished on upper part of beach from lower part of beach or seabed
Advantages of beach nourishment
Creates wider beaches which slow waves
Disadvantages of beach nourishment
Takes material from seabed therefore killing organisms, expensive has to be repeated
