Coastal Managment Flashcards
Causes of human intervention
To reduce rates of erosion
Limit chances of coastal floods
Protect coastal habitats
What % of people live on coast
50% of people live within 60km of a coast
What % of large cities on a coast
75%
Agencies criteria for what area is at risk
Number of houses at risk
Impact on agriculture
Impact on environment and habitat
Affect on local transport and infrastructure
Cost
Traditional approach
Tackle small sections of the coast to stop or slow down erosion
Uses hard and soft engineering
Sustainable approaches
Are more holistic and have a long view goal
Aims to consider the whole coastline
Groynes
Structures built at right angles to the coast. They trap sediment being moved by long shore drift
Advantages - work w natural processes to build up the beach - not too expensive
Disadvantages - starve the beach further along the coast of fresh sediment - un natural
Sea walls
Walls at the foot of the cliff that are curved and reflect waves back to sea
Advantages- effective prevention of erosion - have promenade for people to walk on
Disadvantages - expensive to maintain and build - un natural looking
Rock armour
Large rocks placed at the foot of a cliff which absorb wave energy
Advantages- relatively cheap - often used for recreational purposes e.g. fishing
Disadvantages- can be intrusive - can look out of place
Revetments
Sloping structures placed at the foot of a cliff which break up waves energy
Advantages- relatively cheap
Disadvantages - need high levels of maintenance
Offshore breakwater
A partly submerged rock used to break waves before they reach the coast
Advantages - an effective permeable barrier
Disadvantages - visually unappealing
Beach nourishment
The addition of extra sand or pebbles to make a beach wider or taller
Advantages- cheap and easy to maintain - looks natural
Disadvantages- needs constant maintenance
Cliff regrading and drainage
Reduces the angle of a cliff to stabilise it
Advantages - can be effective on clay or loose rock where other methods don’t work - cost effective
Disadvantages- causes the cliff to retreat - can lead to rock fall
Dune stabilisation
Marram grass can be planted to stabilise dunes - fences can be placed to reduce tramping
Advantages- maintains a natural coastal environment- relatively cheap and sustainable
Disadvantages- time consuming - people may respond negatively to being kept of areas
Marsh creation
A form of managed retreat by allowing low lying areas to flood
Advantages - relatively cheap - creates a important habitat
Disadvantages- agricultural land is lost - farmers need to be compensated
When were shoreline management plans introduced
In 1995 Shoreland Management Plans were introduced to move away from a piecemeal approach to a more integrated approach to coastal management
How many smps are there in uk
There are 22 SMPs around the coast of England and Wales covering the 11 sediment cells.
Aims of smps
Each SMP is based on the principle that intervention is largely self-contained within each cell, having little or no knock-on effects elsewhere.
Smps plan for the …
short term (0-20 years), the medium term (20-50 years) and the long term (50-100 years).
Four smp management options
o Hold the line – when measures are put in place to stop further coastal retreat due to erosion (often using hard engineering strategies).
o Advance the line – this involves extending the coastline further from the existing shore out to sea (by encouraging the build-up of a wider beach, using beach nourishment and groyne construction).
o Managed retreat – when coastlines are allowed to retreat in a managed way, for example when flood banks protecting low value farmland are deliberately breached to create salt- marsh environments.
o Do nothing/no active intervention – this involves putting no management schemes in place and allowing natural processes to take their course.
Idea begin the ICZM
is to consider the whole coastal zone
