Coastal Soft Engineering Flashcards
What does soft engineering mean?
Works with natural processes and material, strategies to adapt to sea level change as well as coastal erosion, such as through the development of marshes etc
Explain beach nourishment/replenishment:
How it works = adding sand or shingle to a beach to widen it creates more surface area to absorb wave energy, Advantages = looks very natural, bigger beaches are good for tourism, relatively inexpensive, disadvantages = material is constantly subject to erosion and LSD so lots of maintenance is needed, dredging the seabed can have impacts on local ecosystems
Explain cliff regrading and drainage:
How it works = reducing the angle of the cliff to stabilise the slope, cria be of water also stabilises the cliff against mass movement, Advantages = cost-effective, Disadvantages = can look unnatural as the cliff is unnaturally flatter, this effectively creates a cliff retires, dried out cliffs can collapse so dangerous
Explain dune stabilisation:
How it works = planting species like marram grass so that the roots bind the dunes, the dunes absorb wave energy and protect the land behind them, Advantages = cheap and sustainable, creates habitats for wildlife, maintains a natural environment, Disadvantages = people walk on the dunes and damage them, planting time is consuming and it takes time for plant species to become established
Explain marsh creation:
How it works = form of no active intervention or managed retreat, land is allowed to be flooded by the sea and then left to become a salt marsh, this absorbs wave energy and also creates a buffer to rising sea levels, Advantages = cheap, creates important and unique wildlife habitats, Disadvantages = agricultural land is lost which creates a need for more maintanenece
What is hold the line?
Maintaining the position of the coastline using mostly hard engineering methods
What is advance the line?
Extending the coastline out to sea by building up the beach and land reclamation
What is managed retreat?
Deliberate flooding of particular areas ro manage the coastal retreat
Do nothing/no active intervention?
Doing nothing, letting nature take its course
