Coastline realignment in Medmerry Flashcards
Why was it needed?
-area of South East England most at risk of flooding due to climate change
The only protection from the sea was…
shingle ridge.
Beach reprofiling took…
place every winter, costing around 200,000 pounds. This was very unsustainable.
Last breach(trhlina) in…
2008 caused 5 million pounds of damage.
Medmerry in…
West Sussex is the largest managed coastal realignment scheme in Europe.
Work started in…
2011 and was completed in 2014.
Building a new…
embankment, up to 2 km from the shore, using clay. It enclosed the future intertidal area and protected the properties behind.
Behind the embankment…
a channel was built along its whole length to collect draining water.
Rock armour was placed on the…
seaward edges of the embankment.
Once the embankment and rock armour were in place…
a 110m beach was made to flood the land to create a new intertidal area.
Positive results (social)
- provides the best level of protection in the UK (1 to 1000 chance of flooding)
- maintenance track behind the embankment provides footpaths and bike baths
Positive results (Economic)
- tourism has increased
- the newly flooded area became an important fishing nursery that will boost the local fishing industry
Positive results (Environmental)
- 300 hectares of new intertidal habitats, forming salt marshes
- designers were able to make sure that existing species are protected
Negative results (Social)
- the flooded land should be preserved
- some people oppose the area where all the investment went since it is a sparsely populated area
Negative results(Economic)
-very expensive cost 28 million pounds
-loss of good agricultural land
-3 farms had to be abandoned
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