Coasts Case Studies Flashcards
Example of a CASS sequence?
Old Harry - Jurrasic Coast
Made of chalk - Hydraulic action
Example of a barrier beach with Sand Dunes and Salt Marshes?
Ria Formosa Natural Park - Faro, Portugal
Formed by constructive waves, LSD and marram grass.
Example of a UK sand dune?
Studland Bay
Dune specialist - Marram Grass. Acidic sand with very low shell content.
Also has offshore bars / barrier beaches
Concordant AND Discordant coastline?
** (Dorset Coast, UK)**
Concordant: Lulworth Cove (erosion through softer limestone layers).
Discordant: Swanage Bay (headlands and bays due to alternating rock types).
Example of a spit?
Spurn head
Example of “Cells”
The Gower, Wales
Sand dunes and Salt marhes.
Peninsula of South Wales
River Severn Estuary is an input.
Coastal management case study?
Holderness Coast - retreating at a rate of two metres every year.
Rapid erosion due to soft boulder clay cliffs, powerful waves from North Sea providing threats to nearby towns like Mappleton.
- Groynes (Mappleton) – Traps sediment to build beaches but causes erosion further south.
- Sea Walls (Withernsea) – Protects cliffs but is expensive.
Beach nourishment (every year) in Hornsea have saved carparks / roads and over 50 properties at risk on the Coastline.
There has also been managed retreat around Spurn Head as the land isn’t as valuable.
Example of a dalmatian coast?
Dalmatian Coasts (Croatia) – Formed by submergent landscapes where anticlines and synclines create a series of islands.
Example of a Haff Coast/
✅ Haff Coasts (Poland & Baltic Coastline) – Created by long, shallow lagoons behind spits.
Example of a Tombolo?
Bigbury Beach
Case study for variations in erosion rate
Holderness Coast - 1.25m a year but varies from 0 - 11m along the coastline.
Hornsea, Mappleton and withernsea have coastal defenses stopping erosion.
However, these defences have starved places further south of sediment as groynes have interrupted LSD and trapped sediment.
There is also variations in the strength of the boulder clay, and some cliffs are more suseptible to mass movement.
How do Subaerial processes affect Holderness?
The cliffs at Holderness are affected by weathering and mass movement.
Only Flamborough is affected by Chemical Weathering. Mechanical and biological weathering are far more significant along the coast. Especially freeze thaw.
Slumping is the main form of mass movement.
Who and what are the actions of the different players at Holderness?
Government - Enviromental agency set out budgets
Local Government - Responsible for mangement, cuts in 2010
Stakeholders in the local economy - Tourism want more spending, Farmers wnant more spending, Residents want more spending, Insurance companies are refusing to insure vulnerable properties.
Enviromental Stakeholders - Charities like the RSPB want to protect Spurn head so continuing flow of sand southwards by LSD remains strong. This protects the mudfalts in the Humber Estuary essential for wildlife.
Describe the Nile River Delta Case Study?
The Nile Delta is a depositional landform that has been formed by sediment brought down to the Nile by annual floods.
The Delta has been retreating since the Aswan dam was built in the 60s - 200m a year as sediment volumes have fallen massively (130M tonnes to 15M tonnes)
Mangrove Restoration / Conservation.
Since 2001, Trinidad and Tobago has had in place a National Policy and Programmes on Wetland Conservation. This includes the concept of “no net loss” of wetlands
Impact of flooding on Bangladesh?
Country at most risk to sea level rise flooding.
Storm surges have reached 100km inland.
Up to 50% of farmland will be lost by 2080 at this rate.
Saltwater incursion is affecting the drinking water of 20m people.
In 1995 Bhola island was submerged, displacing 500,000 people.
Kiribat Case Study
100% of population live within 1km of coast
less than 4m above sea level
“migration with dignity”
3 of its 33 islands have been completley submerged.
Tuvalu Case Study
Minister delivers speech knee deep in water to COP26.
“We are sinking, but so is everyone else” - in 100 years at this rate they will be submerged.
Social AND economic cost regarding flooding in the UK?
Up to 200,000 properties will be at risk by 2050 in the UK
Average £damages£ in the UK from coastal flooding a year?
Average damages in the UK from coastal flooding is £120 million a year
Infrastructure damage in the UK as a result of coastal flooding?
91 sewage treatment works in the UK have been identified as at serious risk from coastal flooding.
Storm Xavier?
2013 Storm ‘Xavier’ developed off the south-east coast of Greenland
As the storm moved south-east, it generated a 2m storm surge in the North Sea.
It combined with the spring tide and northerly wind, leading to the worst coastal flooding in the UK since 1953.
There were at least 50 breaches of natural and human built defences around the UK coastline, with the flooding affecting:
- 1,400 homes and 1,000 businesses
- 3,200 hectares of farmland
- 10,000 people were evacuated
It is estimated that 800,000 homes and businesses were protected by flood defences during the event
Why is Bangladesh prone to economic and social losses?
Bangladesh is particularly vulnerable to coastal flooding because:
- More than 50% of the land is less than 8 meters above sea level
- The coastline is over 600km long
- Tropical cyclones and storms are common
Why is Philipenes prone to Coastal Flooding?
The Philippines see an average of 9 tropical cyclones making landfall each year.Sea level rise is three times the global average in some areas of the country.
Cyclone Sidr?
In 2007 Bangladesh was hit by Cyclone Sidr
The accompanying storm surge reached 6m high in some areas
- Over 3,400 deaths / 55,000 injured
- Total economic losses were estimated to be US$2.31 billion
- Roads, bridges and other infrastructure suffered significant damage
Typhoon Haiyan?
In 2013, Super Typhoon Haiyan, made landfall
- The accompanying storm surge reached 5-6m
- US$13 billion economic losses
- 1.1 million homes destroyed
- 4 million people displaced
- 6201 deaths
- 28,626 injuries
- 175,000 acres of farmland worth US$85 million was damaged
What is an overlying stat for sea level rises impact on people?
The WB estimates that up to 140 million people could be displaced by sea level rise in the next 30 years (by 2050)
How are the Maldives (SIDS) adapting to Sea Level Rise?
Limited space for relocation - in the Maldives they are building an artificial island (Hulhumale) for relocating some of the population
Bangladesh / Enviromental Refugees?
In Bangladesh alone it is estimated that loss of land due to sea level rise and increased coastal erosion could lead to 20 million environmental refugees
