Coasts Case Studies

Question 1

How many littoral zones (cells) are England and Wales divided into?

Answer 1

11 littoral zones

Question 2

What percentage of the UK coastline is made of cliffs?

Answer 2

About 1000km

Question 3

By how much did the north of the UK sink during the ice age?

Answer 3

Up to half a kilometer

Question 4

What significant geographical feature was formed at Lulworth Cove and Worbarrow Bay?

Answer 4

Marine erosion has broken through resistant beds

Question 5

At what angle do the strata meet the coast along the West Cork coastline?

Answer 5

90 degrees

Question 6

What tectonic event occurred in Japan in 2011?

Answer 6

Tectonic uplift due to isostatic change

Question 7

During which geological period did the Croatian Dalmatian coastline drown?

Answer 7

Holocene

Question 8

What was the sea level rise created by the ice age 12,000 years ago?

Answer 8

35m sea level rise

Question 9

Where are Haff coastlines typically found?

Answer 9

Southern fringes of the Baltic Sea

Question 10

What is the wave fetch of Cornwall?

Answer 10

Over 4000km

Question 11

How old are the oldest sand dunes in Britain?

Answer 11

5000-6000 years old

Question 12

Where do rotational scars occur?

Answer 12

Holderness coast, Lyme Bay

Question 13

What is the current rate of sea level rise?

Answer 13

3.3mm per year

Question 14

Without the natural greenhouse effect, what would the Earth’s temperature be?

Answer 14

-19 degrees

Question 15

How many people live on coasts that are 10-20 feet above sea level?

Answer 15

More than 600 million people

Question 16

How much has Manhattan spent to protect their coastline?

Answer 16

$10 billion

Question 17

How many houses are projected to be prone to chronic flooding by 2025 in the US?

Answer 17

311,000 houses

Question 18

What risk does Florida face regarding sea level rise?

Answer 18

8500 miles of coastline and located on a peninsula

Question 19

What are the social impacts of rising sea levels in Florida?

Answer 19

Rapid inward migration, increased flooding causing damage to infrastructure and vehicles

Question 20

What is the predicted sea level rise in Florida?

Answer 20

6 and ½ feet

Question 21

What are the economic impacts of sea level rise in Florida?

Answer 21

Expected to lose $619 billion this century

Question 22

What is Bangladesh particularly prone to?

Answer 22

Flooding

Question 23

What are the social impacts of sea level rise in Bangladesh?

Answer 23

Reduction in food security and high poverty levels

Question 24

What environmental impacts does Bangladesh face due to sea level rise?

Answer 24

Constant flooding, erosion, cyclones, saltwater intrusion

Question 25

What makes Egypt particularly vulnerable to coastal recession?

Answer 25

The Nile delta area

Question 26

What does the IPCC declare about Egypt’s Nile delta?

Answer 26

Among the top three areas most vulnerable to sea level rise

Question 27

What percentage of the food supply in Egypt comes from the Nile delta?

Answer 27

More than 60%

Question 28

How many people live per square mile in the Nile delta?

Answer 28

More than 4,000

Question 29

What percentage of the Netherlands is below sea level?

Answer 29

Half of the Netherlands

Question 30

How many people in Indonesia suffer from coastal flooding?

Answer 30

30 million people

Question 31

What has caused flooding and erosion hazards in Indonesia?

Answer 31

Removal of mangrove belts

Question 32

How much do mangroves reduce wave height?

Answer 32

By an average of 40%

Question 33

What significant event occurred in the North Sea?

Answer 33

A storm surge caused waters to rise above 3m

Question 34

How many people were killed during the storm surge in the North Sea?

Answer 34

More than 300 people

Question 35

What height of waves breached the sea wall in Norfolk?

Answer 35

4m waves

Question 36

By how much did Shanghai subside during the 20th century?

Answer 36

Up to 2.8m

Question 37

How many people died due to flooding in Shanghai?

Answer 37

Over 100,000 people

Question 38

What has increased the rate of subsidence in Shanghai?

Answer 38

Illegal groundwater withdrawal

Question 39

What was the impact of the storm surge in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh?

Answer 39

Killed 3000 people and destroyed 273,000 homes

Question 40

What predictions does the IPCC make for global sea level rise by the end of the century?

Answer 40

Between 0.29 and 1.1m

Question 41

What is the estimated rise in sea level by 2100 in the Philippines?

Answer 41

1m rise

Question 42

How many houses were lost in Kiribati due to sea level rise?

Answer 42

200 houses

Question 43

What is the plan of the president of Kiribati regarding the population?

Answer 43

Move the whole population to another island

Question 44

In how many years could Kiribati potentially disappear?

Answer 44

30-60 years

Question 45

How many people in the Pacific could be displaced by 2050 due to rising sea levels?

Answer 45

Between 665,000 and 1.7 million people

Question 46

What percentage of inhabited islands in the Maldives are experiencing erosion?

Answer 46

97%

Question 47

What conflict has arisen regarding the capital of the Maldives?

Answer 47

Some islands feel forgotten about despite spending on protection

Question 48

What do sustainable management strategies aim to protect in the Maldives?

Answer 48

Income sources such as fishing and mangroves

Question 49

What strategy was used in Essex for managed retreat?

Answer 49

Converted a housing estate into farmland

Question 50

What are fishermen in Essex concerned about?

Answer 50

Damage to oysters from increased sediment

Question 51

What concern does the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds have in Essex?

Answer 51

Change to bird habitats due to managed retreat