Coasts - KQ3 (how are coastal areas valuable economic and environmental resources)

Question 1

What are the names and locations of the case studies?

Answer 1

North Norfolk coastline

• East of England
• North of Suffolk
• North-east of Cambridgeshire

Dubai

• Middle East
• Southeast coast of the Persian Gulf
• One of the seven emirates that make up the country

Question 2

What is the human activity in North Norfolk?

Answer 2

• Tourism (500,000 visitors to Holkham every year)
• Industry = Cromer Crab Processing - supply of big, quality crabs
• Energy = offshore wind farms and \bacton gas terminal
• Conservation = Storeyhill Nature Reserve = lots of space and biodiversity

Question 3

What is the conflict in North Norfolk?

Answer 3

1 - Tourism/recreation and energy = building wind farms (on and offshore)
2 - Conservation and mineral planning = sand and gravel extraction
3 - Tourism and conservation = increasing tourist numbers disturbing wildlife and building tourist facilities in environmentally sensitive areas
4 - Agriculture and conservation = Rare breeding birds (dark bellied Brent goose) flock and destroy valuable crops (rapeseed)
5 - Tourism and conservation = water pollution by motor craft (jet skis, power boats, oil ingested by animals)
6 - Fishing and energy/recreation = reduction in fish stocks due to wind farms, gas and oil exploitation and recreational activities
7 - Conservation and fishing activities = protection of Sabellaria spinulosa reefs and boulder and cobble communities from destructive fishing methods

Question 4

What is the conflict between agriculture and conservation in North Norfolk?

Answer 4

• Heritage Coast (ANOB)
• Conservationists are trying to protect natural reserves and are concerned about the impact agricultural waste is having on protected areas
• Agriculture causes nitrates to be spread into the field due to slurry produced by animals, manure spread on crop fields and artificial fertilisers = nitrates run off the fields into rivers/estuaries and pollute water
• Marine animals could ingest pollutants and be poisoned
• Nitrates increase algal growth = algal blooms on the water surface = reduces oxygen and sunlight for marine life which reduces numbers = EUTROPHICATION
• Overgrazing of sheep and cattle on some environmental sensitive areas

Question 5

Why has Norfolk been developed?

Answer 5

• Area of Natural Outstanding Beauty in 1968
• Heritage coast = dynamic landscape of sand and mud flats, dunes, shingle, saltmarsh, reed beds and grazing marsh which has a strong wilderness atmosphere
• Internationally renowned birdlife
• 500,000 visitors a year in Holkham (Britain’s number 1 beach) = lots of tourism
• Agriculture due to Blakeney Marsh = lots of open/flat land
• Energy = Bacton gas terminal and offshore wind farms
• Sheringham beach = near the coast with main transport links

Question 6

What is the human activity in Dubai?

Answer 6

• Tourism = more than 13 million in 2014
• Construction of large 4 land motorways/highways
• Residential development = houses with sea view and high value on Palm Tree Island
• Energy development = extracting sea gravel from the sea bed and crude oil exports for another 20 years (6th largest oil reserve in the world)
• Crown Prince built Palm Island (floating island) to increase tourism from 5 million to 15 million a year
• Building of quarried breakwater to protect island = 5.5 million metres cubed of rock deposited on coastline to prevent destructive waves on residents = decrease in marine biodiversity as habitats destroyed and moved
• Extended 72km of coastline to 520km

Question 7

What is the conflict in Dubai?

Answer 7

• Lack of affordable housing for locals as second home owners buy houses
• Migrant workers are excluded from the luxury shopping malls or from travelling in ‘gold class’ cars on the metro
• Marine environment and development = construction of places like Palm Island have destructed marine ecology (coral reefs, fish stocks, green sea turtles and sea bird populations) and habitat degeneration, oil and noise from leisure craft have caused disturbances
• Energy conservation = produces 50,000 to 70,000 barrels of oil a day and 2% of oil reserves have diminished significantly

Question 8

Why has Dubai been developed?

Answer 8

• Increase in tourism numbers
• Diversify economy from a trade-based but oil-reliant economy to one that is service and tourism-oriented as oil supplies diminish