Costal management

Question 1

Give some examples of hard engineering

Answer 1

• Groynes
• Sea walls
• Rip rap

Question 2

Describe how groynes work

Answer 2

Structures build at right angles to the coats to trap sediment moving along the beach.

Question 3

Give some advantages and disadvantages of groynes

Answer 3

Advantages:
- Not too expensive (£5000-10,000/200m)
- Works with the natural processes 
Disadvantages:
- Starves beach downdrift
- Unnatural and unattractive

Question 4

Describe how sea walls work

Answer 4

Curved sone or concrete walls which reflect the waves back into the sea

Question 5

Give some advantages and disadvantages of sea walls

Answer 5

Advantages:
- Effective prevention of erosion
- Promenade for people to walk along
Disadvantages:
- Reflect wave energy rather than absorbing it
- Expensive to build and maintain (£6000/m)
- Unnatural looking

Question 6

Describe how rock armour (rip rap) works

Answer 6

Large rocks form a permeable barrier breaking up the waves but still letting some water through

Question 7

Give some advantages and disadvantages of rock armour

Answer 7

Advantages:
- Cheap (£1000-3000/m)and easy to construct and maintain
- Used for recreation (fishing, sunbathing)
Disadvantages:
- Can be dangerous to people
- Can be intrusive

Question 8

Explain the process of a Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA)

Answer 8

Carries out before a costal management project is implemented.
Costs are estimated and compared to the potential benefits

Question 9

Give some examples of soft engineering

Answer 9

• Beach nourishment
• Marsh creation
• Dune stabilisation

Question 10

Describe how beach nourishment works

Answer 10

The addition of sand or pebbles to an existing beach to make it higher or wider

Question 11

Give some advantages and disadvantages of beach nourishment

Answer 11

Advantages:
- Cheap (£3000/m) and easy to maintain 
- Natural looking 
Disadvantages:
- Needs constant maintenance

Question 12

Describe how marsh creation works

Answer 12

Allowing low-lying costal areas to flood, creating a salt marsh

Question 13

Give some advantages and disadvantages of marsh creation

Answer 13

Advantages:
- Relatively cheap (variable)
- Creates an important wildlife habitat 
Disadvantages:
- Agricultural land is lost 
- Farmers/landowners must be compensated

Question 14

Describe how dune stabilisation works

Answer 14

Marram grass planted to stabilise dunes

Areas fenced to keep people off newly planted dunes

Question 15

Give some advantages and disadvantages of dune stabilisation

Answer 15

Advantages:
- Maintains natural costal environment 
- Cheap (£2-20/m) and sustainable 
Disadvantages:
- Time consuming to plant grass 
- People may respond negatively to the restrictions

Question 16

Explain the process of a Shoreline Management Plan (SMP)

Answer 16

Detailed documents based on the activity contained within each sediment cell. Each cell is treated as a ‘closed cell’.

Question 17

Name the four options considered to manage a coastline

Answer 17

1. Hold the line - maintaining the current position (hard engineering)
2. Advance the line - extending the coastline (beach nourishment)
3. Managed retreat - allowing the coastline to retreat (creating salt marshes)
4. Do nothing - allow nature to rake its course

Question 18

Explain the process of an Integrated Costal Zone Management (ICZM)

Answer 18

Includes all stakeholders involved to ensure broad support.
Complete sections of coast managed as a whole to prevent human actions effecting the coast elsewhere.
Enables sustainable methods to be implemented based on the understanding of the natural costal processes.