hard and soft engineering Flashcards
what is hard engineering
expensive, short-term options
normally causing high impact on the environment and can be unsustainable
name 4 examples of hard engineering
- sea wall
- grounds
- rip rap (rock armour)
- gabion
what are groynes used for?
to prevent longshore drift
what is a sea wall used for
protects vegetation to stabilise cliff
what is rip rap used for
absorbs energy of the wave and allows the build up of the beach
name 2 examples of soft engineering
- managed retreat
- beach management
give 1 advantage and 1 disadvantage of building a sea wall
advantage
protects the base of a cliff from erosion
disadvantage
expensive to build
give 1 advantage and 1 disadvantage of building groynes
advantage
prevents long shore drift
disadvantage
can be ugly and costly to maintain
give 1 disadvantage of rip rap
can be expensive to obtain and transport the boulders
what is beach management?
the replacing of beach or cliff material that has been removed by eruption of long shore drift
give 1 advantage and 1 disadvantage of beach management
advantage
beaches are natural defence against erosion and attract tourists
disadvantage
relatively inexpensive but requires constant maintenance
give 1 advantage and 1 disadvantage of managed retreat
advantage
encourages the development of beaches and the cost is low
disadvantage
cheap option but people will need to be compensated for the loss of buildings and farmland
what is managed retreat
areas of the coast are allowed to erode and flood naturally, usually areas of low value
what is soft engineering
less expensive than hard engineering and usually more long term and sustainable, with less impact on the environment
