Hard Engineering

Question 1

Define hard engineering.

Answer 1

Making physical changes to the coastal landscape using resistant materials like concrete and wood.

Question 2

What does hard engineering involve?

Answer 2

Working against the nature.

Each strategy is large scale and costs a considerable amount of money.

Question 3

Name 8 examples of hard engineering?

Answer 3

Seawalls.
Rockarmour.
Gabions.
Revetments.
Groynes.
Cliff fixing.
Offshore reefs.
Barrages.

Question 4

Name 3 disadvantages to hard engineering?

Answer 4

Structures are expensive to build and maintain.
Defence in one place may have serious consequences in other areas on the coastline.
Structures are unattractive.

Question 5

Name 2 advantages of hard engineering?

Answer 5

Often more effective.

Job opportunities.

Question 6

What is a sea wall?

Answer 6

Physical barrier to flooding.
Recurved walls dissipate wave energy as they throw waves back out to sea into the path of the next incoming wave, reduces wave impact.

Question 7

What is rock armour?

Answer 7

Large boulders dumped in front of cliff or sea wall to take full force of waves.
Rocks angular in appearance to present large surface area to waves, gaps allow water to filter through.

Question 8

What are gabions?

Answer 8

Small boulders contained within steel wire-mesh cages to take wave impact.
Can be joined together to form large structures.
Can support weak cliffs

Question 9

What are revetments?

Answer 9

Concrete or wooden structures placed along coastline to take full force of water and absorb energy.

Question 10

What are groynes?

Answer 10

Wooden, stone or steel breakwaters built nearly at a right angle to waves.
Control LSD by trapping sediment to create higher and wider beaches.

Question 11

What is cliff fixing?

Answer 11

Often done by driving iron bars into cliff face, to stabilise it and absorb wave power.

Question 12

What are offshore reefs?

Answer 12

Partly submerged rock barrier.

Forces water to break offshore, reducing impact on base of cliff.

Question 13

What are barrages?

Answer 13

Large structures built to prevent flooding on major estuaries.
Acts as dam across estuary prevents incursion of seawater.
Sluice gates control water flow
Generate tidal power

Question 14

Positive sea wall ❌

Answer 14

Stop sea

Promenade

Question 15

Sea wall disadvantage 🧟‍♂️$$€€

Answer 15

Intrusive
Expensive
Maintainence

Question 16

Cost sea wall

Answer 16

£6000 a metre

Question 17

Groynes advantage

Answer 17

Build up beach
Tourists
Protect land behind

Question 18

Groynes diadvantage

Answer 18

Starve beaches
Problem shifted
Intrusive
Mappletone

Question 19

Groyne cost

Answer 19

£5000 - £10,000

Question 20

Rock armour advantage

Answer 20

Easy to contruct
Fishing
sunbathing

Question 21

Rock armour disadvantage

Answer 21

Rocks usually from other areas - abroad.
Intrusive as don’t fit in with normal geology
Dangerous

Question 22

Rock armour cost

Answer 22

£100,000 - 300,000 for 100 metres

Question 23

Gabion advantage

Answer 23

Not that expensive

Upper beach stability

Question 24

Gabion disadvantage

Answer 24

Unsightly

Rusty metal cages

Question 25

Cost gabions

Answer 25

£5000 £50,000 for 100m depends on height

Question 26

Revetments disadvantage

Answer 26

Instrusive

Question 27

Revetments advantage

Answer 27

Not that expensive

Question 28

Revetments price

Answer 28

£4500 a metre

Question 29

Offshore reefs advantage

Answer 29

Effective permeable barrier

Question 30

Offshore reef disadvantage

Answer 30

Visually unappealing

Potential navigation hazard

Question 31

Barrages advantage

Answer 31

Protects financial areas like London

Multipurpose use of bay - harbour , tourism , electricity generation

Question 32

Barrage disadvantage

Answer 32

Very expensive
Damage natural habitats
Large scale

Question 33

Cost barrages

Answer 33

£200 million - Cardiff barrage