soft engineering and hard engineering

Question 1

5 soft engineering techniques?

Answer 1

• beach nourishment
• cliff regrading
• cliff drainage
• dune stabilisation
• managed retreat

Question 2

-beach nourishment-what is it, positives and negs

Answer 2

replaces beech sediment
+uses natural sediment so beach looks natural
-doesn’t last long, may have come from dredging

Question 3

-cliff regrading-what is it, positives and negs

Answer 3

lithology of a cliff may be unstable so it is cut back at an angle
+creates natural looking slope
+should remain stable
-costly (£1 mil)
-engineers may get their calculations wrong

Question 4

-cliff drainage-what is it, positives and negs

Answer 4

cliff my be unstable so drains with gravel inserted into a cliff to drain water out to prevent landslides and slumping.
+looks natural
+reduces mass movement
- difficult to implement-carryout

Question 5

-dune stabilisation-what is it, positives and negs

Answer 5

replanting grasses onto sandunes
+ looks natural
+provides ecosystem
-powerful storms may destroy efforts so may only be a temporary fix

Question 6

-managed retreat-what is it, positives and negs

Answer 6

areas set aside to flood
+allows natural processes to take place
+ecosystems can be formed
-doesn’t prevent land from being lost

Question 7

6 hard engineering techniques?

Answer 7

• groynes
• seawalls
• rip-rap
• revetments
• offshore breakwaters
• gabions

Question 8

-groynes-what is it, positives and negs

Answer 8

wooden walls on a beach at right angles
+maintains size of a beach
-expensive
-obstacle to peopl-terminal groyne sydrome

Question 9

-seawalls-what is it, positives and negs

Answer 9

recurved walls, reduce wave energy
\+tops can be used as promenades
\+long lasting
- the most expensive 
-unsightly

Question 10

-rip-rap-what is it, positives and negs

Answer 10

boulders resistant to erosion
+ long lasting
- unsightly
-may contrast with local geology

Question 11

-revetments-what is it, positives and negs

Answer 11

sloped walls often made of wood
\+absorb wave energy
\+cheaper than sea wall
-unsightly
- may need constant maintenance

Question 12

-offshore breakwaters-what is it, positives and negs

Answer 12

rock boulders deposited in shallow areas parallel to shore
+effective
+keep beach in place for recreational use
-costly
-unsightly at low tide

Question 13

-gabions-what is it, positives and negs

Answer 13

pebbles in wire baskets to make a wall
\+cheap
\+easy to maintain
-unsightly
-needs frequent repair

Question 14

what are the 4 choices made through the ICZM

Answer 14

• advance the line
• hold the line
• managed retreat
• no active intervention

Question 15

whats advance the line

Answer 15

Build new coastal defences on the seaward side of the existing coastline.
Usually this involves land reclamation.

Question 16

whats hold the line

Answer 16

maintenance of defences across coastline and buildng new coastlines

Question 17

whats managed retreat

Answer 17

allowing flooding but monitoring it

Question 18

whats no active intervention

Answer 18

no monitoring- flooding occurs