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A Level Physical Geography > Coasts:: Coastal Management - Traditional Approaches > Flashcards

Coasts:: Coastal Management - Traditional Approaches Flashcards

Hard and soft engineering.

1
Q

What is hard engineering?

A

Hard engineering involves the building of entirely artificial structure using various materials to reduce or stop the impact of coastal processes.

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2
Q

Why may different stakeholders not be happy with hard engineering along the coast?

A

It is an unsustainable method of management:

  • expensive
  • require constant maintenance
  • harm the environment
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3
Q

What is soft engineering?

A

Soft engineering methods try to work with the physical and natural processes within an area to protect the coast

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4
Q

Describe a sea wall

A

A concrete barrier along the coast which absorbs the energy of the waves. Some can be curved to deflect the power of the waves.

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5
Q

Advantages of sea walls

A
  • very effective
  • will prevent erosion
  • easily made
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6
Q

Disadvantages of sea walls

A
  • deflecting waves can undermine foundations
  • requires maintenance and repair
  • expensive to maintain
  • ugly and unnatural
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7
Q

Cost of sea walls

A

£5000 per metre

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8
Q

Describe groynes

A

Wooed fences or walls made from piles of rocks built out into the sea.

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9
Q

How do groynes protect the coast?

A

They reduce the rate of longshore drift by trapping material on one side. This extra beach then protects the coast from the sea.

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10
Q

Advantages of groynes

A
  • works with natural processes
  • increases tourist potential
  • relatively low costs
  • easily repaired
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11
Q

Disadvantages of groynes

A
  • can increase erosion rates further down the coast

- unattractive

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12
Q

Cost of groynes

A

£1000 per metre

£5000-£10,000 each (200m intervals)

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13
Q

Lifespan of groynes

A

30-40 years

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14
Q

Lifespan of sea walls

A

30-50 years

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15
Q

Describe rip-rap

A

Large rocks placed at the foot of a cliff or at the top of a beach. It forms a permeable barrier to the sea, breaking up the waves but allowing some water to pass through.

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16
Q

Advantages of rip-rap

A
  • easy to construct and maintain
  • used for recreation e.g fishing, sunbathing
  • uses natural resources
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17
Q

Disadvantages of rip-rap

A
  • some erosion takes place
  • can be intrusive
  • looks out of place with local geology
  • dangerous to climb on
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18
Q

Cost of rip-rap

A

£1000-£3000 per metre

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19
Q

Lifespan of rip-rap

A

120 years but could be removed in heavy storms

20
Q

Describe revetments

A

Sloping wooden or concrete rock structures places at the foot of a cliff or the top of a beach. They absorb the wave’s energy and trap beach material.

21
Q

Advantages of revetments

A
  • cheap to build

- easily made

22
Q

Disadvantages of revetments

A
  • unnatural looking
  • can need high levels of maintenance
  • not as durable as sea wall (limited lifespan)
  • doesn’t give total protection to base of cliff
23
Q

Cost of revetments

A

£4500 per metre

24
Q

Lifespan of revetments

A

Concrete - 30 years

Wooden - 10 years

25
Q

Describe offshore breakwaters

A

Partly submerged rock barrier built parallel to the coast, designed to break the waves before they reach the shore, reducing wave energy.

26
Q

Advantages of offshore breakwaters

A
  • effective permeable barrier
  • cheap to build
  • doesn’t spoil the beach
27
Q

Disadvantages of offshore breakwaters

A
  • visually unappealing
  • potential navigation hazard
  • very expensive
  • can be tricky to maintain
28
Q

Cost of offshore breakwaters

A

£1.3 million for one (but depends on materials used)

29
Q

Describe beach replenishment

A

The addition of sand or pebbles to an existing beach to make it high or wider. The sediment is usually dredged from the nearby seabed.

30
Q

Advantages of beach replenishment

A
  • looks natural and blends in with existing beach

- creates a bigger beach, increasing tourist potential

31
Q

Disadvantages of beach replenishment

A
  • needs constant maintenance because of natural processes of erosion and longshore drift
  • relatively expensive
  • dredger creates noise pollution, upsets tourism and kills marine life from sea bed
32
Q

Cost of beach replenishment

A

£300,000 per 100m

33
Q

Describe managed retreat

A

Allowing the coast to take back the land, by removing existing sea defences and allowing the land behind them to flood

34
Q

Advantages of managed retreat

A
  • marshland will form, creating habitats
  • marshland will act as a natural sea defence protecting the land behind it from erosion
  • cost effective
35
Q

Disadvantages of managed retreat

A
  • can cause conflict over which land should be flooded
  • agricultural land is lost
  • farmers or landowners need to be compensated
36
Q

Example of managed retreat

A

Alkborough Flats, Lincolnshire

37
Q

Describe cliff regrading and drainage

A

Reducing the angle of a cliff to stabilise it.

Drainage removes excess water to prevent landslides and slumping.

38
Q

Advantages of cliff regrading and drainage

A
  • cost effective

- very useful on clay and loose rock cliffs

39
Q

Disadvantages of cliff regrading and drainage

A
  • drains may become new lines of weakness
  • dry cliffs may produce rockfalls
  • effectively causes cliff to retreat, so some homes may need to be demolished
40
Q

Example of cliff regrading and drainage

A

Mappleton, Holderness

41
Q

Describe dune stabilisation

A

Marram grass can be planted to stabilise dunes. Areas can be fenced off to keep people off newly planted dunes.

42
Q

Advantages of dune stabilisation

A
  • maintains a natural coastal environment
  • provides important wildlife habitats
  • cheap and sustainable
43
Q

Disadvantages of dune stabilisation

A
  • time consuming to plant marram grass
  • people may respond negatively to being kept off certain areas
  • may still be eroded if people ignore signs
44
Q

Cost of dune stabilisation

A

£200-£2000 per 100m

45
Q

Example of dune stabilisation

A

Muir Beach, California

46
Q

According to UNEP, how far from the coast do half of the world’s population live?

A

60km

A Level Physical Geography (43 decks)

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