Geography Revision

Coastal Management

1. What is the coast?

The coast is the place where the land meets the sea. 80% of people in this world live on the
coast. The coastal zone is technically 100km from the sea.

How do people use the coast:

- Beach (recreation)
- To live  homes
- Imports and Exports
- Fishing

Coastal Degradation  Is a process which shapes the coast. It can happen on many levels.

Local Level: litter is dropped on a peach

Regional Level: Oil is dropped and washes up on the shores

The impact of coastal degradation can include:

Loss of plant and animal species, the arrival of invasive species. Other examples can include
sand being washed up on the coastline, change of the coast life (through waves of
destruction).
The Various Landscapes and Landforms

Name Image
Tombolo

Lagoon

Sand dune
Beach The Sand is used  Sand comes from
nourishment placement of that best another beach
sand on a matches the and may have an
beach. This is natural beach environmental
then spread material. impact in that
along the Low location.
beach by environmenta  Must be carried
natural l out on a
processes. impact at the continuous basis
beach and therefore
requires
continuous funds
Groyne An artificial Traps sand  Groynes do not
structure and stop sand
designed to maintains the movement that
trap sand beach occurs directly
being moved offshore.
by longshore  Visual eyesore
drift, therefore
protecting the
beach.
Groynes
can be built
using timber,
concrete, steel
pilings and
rock.
Sea wall Structure Prevents  Sea wall will be
placed further undermined over
parallel to erosion of the time.
the dune area and  Visual eyesore
shoreline to protects  Will need a sand
separate buildings nourishment
the land area program as well
from  High initial cost
the water Ongoing
maintenance and
cost
Offshore A structure Waves break  Destroys surfing
breakwater parallel to in the deeper amenity of the
the shore water, coast
and placed reducing their  Requires large
in a water energy at the boulders in large
depth of shore. quantities
about 10  Cost would be
metres extremely high

Purchase Buy the Allows easier  Council loses

property buildings and management revenue
remove of  Angry residents
structures the dune area must move
that are Allows natural  Exposes the back
threatened beach dune area, which
by erosion processes will need
to continue protection
Increases  High cost
public  Does not solve
access to sand loss
HOW ARE COASTS FORMED
Waves, tides, currents, rips, storm surges and tsunamis form and transform coastal
landscapes.

Winds generate waves and create swell

Destructive waves cause erosion of coastal landforms and are aggressive.

Constructive waves deposit sediments to form beaches and sand dunes and are calm.

Swash is the water that is washed onto the beach when a wave breaks.

Backwash is the water that runs back down the beach.

Destructive waves have more powerful backwash than swash. Constructive waves have
more powerful swash than backwash.
Longshore drift occurs when the ongoing swash and backwash moves in a sideways
direction and moves material in a zig zag pattern along the coastline.

Erosion and deposition are the main natural processes that create coastal change.
Longshore drift can be seasonal. When winds blow in a certain direction during one season
then change direction during another season, the direction of longshore drift can alter.

Losing Coastal Biodiversity:

Mangroves  The roots of these plants keep waves from washing away the dirty and sand
off the coastline. They provide wood, protect communities from offshore storms and are
breeding grounds for fish. Unfortunately, these have been cleared to make way for
agricultural land, harbours, housing, and fish farms.

Seagrasses  The live in shallow water along coast. Millions of people get their protein
from animals that live in seagrass. It is also used to stuff furniture, regulate sediments in
water and protect the coast against erosion. The main threat to seagrasses is tourism and
water pollution

Salt Marshes  These are wetlands that are flooded and drained by salt water brought in by
tides. They protect the shoreline from erosion and reducing flooding. Animals which live in
these marshes include  crabs, snails, turtles. The world has lost 25% of its salt marshes to
make room for agricultural land for farming.

Coral Reefs  home to 25% of the worlds fish. 1B people rely on this ecosystem for Food,
Protection from waves and Storms and Income from reef based tourism. They are under
threat due to the rise in water temperature which cause CORAL BLEACHING (when coral
turns white). Other threats include pesticides in the ocean and invasive species.
Coastal and Marine Pollution.

Most pollution which is left on the land normally ends up on the sea. The main source of
costal pollution is from river systems which carry things such as sewage, industrial waste,
chemicals, plastics and water washed from streets and yards to the coast.

Rivers are the main source of pollution as they bring pollutants such as animal manure,
pesticides and fertilisers to the coast through heavy rain. All these factors when added
together cause GARBAGE DUMPS to form in the oceans. The DUMPS are the most serious
consequence of coastal and marine pollution as they create DEAD ZONES in the ocean.

Marine Dead Zones:

 These areas are places in either fresh or salt water where oxygen levels have become
too low to support life.

 Deadzones form in summer where warmer weather encourages algae blooms and
then go on to reduce oxygen levels in deeper seas. The dead zones in the Baltic Sea
and Gulf of Mexico can be more than 18 0002m in size.

Ocean Pollutions facts:

- Highest cause of ocean pollution is runoff from roads, rivers and drainpipes
- By 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean
- There are 5 garbage patches in the sea with an estimated 1.8T of trash which is
basically 2x the size of Texas
- Plastic takes 400 years to degrade in the process it releases chemicals which
contaminate the sea
- 80% of the world’s plastic pollution comes from 20 countries with INDIA AND CHINA
being the top 2
- 70% of ocean garbage sinks to the seafloor, making it unlikely to clean up.

Who manages the coast:

Different levels of government manage different levels. Various perspective can include:

Local Business owners – use the location to make money

Environmentalists – protect the location because its important for the next gen.
Fisherman – use the location for recreation
Local resident – enjoy the location and the lifestyle
Property developer – use the land to make more money off the land.

EIS  Environmental impact statement. This shows likely impacts on the environment as
well as social and economic impacts. (need this before you develop a place)
Points to Study:

Primary and secondary Research

primary – information that is collected first-hand, eg tallies, measurements and

photographs.

secondary - information that someone else has previously collected and made
available, eg from maps, websites or textbooks.

Four Functions of the Environment are:

 Source
 Sink
 Spiritual
 Service

Feral Animals

Land Degradation

Explanation:
Land degradation is caused by multiple forces, including extreme weather conditions,
particularly drought. It is also caused by human activities that pollute or degrade the quality
of soils and land utility. It negatively affects food production, livelihoods, and the production
and provision of other ecosystem goods and services. Desertification is a form of land
degradation by which fertile land becomes desert.

Impact
These social and environmental processes are stressing the world's arable lands and
pastures essential for the provision of food and water and quality air. Land degradation and
desertification can affect human health through complex pathways. As land is degraded and
deserts expand in some places, food production is reduced, water sources dry up and
populations are pressured to move to more hospitable areas.
Technology and its impact:

Technology has allowed us to detect issues with the environment but at the same time has
caused a massive increase in the number of plastics which pollute our land. Phones and
tables are not recycled correctly and normally end up in our oceans or land which led to
land and coastal degradation. The reason for this is because of the acid of batteries which
seeps out and pollutes the soil and or the ocean.
Weather map