Geography assessment: How to save the coast
Introduction:
Manly Beach is one of Australia’s most iconic and popular beaches with it spaning 1.5km long, it is located 16km north east of the Sydney CBD. Like many other beautiful beaches along the Australian coast, Manly is threatened by climate changes that lead to sea level rises resulting in shoreline recession and coastal erosions. This report will discuss the physical, environmental, economic and social impact of these problems.
1.1 Direct and indirect climate change impacts on beaches:
As shown in Table 1, climate change has caused sea-level rise with has increased inundation of coastal zone, increased coastal erosion and increased the risk of flooding and storm damage.
Other negative
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This will destroy the ecosystem.
1.3 Environmental impacts on Manly Beach
There are many aquatic habitats in Manly, including inter-tidal rock platforms, rocky reefs and submerged soft sediments. The area includes Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve that provides protection for the seaweed sea dragon, black rock cod, blue groper and elegant wrasses. There are also a variety plants, ghost crabs, shore birds and assemblages living under the intertidal sand.
1.4 Social and economic impact on Manly Beach
Manly beach contains a range of indigenous and non-indigenous heritage and culture, the beach attracts tourists and local who contribute to the economy of the area. Therefore, the property value in this area has increased expediently
If nothing is done to preserve the beach and allow the continuation of beach recession, it will result in the loss of the beach culture and recreation, loss of revenue from tourism and local visitors and loss of property value for the residents.
2. Solutions to solve the problems that is occurring on
Investigating the Geographical Processes that are Affecting the Physical and Built Coastal Environment There are three geographical processes that are affecting the physical and built coastal environment, they are; erosion, deposition, and transportation. Erosion is the group of natural processes, including weathering, dissolution, abrasion, corrosion, and transportation, by which material is worn away from the earth’s surface, this is mainly caused by wind, running water, and waves breaking on the coast. Deposition is the depositing something or the laying down of matter by a natural process. Transportation is when sand is moved along the coast by long shore drift. At North Cronulla beach erosion is evident.
Case Study of Hastings Coastal Management Hastings is a town on the south coast of England approximately 60 miles south of London (see map below). In recent years, the coastline at Hastings has had to face many large scale problems, including the 10 km stretch from Hastings eastwards to the small town of Fairlight. With the coastline at constant exposure to the English Channel, there are many coastal processes which take place along the stretch of beach and cliff. [IMAGE][IMAGE] [IMAGE][IMAGE] Longshore Drift [IMAGE] Fetch [IMAGE]The map on the left illustrates the location of Hastings and also the area of the coastline which is being discussed in this case study.
Longshore drift is a process by which sediments are transported from one place to another. When this process occurs, beaches, spits and sandbars are accreted over time. If the process of longshore drift is altered by factors such as stronger winds and stronger currents, beach erosion begins at a faster rate and this may result in many serious problems. The main stakeholders of longshore drift are resort owners. They rely on people to visit their resorts and enjoy the beach. However, if longshore drift erodes t...
Not only has urban development faced damage from these coastal changes, however by changing coastal stability, development itself has increased erosion. Buildings, roads and homes built too close to the beach have become vulnerable to erosion due to extreme weather conditions. Furthermore, during storms, large waves cause severe erosion to this beach. Consequently, wave patterns change as they are are not naturally rolling onto the beach. Instead, they are smashing against built surfaces/structures (causing more erosion) and then are being violently pushed back.
The Chesapeake Bay is a lively and diverse estuary-- it holds our famous blue crabs, oysters, scallops, fish, 87 species of waterbirds, and over 3,600 species of plants. Any impact that we have on the oceans and the bay greatly affect the life and health of not only the bay, but also the many diverse species of seafood and fauna that exist in the bay.
Semaphore Beach is affected by many factors such as natural processes and human impacts including marine litter and the discharge of stormwater. Therefore, several plans have been employed to ensure that the coast is supported through the method of counteracting erosion. However in the future, many management strategies have been put into consideration as well as the environmental, economic and social impacts as well as the predicted consequences. These impacts include traffic related incidents, noises and air pollution and the disruption of wildlife and the erosion of dunes. A method that should be considered for future management of the beach is the use of a concave sea wall, although efficient, this structure would be quite costly. Without the use of coastal management, Semaphore Beach would be unsupported, therefore negatively being affected by a variety of
Surfers, swimmers and sunbathers use beaches for recreation. People fish off beaches for food. Since many people take their vacations at the beach, lots of beaches in tropical locations are important to their country’s economy. Entire cities, regions and countries depend on the money tourists spend while visiting the beach. Beaches are naturally very dynamic places, but people try to control them and build permanent structures, such as houses, restaurants, shops and hotels, on or near the shore. The natural erosion and deposition of beaches becomes a problem. Beaches con disappear over time, or even over night during severe storms. Beaches are areas of loose sediment (sand, gravel, cobbles) controlled by ocean processes. Most beaches have several characteristic features. First are offshore bars, which help protect beaches from erosion. Next is the foreshore, which rises from the water toward the crest of the next feature; a berm. On low-lying shores, dunes form behind beaches. Dunes look like rolling hills of sand and are blown into place by the wind. New, smaller dunes are often changing shape as the wind continues to affect them. Waves and currents move the accumulated sediment constantly creating, eroding and changing the coastlines.
Sea level rise: As of January 2015, globally the sea levels measured 61.91 mm. Sea level rise is caused primarily by two factors related to global warming: the added water coming from the melting of land ice and the expansion of sea water as it
Coastal wetlands are found in just about every country of the world and are of great value to society. In the United States in particular, 40 percent of our wetlands are coastal wetlands and just over 80 percent of those coastal wetlands are found in the Southeast (NOAA). Coastal wetlands can take on several different forms, including the salt marshes that line our bays, freshwater marshes, mangrove swamps, hardwood swamps, and seagrass beds (NOAA). Humans are connected to coastal wetlands in more ways than they may or may not know. Coastal wetlands are greatly responsible for the various seafood we indulge in every year. These wetlands provide the perfect habitat for the reproduction and feeding of many wildlife, including lobster, shrimp, crabs, oysters, and many types of fish including salmon and bass (NOAA). Natural gas and oil production are also connected to our coastal wetlands. Eighteen percent of oil production and nearly 24 percent of natural gas production in the U.S. originates in, travels through, or is processed in Louisiana coastal wetlands (NOAA). If you enjoy b...
The global sea level rose about 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) in the last century (NASA). The rate in the last decade, however, is nearly double that of the last century. With climate change on the rise, higher temperatures, more droughts, and wilder weather will prevail. These changes will affect animals, ecosystems, and people.
Climate change is an inevitable phenomenon that is being experienced globally in various forms, such as temperature rise. Sea level rise, droughts, floods, hurricanes, landslides, etc. According to the fourth assessment report of the IPCC project, even with immediate implementation of mitigation strategies, global climate change will continue for decades. Climate change is inflicting serious consequences on human wellbeing and will continue to inflict damage in the future. It is estimated that global temperature will rise by 1.8 oC - 4.0 oC by the end of the 21st century (Izaurraade, 2009).
One of the major effects of global warming is the rise of sea level due to thermal expansion of the ocean, in addition to the melting of land ice. Now there are dozens of land areas that sit well below sea level and the majority of those land areas are very well populated. At least 40 percent of the world 's population lives within 62 miles of the ocean, putting millions of lives and billions of dollars ' worth of property and infrastructure at risk. (Juliet Christian-Smith, 2011) This means if the sea level rises to the projected level of 25 meters (82 feet) half of the world will retreat back to the ocean. (Rohrer, 2007) Also rising sea levels means higher tides and storm surges riding on ever-higher seas which are more dangerous to people and coastal inf...
Even if the reason of climate change may be the natural cycles, we humans are the major determinant to it. The huge amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is causing the climate change and this amount is rising day by day, as a result of our actions. Greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, generally absorb and emit the heat in the atmosphere to keep the Earth’s climate habitable. However, as we continue to burn fossil fuels, this habitable Earth’s temperature will blow up, and as a result, some species will die out due to various problems which are caused by climate change. According to EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the most obvious consequence of climate change is the rising sea levels, which will cause some seashore habitats to become unavailable to live to its species.
The problem with contaminated beaches will soon take effect on everyone. The main causes that pollution creates in the beaches are from heavy rainfall, natural disasters, and plant malfunctions. Government agencies cannot control the weather, but they can control what goes into the water. In the United States, the number one reason why beaches are closed down are due to contamination in the water that may be harmful and are left untreated. The arising problem with the beach is that the industries are producing toxic chemicals and tossing the unwanted waste into the ocean. Also, the public are recklessly throwing their trash out into the streets. A prime example to demonstrate this is, if someone was trying to throw a bottle into a street trashcan but missed, he/she is unlikely to pick up after himself/herself if no one was around to see it. This scenario causes pollution to the sidewalks. When mother nature disasters occur, these waste products will end up in the storm drains and into the sewage system. The overflow of debri from the cities can flow into the rivers and if not preserved, it can flow into the ocean. The rivers will then carry these human caused waste into t...
Yamada, K., & Kumagai, N. H. (2012). Importance of seagrass vegetation for habitat partitioning between closely related species, mobile macrofauna Neomysis (Misidacea). Hydrobiologia, 680(1), 125-133.