Evaluation of the View that Coastal Systems are too Complex to Ever be Completely Manageable

Evaluation of the View that Coastal Systems are too Complex to Ever be Completely Manageable

Of all the earth's natural environments, the coast is the most rapidly

changing and dynamic. It can be defined in several ways, but at its

simplest, it is the place where land and sea meet and interact. The

coast is under numerous pressures due to its pull for economic

activity, settlement, recreation and wildlife. Its form is greatly

influenced by Terrestrial (Weathering, erosion, deposition, rock

type/structure). Human (Pollution, recreation, settlement, defenses)

and Atmospheric (Climate. Marine, Waves, tides, salt spray). They all

interact to produce the enormous variety of coastlines found

worldwide. (From beaches and cliffs to coral reefs).

As things like coastal tourism have become more frequent, humans have

found it increasingly necessary to attempt to control the effects of

the sea. The main reasons for coastal management are to protect the

coast from the erosive effects of the sea and to increase the amount

of sand on the beach. Many strategies have been tried around the

world, and these can be divided into two main groups, hard and soft

engineering. Hard engineering methods aim to stop the coastal

processes from occurring. Soft engineering methods try to work with

nature to protect the coast.

Coastal lands and sediments are constantly in motion. Breaking waves

move sand along the coast, eroding sand in one area and depositing it

on an adjacent beach. Tidal cycles bring sand onto the beach and carry

it back into the surf. Rivers carry sediment to the coast and build

deltas into the open water. Storms cause deep erosion in one are...

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...DC's have exactly the same problems in managing coastline's however

the MEDC's can manage the coastlines better by reducing the impact of

them as they can fund for more hard management strategies and can fund

for the research and development to take place. Therefore coastal

systems are more manageable in MEDC's.

I believe that coastal systems are too complex to ever be totally

managed as too many factors are involved in the system. Each change

that is made whether it be natural or human has a knock on effect to

other parts of the coastline. The complexity of this system means that

individual factors make a big influence on the entire coastal system.

I believe that there are too many unpredictable variables like climate

that are involved with in the coastal system, which cannot be foreseen

therefore cannot be managed.