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Human activities coastline effects and coastal developments
coastal management g3
Human activities coastline effects and coastal developments
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Table of Contents
Introduction 2
Countering The Effects of High Seas 2
Hurricanes 3
Beach Protection 5
New Protection Methods 6
Conclusion 6
References 7
Introduction
Coastline changes due to weather and human intervention represent a major concern for coastal planners all over the world. Coastline changes, not only has an effect on citizens who own property by the seaside, it also has a major effect on our business here at McDuff. While beaches may be vacation spots for some, their disappearance through erosion a great loss of business for our company. The purpose of this report is to inform our coastal planners and stakeholders of ways to prevent coastal erosion in the Caribbean.
Shorelines are areas of continuous change. Natural forces of wind and water interact with the land and cause shifts between water and land. These shifts between water and land have been taking place for centuries but it has become a major issue in the Caribbean islands since tourism became the major industry in the 1970s. Despite being a major value here at McDuff, beaches have not been perceived as areas needing management, protection and funding.
Environmental awareness has been growing slowly due to the numerous hurricanes that have past through the region. These dramatic events bring home to everyone the importance and vulnerability of the region's beaches. This report will give information regarding: countering the effects of high seas, hurricanes, structures for beach protection, and new protection methods. This report provides information on these situations and offers ways to protect the beaches in the future.
Countering The Effects of High Seas
Waves, tides and ocean currents are among the several natural forces that cause beach changes. One cause of considerable beach erosion is swell waves. Swell waves are seas that have moved out and away from the area in which they were formed. Because of their different wave lengths and wave speeds, waves move outward from the windy areas where they formed, and separate into groups of waves with distinct wave periods. In the Caribbean, swell waves are usually caused by intense mid-latitude storms in the North Atlan...
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...during the low tide and by day when the sand can dry. Another recent invention that was designed to help protect the beaches is artificial seaweed. Unfortunately this does not share the same success as beach drainage. The seaweed was design to collect sand from the water forming an offshore sand bar. This sand bar was then supposed to stop wave action around the beaches. However, the seaweed did not hold up in the strong Caribbean currents and was ineffective.
Figure 6: Beach Drainage (Coastal Stabilization Inc. 1989)
Conclusion
In conclusion I think year by year we are steadily learning more about beach erosion. With more advanced studies I think we can take a major step in protecting our beaches in the Caribbean.
References
Bacon, P.R. 1978. Flora and Fauna of the Caribbean, an Introduction to the Ecology of the West Indies. Key Caribbean Publications Ltd, Port of Spain, Trinidad .
Komar, P.D. 1976. Beach Processes and Sedimentation. Prentice-Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Coastal Stabilization Inc. 1989. Stabeach: the Cost - Effective, Long-Term Solution for Stabilizing America’s Beaches. Brochure CS 2/89 009 2M. Coastal Stabilization Inc., Tampa, Florida.
There are many different types of coasts that exist throughout the United States. The south shore of Long Island has a unique types of coast known as a barrier beach. Barrier beaches are long narrow land forms that are composed of sand and other lose sediments. These sediments are brought together by the actions of waves, currents and storm surges. Barrier beaches are subject to constant changes by the same forces. Sand is constantly eroded in one area an deposited in another. Barrier coasts are important for a number of reasons; they protect the mainland of Long Island from the open ocean and flooding during storms, for recreational use and the unique ecosystems which exist on barrier beaches.
is being eroded by the sea so that cliffs, up to 20 metres high rise
... consider some ideas of what can be done to further enhance the management of the coastal issue. Using the research action plan, I aim to acquire a sophisticated understanding of longshore drift, coastal management and implementations of coastal issues, through the research action plan. Most importantly, I will include various diagrams explaining how the process of longshore drift occurs and what implementations it has on coastal environments, accompanied by an explanation of how the issue is being managed, a detailed outline of the geographical processes involved and a discussion of the impacts of the issue and why it is important.
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
Galveston Island is a barrier island formed during the Holocene after a major glacial melt. Since that time, the island has changed in size and geographic location based on numerous factors including sediment availability and various hydrodynamic reasons. The island also suffers from erosion due to major storms, like hurricanes, as well as other natural disasters. Much effort has been put in place to reduce the amount of erosion and/or migration, including a seawall and jetties. These efforts are not 100% effective and while the island will continue to transform; with human intervention, we hope to mitigate this change to a minimum.
...but also the conservation of your beaches and wildlife around the costal area. The plans to protect certain areas of Miami are achievable and do not require the evacuation of any areas, which the community of Miami should respect. This process requires immediate attention in order to prevent the problems of sea level rise before it is too late, which requires getting everyone on board and the plan in action a.s.a.p. By coping with the coast in a maintainable manner, it provides benefits for the future for Miami. Due to the fact that we are unaware of the greatness of effects sea level rise holds and what impacts come along with these effects this adaptation plan needs to be implemented to account for the varying levels of unknown that may be part of the effects (Brown, Nicholls, Pardens, Lowe, Vafeidis, Hinkel , and Watkiss).
There has been a legislation put in place to protect coastlines. According to Kathryn Free, The South Carolina Coastal Zone Management Act of 1977 was passed by the General Assembly to make available protection and improvement of the state’s coastal resources. The Act has an extensive range of purposes to inspire coastal management and protection of natural coastal resources. The Act also created the South Carolina Coastal Council and gave it direct regulatory authority over “critical areas” of the coastal zone, including coastal waters, tidelands, beaches, and primary oceanfront sand dunes (Free 15 -16). However, it was soon obvious that the Council could not achieve these legislative goals because they lacked authority to thwart construction near eroding shorelines.
Miami is full sunny days year round, which means that the beaches are always accessible. I decided to take a stroll down to the beach. The feeling of the sand caressing my toes and the water engulfing my body is like no other. A small fish decided to tickle my toes and then nonchalantly swam away. As the sand rose I noticed how clear the water was. Miami truly does have beautiful beaches that are blossoming with life. The sand was a beautiful tan while the water was crystal clear. The green and brown algae surrounding the area was swaying with the waves. They rendered helpless to the wave’s push and
Abiotic factors are things that are nonliving that influence an environment and it's inhabitants. Some of the abiotic factors that are attributed to coastal erosion in Louisiana are hurricanes, tropical storms, elevation, sunlight, overnutrition, sea-level rise, and deposition. Hurricanes bring about larger waves which cause dune erosion or beach erosion (Clark et al., 1998). This is significant because beaches and/or the dunes of the beach serve as buffers to the coastline and the ecosystem. As the beach or dunes recede from the erosion caused by these large waves and an increased sea-level the flora and fauna that help sustain the area die off or retreat to a more habitable zone leaving the wetlands in a critical state often resulting in a total loss of the area (Stockdon et al., 2012). Due to the nature of the Gulf of Mexico large destructive storms such as hurricanes or tropica...
Coastal erosion is a growing problem along the Gulf Coast. Louisiana is one of the coastal states most affected by coastal erosion. Ninety percent of wetland loss in the nation occurs in Louisiana, losing 25-35 square miles per year. At that rate, Louisiana will lose 640,000 more acres by 2050. Many factors contribute to this land loss, such as rising sea levels, subsidence, hurricane storm surge, cold fronts, and human interference. Cold fronts and hurricanes can both have detrimental consequences on the coast of Louisiana (Zhang 2004) (Restore or Retreat 2012). This research shows whether cold fronts or hurricanes have a larger effect on coastal erosion. The researcher will describe how historical and current satellite imagery help in determining the changes in the Louisiana coast. Based on previous research, the researcher believes that hurricanes have more of an effect on coastal erosion than cold fronts due to the high winds and storm surge.
Costal erosion, especially on barrier islands, is a major concern throughout the world. The issue represents a serious concern for many vulnerable coastlines throughout the coastal regions of the world. This issue must be studied for root causes so it can, if at all possible, be brought under some semblance of control before it is too late. The cost of ignoring this issue would be catastrophic to both communities on the beach and the marine life that depend on the coastal areas for their very survival.
Additionally, the majority of Puerto Rico’s critical infrastructure occupies the coast. Rising sea levels can affect infrastructure, freshwater resources, agriculture, ecosystems and the economy. In Rincón, a coastal town in Puerto Rico, the rising sea levels are eroding the coastline at a rate of about 3ft per year.3 Coastal erosion is damaging to the numerous buildings located on the island’s coastline, but even more concerning is that several of Puerto Rico’s historic sites (i.e. the Spanish forts in Old San Juan) are located on that coastline. The erosion could cause not just structural damage, but complete loss of these sites, as well as loss of beach area. In 2009, 3.5 million tourists spent $3.5 billion on the island.3 The picturesque beaches are an attraction for those visitors. Without the beaches, Puerto Rico could take a major hit to their tourism
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.
Barbados is located in the Lesser Antilles, and is the easternmost of the Caribbean SIDS. It is highly urbanized and has a population of around 300,000 and a landmass of 432 km2. (Rawlins, 2003); (World Health Organization , 2013; Henshall, 1966). The Caribbean is mostly comprised of SIDS and is the island group that is most predisposed to natural disasters and extreme weather events (Pelling & Uitto, 2001). The metamorphosis of the land development in Barbados is closely related to the islands socio-cultural history. On account of their colonial legacy, the Barbados was a rural landscape. The dominance of sugar as a mono crop, therefore, favoured the development of the interior agricultural land. It is only recently that the locus of development has shifted outwards to the coast in order to respond to the tourism demands (Scruggs & Bassett, 2013).
People from all over the world go to beautiful beaches that are filled with water as clear as ice or as beautiful as diamonds. But, what will happen if we do not conserve the appealing sites that draw attraction to the public? Contaminated beaches has become a controversial issue to the public because of the causal problem, the harm to the people and marine animals, the government agencies supporting or opposing pollution, and the industries involved in creating such unlawful decisions. To create and find a solution, we must first find the core to the problem.