Term Project: Coastal Erosion
A house begins to slowly crumble, slipping its way off the cliff. For years, waves had battered at the rocks, stripping and eroding away the land over time. Coastal erosion has been a pressing issue throughout the ages and today it is more prominent than ever. Recently, Europe experienced some of its worst storms and flooding in decades, leading to an estimated one thousand percent increase in coastal erosion (“Coastline Erosion Dramatically Accelerated by Winter Storms”). Consequences such as the loss of agriculture, destruction of property, and the endangering of transport links all resulted from the coastal erosion. In addition, in a report by Dr. James A. Richardson and Dr. Loren C. Scott, it was calculated that over the last fifty years, the state of Louisiana has lost over forty square miles of land per year. They determined that if there was no appropriate response, the state will continue to lose an additional 630,000 acres of land (4). This continual loss of land has cost Americans billions of dollars and many their homes. In order to prevent further economic losses, people must be restricted from building their homes on coasts in the future. Furthermore, by keeping them away from the dangers of the coasts, governments will be able to to ensure the safety and well-being of their people.
The economic damage of coastal erosion is evident, both throughout history and in our modern world. One example of the disastrous effects of coastal erosion is Dunwich, the medieval capital of East Anglia. Dunwich used to be the center of the prosperous wool trade in England, however, storms and coastal erosion have slowly made it into what it is now today, a shadow of its former wealth. Almost the entir...
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...ericans (Miller). The only surefire way to protect people from the dangers of coastal erosion in the future is to maintain a distance.
Today people are at a point where it is unreasonable to relocate all who live within close proximity to the coast. Today people must rely on the warning systems that may or may not be worthy of their trust. Today people must not think only for themselves, but for the future. In order to avoid the economic damages of coastal erosion and to protect the safety and well-being of its citizens, a country must look ahead and establish a law that restricts people from building too close to the coast. By establishing this law, future loss will be prevented and lives will be saved. While it is illogical to move and forever change the lives of those who currently live near the coast, it is not too late for people to prepare for the future.
Investigation on Coastal Erosion In Porlock Bay Aims ---- Aim 1: To find out if beach material is moved across Porlock Bay by longshore drift. Aim 2: To find out which type of sea defense is best for Porlock bay. If L.S.D. (long shore drift) were taking place I would expect to find: a) Deposition at one end of the bay and against any abstractions such as groynes. b)
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.
The Reasons for Aldeburgh Being Protected Differently than Dunwich In this question, I will be looking at how Aldeburgh is protected more than Dunwich, and the reasons why. I will concentrate more on the reasons, and to answer this, I will look at the location, long shore drift, and nearby places. Types of Coastal Protection Dunwich is only 9 miles north of Aldeburgh, but the methods of coastal protection in these two places are very different. In Dunwich there is a small amount of 'soft' protection. This means that natural methods are used.
Investigating if Dawlish Warren is Under Threat of Human Impact My investigation aims to find out if Dawlish Warren is threaten by human impacts and marine processes and are these affecting the ecological and economical value of Dawlish Warren. I will put to test Butlers Model and see if it applies to Dawlish Warren. I will also look at the other side of the argument and see the effect of management in Dawlish Warren and look at the sea defences which have been put in place to prevent erosion and longshore drift from occurring and also protecting the Railway line.
The effect of sea level rising is especially challenging for the population that lives in low-lying coastal communities, such as Miami Beach. The city is surrounded by sea. Miami Beach is linked to the mainland city of Miami through causeways, and it is an area that allocates much of the wealth from its art decoration and former celebrity playground standing. For them, funding does not seem to be a problem. However, the threat they are facing, cannot be entirely solved by money. Its sea level rising is at 9 millimeters a year, while there is only 3 millimeters on global average acceleration. If the sea level rises for 6 feet by 2100, Miami Beach city will get swallowed. When referring about sea level rising phenomenon, Miami Beach always acts as a ground zero example. Government leaders around the world are waiting to see how this rich living laboratory experiment place can avoid drowning. Below is a figure showing the sea level rising between 1900 and 2020 in Miami and Miami Beach
Out of the largest 136 coastal cities in the world, Vancouver ranked 11 in terms of future flood damage (ibid) creating concerns for the safety of the human population. The historic sea level rise in Vancouver is 2.0cm/50 years but has jumped to an expected one meter by the year 2100 (“Sea Level Adaptation”, 2013). Majority of Canadians will be living within 20km of the coast with approximately 80% of British Columbians living within 5km (ibid). It is projected that the number of people living near coastlines will increase while will raise the amount of the population vulnerable to climate change trends
Concern On The Coast, Classical Conflict Again Unfolds: Energy vs. Environment." Hartford Courant 16 Oct. 2005, 3 Stars/Final ed., sec. A. Bigchalk Database. 8 Nov. 2005. Tedesco, Mark A. "This Fine Piece of Water:
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.
The country of the Netherlands is a place of proud and prospering people with a rich Dutch culture and beautiful cities. Holland is constantly overflowing with innovative ideas and wondrous breakthroughs in agriculture, but for many years the Netherlands has faced a growing issue that is threatening the entire coast and mainland of their country. Global warming has contributed to a consistent increase of rising sea levels. Due to the issue that a majority of the mainland in Holland is well below sea level, the Dutch government has implemented necessary plans to revise the existing costal security program to protect the country from wide scale flooding and to ensure the security of the major cities and historic sites found throughout Holland.
Increased sea levels can give way to a variety of problems: rapid coastal erosion, shoreline change, loss of natural protective barriers, saltwater intrusion into aquifers and surface water, changes in tidal prisms (volume of water in an inlet between high tide and low tide), and rising water tables ("Climate Change and Impacts of Sea Level Rise"). Ventura County is facing many issues with rapid coastal erosion and loss of natural protective barriers. Beach Erosion Authority for Clean Oceans and Nourishment (BEACON) conducted a study to evaluate the conditions of different beaches along the Ventura County coast (Barlow, "Coastal Erosion Problems Highlighted in New Study"). Port Hueneme’s western beaches (picture to the left) are losing three to five inches per month due to sea level rise pushing beaches farther back.
Semaphore is a classic Adelaide beach supporting many facilities. However, this would not be the case if coastal management was not put into progress. Coastal management is a way of supporting the world’s coasts, by using many techniques from construction of structures in which prevents wave energy from reaching the shore to planned strategies. Factors of this includes; rising sea levels, erosion, long and short term drift, sand movement and marine biology. The importance of coastal management is quite significant as it will help to prevent coastal erosion. In addition to this, without coastal management the world will be affect economically, environmentally as well as socially. Without the strategies involving the management of the coast,
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.
... to accommodate the coastal wetlands, they will likely be threatened by local extinction, along with the services they provide to humans and wildlife (Wetlands are being wedged).
The oceans need to be protected because it is where life began and if not taken care of, life as we know it will end. When dangerous substances go into the ocean, ecosystems are suffer and become endangered along with lives of people and of marine life. Surfrider Foundation recognizes the importance of protecting and preserving the quality and biodiversity of the world's coasts because they are truly irreplaceable. There is also historical evidence of ocean pollution being present in the past, but the problem still lingers today. Heal the Bay discovered that,“Did you know there is a DDT and PCB hot spot off the coast of Palos Verdes? This superfund site (which indicates it's one of the most polluted places in the United States), is left over from a 1930's era chemical plant. Because DDT takes so long to break down in the marine environment, it persists to this day, contaminating certain species of fish. There are also highly polluted sediments in the Long Beach area, a sign of the heavy shipping in the port. Heal the Bay works on developing effective capping and removal plans to keep those toxins from spreading” (Heal the Bay). DDT is still highly concentrated in the South Bay area and still contaminating different species of fish. Even after more than 80 years DDT, a toxic insecticide, is still very concentrated and during upwellings, DDT particles come back up and continue to harm marine life. If humans are careless about what is thrown on the floor or sprayed on lawns, it can lead to disastrous affects when it comes to the condition of the ocean's ecosystems, and can endanger life itself leading to a problem that only we can mend.
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...