Coastal managment

• What are examples of hard management

  1. Rock armour
  2. Tetrapods
  3. Sea Wall
  4. Gabions
  5. Groynes
  6. Barrages
  7. Revetments
  8. Offshore reefs
• What are examples of soft management

  1. Dune Regeneration
  2. Beach nourishment or profiling
  3. Offshore reefs
  4. Living shoreline barrier
  5. Cliff stabilisation
• What is rock armour

  A cliff foot strategy used to absorb wave energy, to reduce coastal erosion. The advantages is it is easy and cheap to build and maintain, the rocks are resistant to erosion so long use
• Disadvantages of rock armour

  1.Can be a form of negatuve feedback as it disrupts natural sediment transport, which leads to erosion elsewhere

  2.It can also impact the beach profile and wildlife

  3.May be ineffective, on high energy coastlines
• What are tetrapod's?

  A cliff foot strategy of angular piles of moulded concrete, they dissipates wave energy reducing coastal erosion.

  They are a cheaper solution than rock armour and more durable
• What are the disadvantages of tetrapod's?

  Expensive that Gabions and they may endanger wildlife or swimmers and be a form of negative feedback
• What are gabions?

  Cliff foot strategy, cheaper than alternatives and an effective method to dissipate wave energy eg in Swanage
• What are the disadvantages of Gabions

  The metal is typically iron so rusts and needs maintenance, it may also not cope during heavy storms, may need replacing so may be innefective in long term
• What are sea walls?

  There is three forms 1. Vertical walls 2. recurved or stepped
• What are the advantages of sea walls?

  Cliff face strategy, they reflect the energy of the sea and recurved absorb wave energy

  They reduce flooding and erosion

  They are durable

  They increase coastal security, improving the socio-economic factors of a location

  Can be combined with other forms such as gabions
• What are the disadvantages of sea walls?

  Expensive

  Can cause mass movement without drainage as water can accumilate and cause sructuiral failure

  They also sometimes don't protect against extreme storm surges and flooding causing socio-economic loss such as west Kirby

  They also can be a form of positive feedback and alter beach profile due to reflection
• What are revetments

  A cliff foot strategy, made of rock concrete with a slopping structure. Can protect the top of beaches or salt marshes they reduce swash and dissipate wave energy
• How to Groynes protect beaches from coastal erosion?

  groynes are placed at a right angle to the swash they prevent long-shore drift, and they trap sediment

  this means the beaches have more sand to naturally dissipate wave energy
• What is the disadvantages of Groynes

  Can cause terminal groyne syndrome and starve other areas of sediment, due to natural processes being disturbed this is negative feedback. Also can alter natural coastal habitats
• What is a barrage?

  A cliff foot strategy, used to slow down wave energy through combinations of gates, locks and pumps.

  Protects low lying areas from flooding and built across bays and estuaries.

  Can generate renewable wave energy and also reduce erosion and flooding threats
• What are the disadvantages and examples of Barrages

  Cardiff bay, the project has created new habitats and activities

  Although these projects have impact to natural environment, can impact existing habitats and alter natural sediment transfer.

  Also economically expensive although Cardiff bay there's economic opportunities such as housing and offices
• What are the disadvantages of Revetments

  Expensive, can cause negative impacts, an alter natural succession of dunes and marshes

  Less durable than other methods
• Where is Lyme Regis?

  Coastal seaside resort in the south coast of england in Dorset.
• What are the socio-economic opportunities in Lyme Regis?

  Tourism due to fossils and also hotels, shops and tourism economy

  The landslides expose fossils
• What are the problems in Lyme Regis?

  There is the resistant rock of limestone built onto op the soft less resistant slippy clay which due to mechanical weathering, rainfall and erosion is retreating and also frequent landslides occur when rain occurs, this is dangerous and can cause economic damage
• What is the solution in Lyme Regis?

  In 1995 stage one occurred, they produced a sea wall to protect the vulnerable land from landslides

  They then did emergency cliff stabilisation to prevent collapse and erosion in the harsh winter, there was also improved drainage to help unconsolidated rocks and reduce pore pressure
• What was stage two in Lyme Regis

  Another sea wall and beach nurishment to attract tourists
• What is a SMP

  Shoreline Management Plan, a holistic overview approach there are eleven in the UK all to ensure dynamic equilibrium and prevent human action exacerbating erosion
• What is a IZCM

  Integrated zonation coastal management, includes locals to produce a sustainable approach to erosion, it considers the socio-economic and environmental impacts of coastal management
• Who does IZCM include?

  Stakeholders consider the risk to property such as residental, the impact on the economy and natural risk
• What do IZCM aim to do?

  Encourage sustainability and conservation of the natural environment

  Ensuring economic effectivity

  Reduce loss of stakeholders livelyhoods
• What are the forms of SMP?

  No active intervention - no coastal defences

  Hold the line - no new defences but maintain old defenses

  Advance the line - add new defences

  Managed retreat is when the properties is moved away
• What are CBA?

  Cost benefit analysis, economic value of land is compared to the cost of defences
• International examples of Coastal management

  • Odisha on the southeast coats of India (NEES)
• Odisha coastal management


  • Lack of coastal dynamic equilibrium with an increase rate of erosion
  • Mass deforestation of mangroves and deposition landform
  • Living shoreline barrier protected Odisha from erosion and also cyclones
  • Only 14% of the coast is stable due to reduction of mangroves
  • High levels of erosion in the south coast
• Reduction of mangroves


  Increased risk of cyclones
• Lack of coastal protection


  Larger impact on population such as death
• Rising sea levels


  Increased intensity and frequency of cyclones
• Rising sea levels


  Increased risk of coastal flooding, erosion and storm surges
• Socio-economic opportunities


  • Tourism due to beaches and ecosystems
  • Coastal strip has high economic value and opportunities for offshore oil, renewable energy and minerals
  • Lots of housing along coast due to flat land so many stakeholders
• Human intervention to natural processes through unsustainable methods such as hard management and mass deforestation of mangroves a sediment sink
• Sea walls and breakwaters protecting ports have caused negative feedback elsewhere
• Environment opportunities


  • Increase in ecotourism
  • Increase in cyclone shelters
• ICZM


  Aims to establish sustainable levels of socio-economic development while resolving environment conflicts to protect the coastal environment