Crowded Coasts

Crowded Coasts

1. The Coastal Zone: the interface between the land and sea. The onshore zone extends up to 60km inland, the offshore zone up to 370km out to sea. These zones are some of the most densely populated in the world and host numerous human activities.

   • Blue flag beaches are popular for tourism e.g. Benidorm
   • The natural Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong was originally a trading centre, and is now a tourist port
   • Estuaries such as Narranganset, Rhode Island, can be used as an expansive natural harbour
     • Coastal ecosystems such as the Great Barrier Reef are major tourist destinations for diving/tours/snorkelling
     • Geographical features can be used for hydroelectric plants, such as Niagara Falls USA/Canada, which are also tourist attractions
   • Flood plains and deltas are used for agriculture e.g. Nile Delta

2. Coastalisation: the migration of people to coastal areas, often due to pull factors.

   • Australia - 60% of the population live in the 5 major coastal cities. Agriculture has suffered due to recent droughts and many people move to the coast for employment. Coastal housing is usually cheaper, attracting young families, and coastal towns have an attractive urban and outdoor lifestyle
   • Spain's Costa Geriatica - inward migration has caused coastal population to increase by 1.2% annually since 2000. International migrants retire to Spain. In 2005, 22% of Spain's coastal population were 65+.
   • Florida - 25% of the state's population live along the coast, with families and retirees migrating there from colder Northern US cities.Lots of employment is available in tourism and the Everglades conservation site is here.

3. Blackpool's Population Change:

   • Railway line opens and seaside travel is popular - 1840 +
     • Victorian's believe the sea air to have health benefits - 1860 +
       • Introduction of electric streetlights - 1875 +
         • Blackpool tower opens - 1880 +
           • Worker's holiday pay is introduced - 1935 +
             • Package holidays + cheap air travel are introduced - 1970s --
               • M5 motorway opens, making day trips possible - 1975 +
                 • Mini breaks abroad become popular - 2000s --

4. Bournemouth: A Crowded Coast

   • Village of 695 people - 1851
     • Railway line to London built - 1859 +
       • Winter Gardens built - 1875 +
         • Pier built - 1880 +
           • Package holidays introduced - 1970s --
             • Railway upgraded - 1980s +
               • Service Sector bank boom - 1990s +
                 • £8million Boscombe regeneration project - 2007 +
                   • Bournemouth residents Uk's 'happiest' - 2008 +

5. Coastal Conflict: Studland Bay on the Jurassic Coast, Dorset

   • MOD vs Tourists - shooting range near the cove is closed during training
     • Local community vs Tourists - dislike the increased traffic and house prices, like the employment
       • Fisherman vs Tourists -jet skis/watersports disrupt fishing
         • English Heritage vs Tourists/MOD - difficult to protect the cove and surrounding land

6. Sand Dunes: a High Value Coastal Environment

   • Accumulations of sand shaped into mounds and ridges by wind, often a source of vegetation e.g. Druridge Bay
     • Type of vegetation depends on the dune structure e.g. fixed dunes have diverse vegetation such as mosses, grasses, flowering plants and sedges
       • Tourists can damage the vegetation by walking over it and leaving litter; this leaves nothing to protect the dunes, meaning blowout can occur and the dunes can become inverted

7. Mangroves: a High Value Coastal Environment

   • Trees and shrubs that grow in saline, coastal habitats in the tropics/subtropics e.g. Gulf of Mexico
     • Able to support numerous species, act as a 'nursery' for young wildlife, high economic value that will only increase in time, act as a natural flood defence
     • Susceptible to diseases, cleared at a great rate to provide tinder for tourist resorts; used for shrimp aquaculture; main source of income for locals is mangrove farming; declining mangrove crab population

8. Southampton Port: Dibden Day Debate

   • For: council believe it to be worth the mass economic development and 1700 jobs, residents want the permanent employment it brings, Associated British Ports think it essential to develop the port and ensure it remains popular
     • Against: residents don't want the mass disruption and pollution, Council for National Parks say it ruins the waterbird's only natural habitat that can't be relocated, RSPB think it too important to protect the ecosystem and that there are other coastal brownfield sites that could be used instead

9. Holderness Coastline

   • Causes of Coastal Erosion: >deep sea floor of the North Sea means there is little friction to dissipate wave energy > LSD > fetch of 500km-800km, the larger the fetch the more destructive the waves > weak glacial till eroding at 1.2m a year
   • Management of Costal Erosion: £5.2million of groynes at Hornsea to prevent LSD > £6.3million sea return wall at Withernsea > beach nourishment at Withernsea > £4.5million rock armour revetment at Spurn Head > do nothing at Abbot Hall Farm

10. Future Management Strategies:

    • Littlehaven - managed retreat until 2055, the hold the line of the retreated alignment, in conjunction with the land use plan
    • Herd Sands North - hold the line until 2105, then allow retreat to maintain the dune defenses integrity
    • Herd Sands South - hold the line until 2055, allow retreat until 2105, then hold the line on the retreated alignment to maintain the value of the beach

11. Sources of Flooding:

    • Eustatic change - sea levels in SE England are predicted to by 1m by 2100
      • Isostatic Change - rivers deposit water/sediment into the Thames estuary; the weight of the sediment causes the crust to sink, so sea levels appear to rise
      • Storm Surges - sea levels rise by 1cm with every 1mb drop in atmospheric pressure; when low pressure coincides with spring tide and onshore wind, storm surges can occur

12. Coastal Flooding: Thames Estuary

    • Houses of Parliament and 87,000 civil workers would be at risk
      • 1.25million people, 400 schools and 16 hospitals are on the Thames Tidal Floodplain
        • Port of London would be affected, which handles over 50m tonnes of imports and exports and has 35,000 full time workers
          • London Underground Network would be flooded, as it is predominantly below ground, so it could not be used as a refuge