Coastal Management

Coastal Management

1. Hard Engineering

   • Hard Engineering: This involves building structures to protect the cliffs
   • Examples of Hard Engineering
     • Sea Walls
       • Advantages
         • They protect the area behind the wall
         • This prevents flooding by reflecting the waves away
       • Disadvantages
         • They can be very expensive to make and repair
         • When the waves bounce off they scour the beach and remove the materials
         • They can look very ugly causing people to not visit the area
     • Rock Armour
       • Advantages
         • The large boulders absorb the wave energy and reduce the power of the waves
       • Disadvantage
         • Stronger waves can move or undermine the boulders, making them inaffective
         • they can look very ugly causing people not to visit the area
     • Groynes
       • Advantages
         • These help to stop longshore drift
         • They trap sediment and build up the beach
       • Disadvantages
         • May create problems elsewhere because they starve beaches further down of sediments

2. Soft Engineering

   • Soft Engineering: This involves working with nature by using natural materials or allowing nature to take back areas.
   • Beach Nourishment
     • Advantages
       • Doing this creates lots of new habitats
       • Land nearby becomes a marsh, slowing waves and reducing erosion
     • Disadvantages
       • Land is lost due to flooding
   • Managed Retreat
     • Advantages
       • Adding more sand and shingle to the beach widens it and the waves
       • It all looks natural because no concrete is used
     • Disadvantages
       • Doesn't last very long as it just gets washed away again