Geography assessment: How to save the coast
Introduction:
Manly Beach is one of Australia’s most iconic and popular beaches with it spaning 1.5km long, it is located 16km north east of the Sydney CBD. Like many other beautiful beaches along the Australian coast, Manly is threatened by climate changes that lead to sea level rises resulting in shoreline recession and coastal erosions. This report will discuss the physical, environmental, economic and social impact of these problems.
1.1 Direct and indirect climate change impacts on beaches:
As shown in Table 1, climate change has caused sea-level rise with has increased inundation of coastal zone, increased coastal erosion and increased the risk of flooding and storm damage.
Other negative
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impacts include reduced storm protection function and dissolution of beach sand content. 1.2 Physical impacts on Manly Beach According to a study report from UNSW, Manly Beach has been affected by many large storm events that occurred over the years that have caused much damage to the seawall. This has led to loss of resources and damage to assets due to the loss of volumes of sand to accommodate the storm erosion demand. Figure 1 shows that if this continues, sea-level rise and erosion will reduce the width of the beach until no inter-tidal beach remains.
This will destroy the ecosystem.
1.3 Environmental impacts on Manly Beach
There are many aquatic habitats in Manly, including inter-tidal rock platforms, rocky reefs and submerged soft sediments. The area includes Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve that provides protection for the seaweed sea dragon, black rock cod, blue groper and elegant wrasses. There are also a variety plants, ghost crabs, shore birds and assemblages living under the intertidal sand.
1.4 Social and economic impact on Manly Beach
Manly beach contains a range of indigenous and non-indigenous heritage and culture, the beach attracts tourists and local who contribute to the economy of the area. Therefore, the property value in this area has increased expediently
If nothing is done to preserve the beach and allow the continuation of beach recession, it will result in the loss of the beach culture and recreation, loss of revenue from tourism and local visitors and loss of property value for the residents.
2. Solutions to solve the problems that is occurring on
Manly Our beaches are very precious to us in many ways as mentioned above. The NSW government has passed a Coastal Management Act 2016, and a State Environmental Planning Policy (Coastal Management) 2018 to save our beaches from further coastal erosions. These actions include: Community and stakeholder engagement, Coastal erosion and submerged hazard risk assessment, developing a risk-based framework for considering waterway health and a range of management options to reduce risks and foster opportunities in coastal management areas. In addition, local councils will use cost-benefit analysis to assess coastal management options, preparing a coastal zone emergency action sub plan, and perform floodplain risk management. These guidelines assist councils to consider interactions between catchment flooding and oceanic inundation. 2.1 Sand nourishment projects Part of the coastal management plan is to get rid of the sand on the beach to replace the sand that is lost by coastal erosion. Nourishment is one of three commonly accepted methods for protecting shorelines. The structural alternative involves constructing a seawall, revetment, groyne or breakwater. Alternatively, with managed retreat the shoreline is left to erode, while relocating buildings and infrastructure further inland. Nourishment gained popularity because it preserved beach resources and avoided the negative effects of hard structures. Conclusion: Climate change is proving to have a severe negative impact on our coastlines. Manly Beach is a very precious beach to Australians because of its physical, environmental, cultural, social and economic values. The NSW government and the local council are now acting to protect Manly Beach from further coastal erosion. If no action is taken, we may lose our beach totally and that would be disastrous to the people, the land and the ecosystem. Beach nourishment is one way of replenishing our beach. However, more need to be done, such as habitat protection and restoration projects to restore the health of our coastal ecosystems. This requires planning, funding and time. Bibliography NSW Govt Legislation: Coastal Management Act 2016 No 20 https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/act/2016/20 Office of Environment and Heritage: Coastal Management Plans http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/water/coasts/coastal-management/coastal-management-framework UNSW: Manly coastal hazard assessment | Water Research Laboratory http://www.wrl.unsw.edu.au/research/manly-coastal-hazard-assessment UNSW: Sydney Beaches Evaluation Project http://www.sydneycoastalcouncils.com.au/sites/default/files/Anning_SBVP_Overview.pdf
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.
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,
Case Study of Hastings Coastal Management Hastings is a town on the south coast of England approximately 60 miles south of London (see map below). In recent years, the coastline at Hastings has had to face many large scale problems, including the 10 km stretch from Hastings eastwards to the small town of Fairlight. With the coastline at constant exposure to the English Channel, there are many coastal processes which take place along the stretch of beach and cliff. [IMAGE][IMAGE] [IMAGE][IMAGE] Longshore Drift [IMAGE] Fetch [IMAGE]The map on the left illustrates the location of Hastings and also the area of the coastline which is being discussed in this case study.
Longshore drift is a process by which sediments are transported from one place to another. When this process occurs, beaches, spits and sandbars are accreted over time. If the process of longshore drift is altered by factors such as stronger winds and stronger currents, beach erosion begins at a faster rate and this may result in many serious problems. The main stakeholders of longshore drift are resort owners. They rely on people to visit their resorts and enjoy the beach. However, if longshore drift erodes t...
Sea level rise: As of January 2015, globally the sea levels measured 61.91 mm. Sea level rise is caused primarily by two factors related to global warming: the added water coming from the melting of land ice and the expansion of sea water as it
Not only has urban development faced damage from these coastal changes, however by changing coastal stability, development itself has increased erosion. Buildings, roads and homes built too close to the beach have become vulnerable to erosion due to extreme weather conditions. Furthermore, during storms, large waves cause severe erosion to this beach. Consequently, wave patterns change as they are are not naturally rolling onto the beach. Instead, they are smashing against built surfaces/structures (causing more erosion) and then are being violently pushed back.
The Chesapeake Bay is a lively and diverse estuary-- it holds our famous blue crabs, oysters, scallops, fish, 87 species of waterbirds, and over 3,600 species of plants. Any impact that we have on the oceans and the bay greatly affect the life and health of not only the bay, but also the many diverse species of seafood and fauna that exist in the bay.
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.
Coastal wetlands are found in just about every country of the world and are of great value to society. In the United States in particular, 40 percent of our wetlands are coastal wetlands and just over 80 percent of those coastal wetlands are found in the Southeast (NOAA). Coastal wetlands can take on several different forms, including the salt marshes that line our bays, freshwater marshes, mangrove swamps, hardwood swamps, and seagrass beds (NOAA). Humans are connected to coastal wetlands in more ways than they may or may not know. Coastal wetlands are greatly responsible for the various seafood we indulge in every year. These wetlands provide the perfect habitat for the reproduction and feeding of many wildlife, including lobster, shrimp, crabs, oysters, and many types of fish including salmon and bass (NOAA). Natural gas and oil production are also connected to our coastal wetlands. Eighteen percent of oil production and nearly 24 percent of natural gas production in the U.S. originates in, travels through, or is processed in Louisiana coastal wetlands (NOAA). If you enjoy b...
The global sea level rose about 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) in the last century (NASA). The rate in the last decade, however, is nearly double that of the last century. With climate change on the rise, higher temperatures, more droughts, and wilder weather will prevail. These changes will affect animals, ecosystems, and people.
Yamada, K., & Kumagai, N. H. (2012). Importance of seagrass vegetation for habitat partitioning between closely related species, mobile macrofauna Neomysis (Misidacea). Hydrobiologia, 680(1), 125-133.
One of the major effects of global warming is the rise of sea level due to thermal expansion of the ocean, in addition to the melting of land ice. Now there are dozens of land areas that sit well below sea level and the majority of those land areas are very well populated. At least 40 percent of the world 's population lives within 62 miles of the ocean, putting millions of lives and billions of dollars ' worth of property and infrastructure at risk. (Juliet Christian-Smith, 2011) This means if the sea level rises to the projected level of 25 meters (82 feet) half of the world will retreat back to the ocean. (Rohrer, 2007) Also rising sea levels means higher tides and storm surges riding on ever-higher seas which are more dangerous to people and coastal inf...
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Climate change is an inevitable phenomenon that is being experienced globally in various forms, such as temperature rise. Sea level rise, droughts, floods, hurricanes, landslides, etc. According to the fourth assessment report of the IPCC project, even with immediate implementation of mitigation strategies, global climate change will continue for decades. Climate change is inflicting serious consequences on human wellbeing and will continue to inflict damage in the future. It is estimated that global temperature will rise by 1.8 oC - 4.0 oC by the end of the 21st century (Izaurraade, 2009).
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