What Are The Natural Forces Affecting Darwin's Coast

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Introduction: The coastlines of Darwin have been exposed and greatly affected by natural forces such as erosion, waves (constructive and deconstructive), and deposition. Human influences have also played a role in shaping the Darwin coast, people have been planting/ destroying plant life, building sea walls and placing dams on rivers. All these forces demonstrate that landscapes are influenced by both natural and human forces. Body:. Darwin’s coastlines have been changed by many forces and have shown many different coastal landforms. Both human and natural forces have played a part in the changing Darwin’s coast. One of the most prominent natural forces at play is erosion. Erosion is a process where landforms are torn down by natural forces …show more content…

Hydraulic action is when waves force air into cracks in a rock face. Attrition is when waves cause rocks to smash against one another, breaking them down into smaller and smaller pieces. Then finally, corrosion, corrosion describes a process where salts and acids from the sea dissolve rock gradually (Geological survey 2016). The other main force of this coastline is deposition. Deposition is a process, where sand, rock fragments, and stones are carried along inside waves, when those waves lose their strength the items that have been carried along inside them are deposited on beaches and other coastal areas (BBC 2021). Waves are the last main natural influence on the Darwin coastline. There are two different kinds of waves: constructive and destructive. Constructive waves are low intensity waves that bring materials and debris to coastlines. These low-energy constructive waves have stronger swashes than backwashes. Accordingly, any debris brought by the sea is washed up and accumulated along the coastline. The development of beaches is the most common way to observe the material that constructive waves deposit (Geological survey 2016). The second main type of wave …show more content…

People manage coastlines for many reasons. These reasons range from conserving the natural landforms of the coast, to protecting the coastal cliffs for development opportunities. One of the more environmentally friendly ways that people manage the coastlines is by removing and planting coastal trees such as mangroves. Mangroves minimize erosion effects. This minimising effect is important in Darwin’s wet season, during major weather events like cyclones and heavy storms, mangroves provide ecological support in areas that they populate. Mangroves extensive roots keep soft materials like clay together, while their above-ground roots reduce water flow, which lessens coastal erosion (The Nature Conservancy 2020). People plant mangroves as an alternative to less natural and more man-made ways of preserving the coast. One of these alternatives is seawalls. Seawalls are structures that are placed on the coast to slow shoreline erosion. Seawalls are meant to hold the soil in place and to prevent it from sliding, while also offering protection from wave action. They serve as coastal flood defences in addition to their primary purpose of reducing erosion. Seawalls can be built in several materials and can take either a vertical or sloping shape, shape varies depending on the type of coast that they are constructed on. They could also be known as revetments. ccnc 2016 - ccnc 2016 -

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