1.2 Case studies Flashcards

1
Q

Location of Hemsby

A

Hemsby is a village, seaside resort and civil parish in the county of Norfolk, England

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2
Q

Issues in Hemsby

A
  • homes falling into the sea due to cliff erosion of very soft clay + sand in storms
  • no sea defences - public funding refused, Hemsby not considered economically valuable enough
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3
Q

How have people in Hemsby responded?

A
  • people are fundraising for sea defences
  • helping people clear + evacuate coastal homes in storms
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4
Q

Impacts of erosion in Hemsby

A
  • potential loss of the cultural history/identity of the town
  • area is reliant on tourism, with many businesses by the sea
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5
Q

How has beach nourishment been used in Norfolk?

A
  • in 2019, 2million m3 of sand was placed on the Norfolk coastline near Bacton
  • aimed to prevent flooding of homes and businesses and protect Bacton gas terminal
  • cost £20m - biggest contribution from Bacton Gas Terminal
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6
Q

Has the Norfolk beach nourishment been successful?

A

2 years on
- heavy storms caused waves to crash into sand and create a 2m drop
- sand has moved further down the beach, creating a sand bar that breaks waves’ energy
- has prevented flooding in gas terminal and nearby villages

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7
Q

Issues facing sand dunes in Berrow, Somerset

A
  • sea buck thorn is an invasive species that outcompetes marram and needs to be removed manually
  • trampling kills vegetation, causing blowouts in storms
  • paths, roads, and walkways create weaknesses in dunes, which cause wind tunnels and flooding
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8
Q

Dune management in Berrow

A
  • soft management: rerouting paths, boardwalks, porous collection, fencing
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9
Q

Dune management in Ynyslas, Wales

A
  • management focused on educating public
  • wooden paths
  • free access to some areas, no access to others
  • information centre
  • warden
  • allow school fieldwork to take place in some areas
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10
Q

Location of Keyhaven Marshes

A

-Hampshire
-Behind Hurst Castle Spit
- Western Solent

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11
Q

Describe the formation of Keyhaven Salt marshes

A
  • developed due to formation and migration of Hurst spit
  • spit is maintained by supply of shingle from west and longshore drift
  • spit provides sheltered environment for mud flats and marshes to form
  • spartina has led to marshes growing 2m higher than usual
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12
Q

why is the hurst spit receding?

A
  • groynes and engineering works to the west
  • increased storms
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13
Q

impacts of the recession of the hurst spit

A
  • rapid erosion
  • reduced height of spit
  • breaches in the spit
  • if not dealt with, the spit might’ve become isolated and marshes overwhelmed by marine attack
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14
Q

Impacts of declining spartina on Keyhaven salt mashes

A
  • exposed slumping platforms of bare mud - vulnerable to erosion
  • this would expose coast to wave attack, flooding habitats
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15
Q

Describe the Shoreline Management Plan used at Keyhaven Salt marshes

A
  • marshes and hurst spit not totally independent so holistic approach needed
  • 550m of rock armour protecting Western end at milford
  • spit nourished with 300,000m3 of shingle
  • 100m rock revetment at Eastern end to protect tip
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16
Q

Long-term management strategies for the Keyhaven saltmarshes

A
  • existing defences on landward side of spit maintained
  • more information needed about saltmarshes
  • working party should be established to investigate and develop strategies
  • detailed assessment of marshes to be carried out
17
Q

Location of Kiribati

A

33 islands in the Pacific Ocean

18
Q

Why is Kiribati at risk of sea level rise?

A
  • very low-lying sand and mangrove islands (1m above sea level)
  • sea levels rising 4x faster than global average
19
Q

Impacts of sea level rise in Kiribati

A
  • 2 islands completely flooded
  • contaminated groundwater
  • coral bleaching caused by warming oceans
  • loss of outer islands and erosion of beaches means it is more at risk from storms
  • food scarcity - increased storm surges killed crops and contaminated water
  • increased temperature and water contamination spreads diseases
20
Q

Responses to rising sea levels in Kiribati

A
  • in 2014 President Tong purchased land in Fiji for agriculture or future migration
  • ‘migration with dignity’ policy allows people to apply to jobs in neighbouring countries
  • new President Maamau plans to dredge underneath islands then raise them higher above sea level
  • people built walls out of coral, mangroves planted, towns moved inland
21
Q

Barton on sea - Location and geology

A
  • Christchurch Bay is a subcell of the Dorset-Hampshire littoral cell
  • unresistant geology, high energy processes mean that coastal recession is avg 1m/year
22
Q

How is west barton on sea being managed?

A
  • West to Naish farm and highcliff has a retreating and collapsing cliff
  • managed retreat
  • mobile caravans relocated
  • soft engineering will allow for some cliff erosion while keeping the beach front in pleace
23
Q

How is central barton on sea being managed?

A
  • holding the line
  • no new developments on cliff edge
  • new or redeveloped properties up to 400m inland must have soakaways to reduce groundwater build up
  • risk of property loss
  • hard engineering: revetments, rock armour, groynes, cliff regrading, beach nourishment
24
Q

How is East barton on sea managed?

A
  • part of SSSI with major retreats in the cliffs
  • do nothing approach
  • re-routing of coastal foot path
  • only losses to golf course
25
Q

What are the problems in Happisburgh, Norfolk?

A
  • failed to qualify for coastal defences
  • homes lost to sea
  • by 2015, shoreline may recede by 200m, losing 50 homes, property losses of £50m
  • loss of life boat and beach access ramp in 2003 affected tourism
  • house values are low and people cannot afford to move elsewhere
26
Q

What are the suggested solutions in Happisburgh?

A
  • do nothing approach
  • no national system of compensation
  • in 2009, government provided £5000 for demolition and £1000 for relocation
  • £1.4 million was set aside by community for ‘purchase and lease-back’ of 11 houses
  • pathfinder project
27
Q

Describe the pathfinder project

A
  • owners offered half of ‘non-blighted’ house value
  • Beach road houses demolished and a buffer between cliff and village established
  • grants to relocate manor farm caravan park, public toilets, and derelict coastal defences
  • planning rights for coastal properties sold to local council
  • funded purchase of landward farmland to replace homes
28
Q

Views of the CCAG

A
  • coastal concern action group
  • raise awareness of erosion issues
  • lobbied for policy change to allow for coastal defences in the future
29
Q

Why is Bangladesh prone to coastal flooding? - environmental reasons

A
  • coriolis effect leads to storms moving from equator northwards - amplified by bay of bengal
  • low-lying country
  • river deltas for major rivers (Ganges, Meghna, Brahanaputra)
  • monsoon season often at same time as cyclone season
  • climate change causing sea level rise and himilayan ice to melt
  • land made from deposits of silt so easily eroded
30
Q

Why is Bangladesh prone to coastal flooding? - economic reasons

A
  • LIC: lacks funds for coastal protection to mitigate against flooding
  • poorly built property more likely to collapse
31
Q

Why is Bangladesh prone to coastal flooding? - social reasons

A
  • high population density
  • population rising rapidly
  • people living in vulnerable areas
32
Q

What problems does Bangladesh face as a result of sea level rise?

A
  • 100,000 people displaced every year by erosion
  • salt water pollutes farms and freshwater sources
33
Q

How are Bangladesh adapting to the threat of coastal flooding?

A
  • aquaculture: raising crabs in the salt water brought by storm surges to sell
  • fresh water provided by NGOs - fresh water taps and desalination plants
  • agriculture: farmers dug holes in sand and plant pumpkins to sell throughout the year, changing for chickens to ducks as they can handle damp conditions
34
Q

Netherlands - describe the Deltawerken project

A
  • Hard engineering project which began following the 1953 Storm Surge drastically damaged the Netherlands.
  • 1800 people died during the storm surge as well as the flooding of 10% of the Netherlands’ farmland.
  • Consists of a series of dams and gates constructed along rivers to control the flow of water during a storm surge.
  • It also aims to reduce the length of the coastline exposed to the sea whilst maintaining safe access to the North Sea for shipping.
35
Q

Netherlands - benefits of the Deltawerken project

A
  • It has allowed for 4 million people to live below normal sea level, hence easing the Netherlands’ population growth.
  • The dams have allowed for new roads and transport connections, which drastically reduce journey times and reduce isolation for settlements.
36
Q

Netherlands - costs of the Deltawerken project

A
  • Cost $5 billion. However, due to sea level rise, the Dutch will need to spend more than $1 billion annually to maintain and improve defences against the rising sea levels.
  • A number of nature reserves were lost during construction, though some have been replaced during the project.