Using sample studies, outline the factors that impact upon coastal environments and discuss the management strategies that can be put in place to protect coastal environments.

Laura Stevenson Year 11 Geography

GEOGRAPHY

Question: Using sample studies, outline the factors that impact upon coastal environments and discuss the management strategies that can be put in place to protect coastal environments.

There are many types of factors that impact upon coastal environments. Physical effects, such as erosion and chemical weathering, shape the coastline and determine the formation of dunes. Human activities also affect the coastal environments waters and beaches, with impacts from pollution, boating, industrial uses and fishing. Management strategies have been put into place to manage the coastal environment. For example, sand pumping and sea walls to re-create coasts, and educational programmes to keep coasts protected.

Coasts are effected by physical elements that can shape the coastal headlands and in turn, shape the beach. The main factor changing the coastal environment is erosion. Erosion is the gradual wearing or eating away and destruction of something and it can occur on many different sites on the beach, including sand. At Collaroy beach, significant beach erosion was taking place, due to the destruction of the foredune. As a result of erosion, the beach became narrower. Although this sample study of Collaroy Beach shows that erosion can cause problems, erosion is usually seen as a very beneficial physical element as it creates sediment that is transported to the beach. Rock and cliffs are effected by erosion too, as well as weathering, which can cause them to change colour or shape due to wind, rain or sun. In all beaches, a process known as longshore drift takes place, which can seriously alter a beach’s coast and sometimes causes significant problems. It when sediment is transported from the south to the north, causing the beach to be wider along the northern end. In the Tweed River, longshore drift created a huge problem when it kept accumulating and caused the northern end to be dangerously shallow for boats using the river. Management strategies were put into place to manage and prevent coastal damage, at Collaroy Beach and Tweed River.

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Human activities also have strong impacts upon the environment, and usually they are negative impacts. Pollution is a key ingredient into damaging beaches and ecosystems. Pollution comes from boats, oil carriers and people littering. Dee Why Lagoon had a major concern with pollution, as it when the lagoon’s access to the sea is blocked, lots of pollution accumulates. Nutrient-rich runoff is a major problem because it causes algae to grow, which can be poisonous to animals and emits a stagnant smell as it rots. Pollution from industrial uses have very bed effects upon the coastal environment. It effects the animals and plants in the ocean, causing them to have defects or killing them, and spreads outside the beach, because of birds and fish. Fishing is another activity which humans are heavily involved in, and cause problems for the coastal environment. Net fishing can destroy schools of fish, by catching them and selling them as a product in markets. The absence of the fish will lead to other changes in the coastal environment, among the ecosystems. Development is another major issue which effect coastal areas. At Collaroy Beach, urban development caused the destruction of the dune system, because they accelerated the rates of beach erosion. Developments on Queensland’s Gold Coast started to impact the functioning of the beach, as the amount of buildings and infrastructure began to grow, around the edge of the water. It caused the dredging of coastal waterways and the flattening and extending of the shore, having negative effects on the environment. Along with the increase in development, the amount of tourists increased too. When they used the beach, the vegetation that helps stabilise the sand dunes was damaged. Human activities on the whole, usually have negative impacts on coastal areas, but activities such as ecotourism or surfing, have little or no effect on the coastal environment.

There are many management strategies which are used to help manage coastal environments. Depending on the situation of a beach, will depend on the type of management solution needed to be put into practice. In Dee Why Lagoon, where pollution was a major problem, rubbish traps were installed into the lagoon to reduce the level of solid pollutants. Groynes were used at Tweed River, to prevent longshore drift from being carried all the way to the northern end of the beach, and sand dredging was used to deposit most of the sand, back to the southern end. Groynes were also placed on the Gold Coast, where development along the coastline was becoming a major issue. Vegetation was also planted to stabilise the banks, and sand pumping was the main strategy used, to accumulate more sand at the Southern end of the beach. On Sydney’s northern beaches, such as Collaroy, sea walls were built in an effort to protect the housing and apartments around the coastline, as well as stop the foredune from eroding. Councils also involve strategies which are based more around the community and their awareness of the beach, rather than trying to manage the actual coast. Educational programmes teach children about caring for their coastal environment, and ‘buy-back’ schemes are sometimes put in place by the council, in an effort to buy back land which is close to the shore.

In conclusion, there are many factors that influence the coastal environment. Both nature and humans contribute to shaping the coast, because of their physical elements and human activities. In the cases where these factors have caused problems to the coast, management strategies have been put into place to manage the shore as well as educate the community.

Mrs. Schumacher