Bournemouth vs barton on sea coastal defence management

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Figure 1a                                                Figure 1b

For my geography coursework, I went to Bournemouth and Barton-on-Sea to examine the coastal protection strategies of each town. (Figure 1a & Figure 1b) Both of these are along South of England, with Bournemouth in Dorset and Barton-on-sea in neighbouring Hampshire. (Figure 1c & 1d). Also known as the Jurassic coastline, the coast attracts thousands of tourists each year, mostly to Bournemouth. Around the Bournemouth area, you can see that it is well developed

                                                

Figure 1a                                        Figure 1b

Bournemouth                                               Bournemouth                Barton-on-sea

The coastal defence strategies are both very different. Bournemouth choose to use a hard engineering strategy of wooden groynes and a soft one in the case of beach nourishment, whilst Barton-on-sea have decided upon cheaper alternatives, rock armour and rock groynes. But, regardless of how much money Hampshire council pour into coastal defence the cliffs at Barton is being eroded away.

This is all because of the coastal management down-coast at Bournemouth. Bournemouth receives a huge amount of its turnover via tourism because most tourists come to visit the beach. Due to longshore drift, the beach sediment is being carried up coast to feed Barton on sea. But, as I said earlier, Bournemouth use groynes which traps the beach sediment, thus starving beaches up coast of vital sediment and unleashes the power of the waves directly at the cliffs. This in some places, including Barton on sea, causes rotational cliff slumping in which the cliff slides down into the sea. The base is made of a soft, permeable rock like clay and when it gets wet becomes unstable and just slumps into the sea.

Bournemouth

Bournemouth is a large town and tourist resort, situated on the south coast of England. With a population of 163,600 it is the largest settlement in the ceremonial county of Dorset. The town is a regional centre of education and business, and forms the main part of the South East Dorset conurbation, with the adjoining town of Poole. It is also the largest town on the English south coast between Southampton and Plymouth.

  • Land use = Bournemouth is a mainly commercial and industrial area with housing around the outskirts.
  • Tourism = tourism is the biggest earner for Bournemouth.
  • Fact = the area of boscombe, just east of Bournemouth will be home to Europe’s first artificial reef.

Barton-on-sea

The coastal village of Barton-on-Sea is nowadays included as a suburb of New Milton. In the First World War Barton was the site of a convalescent home for Indian service men and this is commemorated by an obelisk in the village.

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The coast at Barton-on-Sea is particularly well-known for its geological content, being home to many fossils. The cliff tops are home to a scenic golf course.

 A cliff-top path runs between Barton and the village of Milford on Sea. From there, the Solent path stretches all the way to Emsworth, on the West Sussex border. It is also well known for the fact that it was the first place in England to try out rock groynes.

  • Population = 24,500
  • Land use = almost all residential area.
  • Fact = the area has been designated a ‘Site of Special Scientific Interest’ ...

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