INDEX
- Climate change, what is it, and how does it cause Coastal Erosion/What is Coastal
Erosion?
- Strategy 1; Groin.
- Strategy 2; Jetties.
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
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Climate Change - what is it, and how does it cause coastal erosion?
Climate change is a change in the usual weather found in a place. E.g., How much rain a place
usually gets in a year, or maybe it's colder in summer than it was 10 or 20 years ago.
Climate change is also a change in Earth's climate. This could be a change in Earth's average
temperature or a change in where rain, snow, etc., usually falls on Earth. Climate changes take
hundreds or even millions of years, which is why it's usually not that noticeable to
citizens like us, but the earth's atmosphere is constantly changing.
Scientists who study the Earth (geologists) have noticed that Earth's climate is getting warmer
(referred to as Global Warming). Earth's temperature has gone up about one degree Fahrenheit
(.17 Celcius) in the last 100 years. It may seem very small, but even small
changes in Earth's temperature like this can have significant effects.
.
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Strategy 1; Groin (Coastal erosion)
A groin is a structure built from an ocean shore (or from a river bank) that interrupts water
flow and limits the movement of debris. It is usually made of wood, concrete, or stone but
can also be made of environmental materials such as bamboo. In the ocean, groins
prevent beaches from being washed away by longshore drift. Groins run
perpendicular to the shore, extending from the coast into the water. Groins are usually
placed in groups, & they are often used in tandem with seawalls.
Diagram of how a groin works.
As well as a groin is a helpful structure that traps sediments from longshore drift,
Reducing coastal erosion on the beach, & that they're low budget and easy to maintain, there's
also some downsides to putting a groin in the water, such as preventing beaches down the
coast from having sediments deposited there, which can also lead to soil erosion, not protecting
coasts from storm-driven waves approaching the shore, making the coast appear to be
unnatural, & If erosion breaches the seawall, then debris from the wall will be left on the beach
and in the surf.
Some examples of groins and where they have been put in Australia are;
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- Kirra Beach, Gold Coast, QLD.
- Brighton Beach, Sydney, NSW.
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Strategy 2; Seawall (Natural disasters)
Sea walls are hard-engineer...
