Section 7.

3: Coastal Erosion

I. Readiness Phase

Objective:

Identify coastal erosion as a natural process, and explain how human activity can increase
the risks associated with coastal erosion.

References:

 “Evaluation of Erosion Hazards” prepared by the H. John Heinz III Center for Science,
Economics and the Environment (summary report)
http://www.heinzctr.org/NEW_WEB/PDF/eronsum.pdf
 “Mapping Coastal Change Hazards” U.S.G.S website beginning at
http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/mappingchange/
 Coastal Erosion: Where’s the Beach Data Tip at
http://www.vims.edu/bridge/archive0500.html
 “Beaches on the Brink” CNNfyi.com article at
http://archives.cnn.com/2000/fyi/news/09/20/coastal.erosion/index.html

Procedure:

Supply the missing word(s) to complete the following sentences:

1) Beach sand originates mainly from rivers and streams.

2) The other suppliers of beach sand are the gradual weathering of exposed rock formations
and the deterioration of shells, corals, and other skeletal fragments.
3) Coastal erosion is a natural process that removes sediments from shorelines.
4) Accretion is a natural process that deposits sediments on shoreline.
5) Movement of sand parallel to the coast by wave action, wind, and current is known as
longshore transport.
6) Structures such as harbors, seawalls, dredging, manmade inlets, jetties and bulkheads
may contribute to erosion because they affect natural water currents and prevent sand
from shifting along coastlines to replenish beaches.
7) The first dune ridge or beaches berm (if there is no dune present) are the “first line of
defense” against coastal erosion from wind and waves.
8) The Coastal Change Hazard Scale categorizes net erosion during storms into four impact
levels or “regimes.”
9) The impact of a storm on a barrier island is dependent on storm characteristics and the
elevation of the barrier island when the storm makes landfall.
10) People have three choices when erosion poses a threat: leave, renourish or build.
Findings:

Many people live near the coast. As the coastal population continues to grow, more
people and property will be exposed to hazards caused by severe storms, floods, shoreline
erosion and other natural hazards.

Erosion rates vary widely along the Pacific Ocean. Steep cliffs line that body of water.
And because they are made up of crumbly rock, the cliffs can lose tens of feet at one time in one
spots while losing nothing 50 feet away, the study says. Erosion along the Great Lakes also
varies greatly. Because of changes in lake levels there could be no land loss at all or shoreline
losses as great as 10 feet.

Erosion is closely linked to sea levels. As the climate heats up, polar ice caps melt, and
seas go up. Depending on which expert you ask, the seas have risen somewhere between 6 inches
to 3 feet in the last century. The higher they go, the less land you have.

Longshore transport is called when in a movement of wave action, wind, and currents
which move sand up and down the coast. Sand is also moved onshore and offshore by waves,
tides, and currents. During storms, high-energy waves often erode sand from the beach and
deposit it offshore as submerged sandbars. This sand is then moved back onshore by low-energy
waves in periods of calm weather. Sand that is moved offshore by winter storms, leaving steep
narrow beaches, is returned to the shore by the gentle waves of summer, creating wide, gently
sloping beaches.

Storms, hurricanes and the way rivers empty also wear away the shore. Likewise, humans
are considered as a contributor in erosion by making/building a harbors, seawalls, dredging,
manmade inlets, jetties and bulkheads which can lead in affecting the natural water currents and
prevent sand from shifting down coastlines to replenish beaches. Others are, removal of
vegetation cover exposing sediment to wind and water action, concentration of drainage water
flow into the sea causing erosion of that part of the coast, activities which destroy natural
protective features such as dunes and vegetation cover, and shipping and boating activities
producing extra wave action. But, humans can prevent coastal erosion by preservation of and
restriction of activities and development in natural protective features, regulating coastal erosion
protection structure to ensure that natural protective features are not damaged, prohibiting
construction in areas of active coastal erosion and in areas within reach of coastal storms, and
restricting development of public utilities in areas prone to coastal erosion to discourage new
development in these areas. People living near the ocean should come up with a well-thought-of
plan and should not hastily attempt to build structures.
Conclusion:

I therefore conclude that feature and condition of the seashore changes through time by
the cause of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, ice, rainwater, and groundwater, wind,
temperature, and people. Human activity can increase the risks associated with coastal erosion;
however, they can also prevent and reduce coastal erosion. Land-use management and planning
should always be an option in preventing hazards related to coastal erosion.

Changes to our shorelines affect our transportation routes, our communities, and our
ecosystems; thus, it is important to monitor them.