COASTS

Prepared by G. Manyeruke
The natural environment
COAST
Sand and shingles beach
 Definition of key terms
• a) Coast - A zone where the land meets the sea.
• b) Coastline – is a line that is considered the
boundary between sea and land.
• c) Beach - Deposits of sand, pebbles or shingle.
• d) Swash - It is the movement of water up the
beach. It is a depositional process.
• e) Backwash - It is the movement of water down
the beach. It is an erosional process.
• f) Wave - the movement of water rising and
falling in the oceans or seas.
 Types of waves
Constructive waves:
• Constructive waves are waves that occur in calm weather
on gently sloping coasts. They have a strong swash but a
weak backwash. The gentle gradient allows waves to bring
materials and deposited on the coast than are removed.
Over time, the coast is built by the deposited sediment.
Destructive waves:
• Destructive waves occur on steeply sloping coasts. These
waves break violently with high energy. They have a weak
swash but a strong backwash. Instead of depositing
materials on the coast, destructive waves erode the coast
and transport coastal rocks and beach materials away from
it.
 Coastal processes
• Erosion
• Transport
• Deposition
 Processes of coastal erosion
• Hydraulic Action
– This is when waves trap and compress air in the cracks on
the cliffs which causes the cliff to collapse.
• Corrasion/ Abrasion
– Particles carried by the waves are thrown at the cliff
causing it to wear away quickly.
• Attrition
– Particles carried by the waves crash against each other and
break into smaller pieces
• Solution/ Corrosion
– Acids in the sea water dissolve chalk and limestone cliffs.
 Landforms by coastal erosion
• • Notch
• • Cliffs
• • Wave-cut platforms
• • Bays
• • Headland
• • Caves
• • Arches
• • stacks
• • stumps
Features of coastal erosion
Erosional landforms
 Formation of erosional landforms
• Notch: is a deep indentation at the base of a cliff due to
intense hydraulic and abrasion action of waves.
• Cave: is formed when a notch is further deepened inwards
and increased in size due to wave erosion.
• Cliff: is formed due to continuous undercutting by waves
and the roof of the cave collapses to form steep vertical rocks.
• Wave-cut platform: as the erosional process continues, the
cliff may retreat further and gently-sloping surface appears at
the base of the cliff. This surface is called a wave-cut platform.
A wave-cut platform is the narrow flat area often seen at the
base of a sea cliff caused by the action of the waves.
Wave cut platform
 Formation of erosional landforms
• Bay: some of the coastlines are made of resistant rocks and less
resistant rocks. The less resistant soft rocks are eroded faster than
the more resistant hard rocks. When the softer rocks are eroded
away, bays are formed.
• Headland: on a coastline when the softer rocks are eroded away
and formed the bays, the remaining hard rocks extending into the
sea is known as headlands.
• Arch: when the waves continue to erode the back of the cave and
cut through the rocks, a new feature is formed which is known as
arch.
• Stack: when the arch roof falls into the sea, a stack is formed.
• Stump: a small remaining part of the stack due to wave erosion is
known as stump.
 Coastal transportation
• •Material is usually transported along coasts by a
process called longshore drift.
• There are four other processes of coastal transport:

• Traction – Large particles are rolled along the sea bed.

• Saltation – Small pebbles are bounced along the sea
bed.
• Suspension – Fine materials are carried floating in
water.
• Solution – Dissolved materials are carried in the sea.
Coastal transport
Longshore drift
 Coastal deposition
• Deposition is when material being carried by
sea water is dropped on the coast.
Features of coastal deposition
• i) Beach
• ii) Spit
• iii) Tombolo
• iv) Sand bar
• v) Sand dunes
• vi) Saltmarsh
 Formation of depositional features
• Beach: is a zone of deposition consisting of loose
sediments such as sand and shingles along the coast.
• A spit is a long narrow ridge of sand or shingle running
out from the coast with one end attached to the land.
They are formed by longshore drift when the coast
abruptly changes direction due to prevailing winds. It
usually grows from a headland.
• A tombolo is formed when a spit connects the
mainland coast to an island. It is formed by wave
diffraction and refraction.
 Formation of depositional features
• Sand Bar: Bars are ridges of sand and other
materials that run roughly parallel to the coast.
• Sand dunes: Sand dunes are a distinctive coast
features but they are caused by the wind. Sand
blown up from the beach develops into small
hills, which is known as sand dunes. Sand dunes
are colonized by vegetation.
• Salt marshes are coastal wetlands that are
flooded and drained by salt water brought in by
tides. The soil is composed of deep mud and
peat.
 Coastal opportunities
• Tourism – there are some tourist resorts on the coast e.g. hotels
and tourists enjoy activities such as sunbathing on the beach,
swimming.
• Sports – many sporting activities use the coast e.g. sailing, surfing,
diving
• Fishing – many people make their living from catching and selling
fish on the coast.
• Oil and gas reserves are found under oceans near coasts.
• Housing – many people live along coasts because of its beauty and
relaxing life style.
• Industry – many industries locate near coasts for easy transport and
easy of trade.
• Transport –many ports are found in coastal areas and help trading
and travelling between countries.
Coastal opportunities
Coastal benefits
Coastal opportunities
Coastal opportunities
Coastal opportunities
 Coastal hazards
• Erosion – many coastlines are being eroded by stronger
storms and rising sea levels.
• Tropical storms – there is frequency of storms with
high magnitude which increase possibility of floods.
• Overfishing – many fish stocks around the world are
being over fished to dangerous levels.
• Pollution of the sea comes from sewage discharge, oil
spills, and litter thrown into the sea can harm aquatic
life.
• Rising of sea level is also a coastal hazard caused by
global warming, so low lying areas become vulnerable
to flooding.
Coastal hazards
 Coastal management
• There are two types of approaches to protect
coasts

• 1. Hard Engineering
• 2) Soft engineering.
 What is soft engineering?
• The soft engineering approach does not
involve the building of any physical structures.
It focuses on planning and management so
that both coastal areas and property will not
be damaged by erosion. It also aims at
changing individual behavior or attitudes
towards coastal protection by encouraging
minimal human interference and allowing
nature to take its course.
 Soft engineering methods
• Beach nourishment
• This is adding more sand to the beach creating a better natural
defense.
• Dune stabilization
• Refers to the planting of vegetation on sand dunes to increase their
stability by reducing moisture content and to hold the sand firmly.
• Cliff regrading
• This is to make the cliff less steep thereby reducing the risk of cliff
collapsing.
• Beach drainage
• This refers to removing some of the excess water from the beach
thereby making it stable.
 What is hard engineering?

• Hard engineering strategies are man-made

structures built to control the flow of the sea
and reduce flooding and erosion.
Hard engineering methods
Method and Description Advantages Disadvantages

Rip-rap – this is when giant boulders- It is effective. - It looks bad.

are paced at the foot of the cliff to - It reduces beach access.
reduce wave energy. - It is expensive.
Gabions – it is when small stones are- It can be installed- It looks bad.
put in a metal cage and placed at the quickly. - It is expensive.
foot of the cliff to deflect wave- It is fairly effective. - It reduces beach access
energy.
Groynes – it is a wall built out into- It is effective. - It needs regular
the sea to protect the beach from replacement.
being eroded. - It looks bad.
- They reduce depositing
of sand on the beach.
Sea walls – it is a wall built out of- It is very- It is very expensive.
concrete and aims to absorb waveeffective. - It looks bad.
energy against the cliffs and beaches
Revetments – they are similar to sea- It is effective. - They need regular
wall, but are often made out of replacement.
wood. - They don’t protect
against storms.
Groynes
Reverting
Rip-rap
Sea wall
Sea wall and rip-rap
Gabions
Gabions
 Mangrove swamps

• These are shrub or trees that grow mainly

in coastal saline water.
Mangroves
Mangroves
 Mangrove swamps
Conditions required for the growth of mangrove swamps
• Mangrove swamps require low wave action so that the
deposited mud cannot be easily eroded hence allowing the
roots to be firm in the soil.
• Mangroves need adequate sunlight for the process of
photosynthesis.
• They grow where there is shallow water so that the mud
quickly fills up the lagoon for the plants to grow.
• They require suitable levels of salinity.
• The area should be free from frost.
• There is need for moderate water temperatures.
• The mangroves require suitable soils.
 Benefits of mangroves
• They are important wildlife habitats.
• Their roots stabilise the coast against erosion.
• They grow up to 15m so they offer protection
against hurricanes and strong winds.
• They protect the coast from flooding.
• They are a source of food e.g. fruits.
• They also provide nursery for fish.
• They are also important for recreational facilities
like fishing.
Benefits of mangroves
 Coral reefs
• Corals are tiny marine animals called polyps.
• They form reefs when millions live together in colonies.
• Their skeletons are calcareous cups which are joined
with others to form a hard, stony mass.
• As one generation dies, the next one grows on top of it,
so the reef grows upwards and outwards as the corals
compete for food.
• Coral reefs run parallel to the coast.
• They have breaks in them, usually at the mouths of
rivers.
 Coral reefs
Conditions required for the development of coral reefs

• They grow best where the surface water temperature is 20-25oC. So they
are normally found within 30o of the Equator.
• They develop where the oxygen supplies are most abundant.
• They need plentiful supply of plankton.
• There should be low current/ low wave action.
• Polyps need clean, clear, sunlit water so cannot live where rivers deposit
sediments into the sea.
• Corals grow best in conditions of high salinity.
• They need shallow water to about 10 metres.
• There has to be a solid surface from which the reef growth starts
•
 Coral reefs
• Types of coral reefs
• Fringing reef
• Barrier reef
• Coral atoll
• Benefits of coral reefs
• They attract tourists.
• Important for mining of petroleum.
Benefits of coral reefs
 Threats to coral reefs
 Sailors may use them as anchorage thus
destroying them.
 Tourists may trample upon coral reefs.
 Climate change may cause loss of colour by
coral reefs (bleaching).
 Pollution also damages the coral reefs since
they weaken them.
 Case study
Coastal hazards and Management
• Name of area: Pacifica

• Pacifica is a settlement on the coast to the

South of San Francisco in the United States of
America. It is situated on top of a sandstone cliff
27 metres above the Pacific Ocean.
 Case study
hazards
• In the winter of 2009, waves approached from the south west
driven by south westerly prevailing winds. This resulted to the
undercutting of the cliff below Pacifica. Continued undercutting of the
cliff caused the cliff to retreat. In January 2010, two apartments in a
block on the edge of the cliff were evacuated due to cliff falls.
• By the end of April 2010, people living in the last four apartments
had been forced to abandon their homes because a 3-metre section of
the cliff had been weakened by erosion making the building unsafe.
• The storms further weakened the cliff below the Pacifica. By the
end of December 2010, even more of the cliff had fallen during storms
since the cliff had been eroded back by almost 7 metres during the
year. This resulted to a third of the apartment building hanging over
the ocean, making it very dangerous for human habitation.
 Case study
Management
• Some attempts had been already made to slow down cliff erosion.
This was in the form of riprap method whereby large boulders had
been placed at the base of the cliff to break the energy of the
waves from eroding the cliff.
• • Engineers also tried to strengthen the cliffs by reinforcing and
surfacing it so that it withstands wave energy.
• • The owner of the apartments further down the road built a
very large sea wall to deflect the incoming waves and preventing
the cliff from continuing to erode backwards.
• • They also proposed to put gabions at the base of the cliff.
These are metal baskets filled with stones and placed at the base of
the cliff to reduce wave attack on the cliff.
 Case study
Opportunities
• Name of place: Grand Cayman
• The Grand Cayman has its largest area in the centre of an island.
This is a very low lying island with mangroves.
• Tourists started to visit the Grand Cayman in the 1960s. They are
attracted by activities such as golf courses, tennis courts, sun
basking.
• Between 1997 and 2009 there were a lot of developments on the
island such as building of new hotels where many tourists could be
accommodated.
• By 2010, 66% of the mangroves that existed on the western
peninsula had been removed to make way for the development of
the Dragon Bay which stretches from Seven Miles Beach to the
north. Some of the properties in the Dagon Bay include the
development of private beaches which also attract tourists allowing
the country to get more revenue.
 END

THANK YOU