Coastal Management Options

•' A long concrete barrier built at the base of a cliff offshore

Advantages

• protects the base of the cliff against erosion - made of resistant concrete
• land and buildings behind it are protected

Disadvantages

• expensive to build and maintain
• restricts access to the beach
• looks ugly

Hard/Soft?

• hard enginneering

• Wooden, rock or concrete 'fences' built across the beach, perpendicular to the coastline

Advantages

• prevent the movement by longshore drift of beach movement along the coast
• the beach can build up as a natural defence against erosion
• attraction for tourists

Disadvantages

• ugly
• don't last very long as wood rots

Hard/Soft?

• hard enginneering

• Large steel / stainless steel mesh cages that are filled with rocks.

Advantages

• At right angles to the coastline
• if made of stainless steel they last longer ( 60 years )
• cheaper than sea walls

Disadvantages

• if made from steel they only last 20-25 years as they rust

Hard/Soft?

• hard enginneering

• Large boulders of resistant rock

Advantages

• look natural
• absorb wave energy and protect weak cliffs behind

Disadvantages

• expensive
• not completely effective - allow some water through

Hard/Soft?

• hard enginneering

• Slatted wooden or concrete structures built at the base of a cliff

Advantages

• absorb and spread wave energy through slats
• don't interfere with longshore drift

Disadvantages

• expensive
• regular maintanence is needed

Hard/Soft?

• hard enginneering

• rock or concrete barriers built on the sea bed a short distance from the coastline

Advantages

• waves break on the barrier before reaching coast
• allow a wide beach to develop

Disadvantages

• expensive
• can interfere with boats

Hard/Soft?

• hard enginneering

• adding sand taken from somewhere else, often offshore

Advantages

• looks natural
• provides a beach for tourists

Disadvantages

• the sea keeps eroding it away, therefore has to be replaced every few years

Hard/Soft?

• soft enginneering

• just allow the coast to erode
• people and activities are gradually moved back from vunerable areas of coast

Advantages

• natural
• doesn't look ugly

Disadvantages

• compensation has to be paid
• disruption to people's lives

Hard/Soft?

• soft enginneering

• making the cliff face larger, so that it is less steep

Advantages

• angle of cliff is reduced, making mass movement less likely
• relatively cheap

Disadvantages

• other methods need to be used at base of the cliff to stop it from being steepened again

Hard/Soft?

• soft enginneering