Dynamic Equilibrium is the balanced state of a system when its inputs and outputs are equal. If one element changes because of some outside influence, this upsets the internal equilibrium and affects other components of the system. By a process of feedback, the system adjusts to the change and regains equilibrium.
Factors influencing coasts-
Land>
Shape of the coastline
Relief
Presence/lack of beach
Coastal (land) ecosystems
Resistance of the rocks
Structure of the coast
Sub-aerial processes
River sediments
Weather and climate>
Wind strength and direction
Rainfall and temperature
Storm surges
Sea>
Coastal (maritime) ecosystems
Wave energy and direction
Size and type of waves
Local currents and longshore drift
Tidal changes
Water depth
Offshore sediments
Long-term changes in sea levels
Human activities>
Intervention in natural systems
Use of land for development
Exploitation of resources
The Coastal Magnet-
In 1990, around 30% of the world's population lived on the coast. By 2002 this figure had risen to 40%. Coastal populations are growing at a rate 4x the global average. Some of the world's fastest growing megacities, ie. Shanghai (China) are located on the coast.
Case study – BOSCOMBE, Bournemouth-
Declining
Seaside Resort –
part of Bournemouth, experiencing a rebranding scheme.
The
focus is upon sport
& leisure
led rebranding.
The
scheme is costing £10
million &
is trying to turn Boscombe into an upmarket
location.
It
features an artificial
reef made
of sandbags dredged from the seabed – makes waves break further off
shore – will attract surfers who spend 8%
more than the
average visitor. Hoped the reef will act as a catalyst
for regeneration.
Expected to double Boscombe’s good surfing days from 153
to 306!
Hoping
to turn Boscombe into a property
hotspot...
Barrat Homes’ Honeycombe Beach Development – 169
waterfront apartments
costing £350,000
- £950,000
each! 42 ‘super
chalets’ –
upmarket beach huts available for daily hire.
The
pier
is being reconstructed,
along with a new spa
village. Includes
restaurants,
shops
& widespread
landscaping work.
The reef will provide opportunity for sport other than surfing
including windsurfing – a wide
age-range
attracted.
Boscombe
entered a spiral
of decline
in 1960’s
as package holidays became cheaper & more widely available.
Victorian houses
were split into bedsits which attracted drug users.
Social
problems
have only worsened
since – a lady found 13 discarded needles on the beach where her
children were playing.
Boscombe’s
Sorted
Surf Shop is
investing over £300,000
in new premises, store fit-out and warehousing. This Surf Shop opened
in 2000 and has won the contracts to supply both a surf shop and
school, complete with water sports and surf equipment hire.
Bournemouth’s
surfing image is set to rival
Newquay
and Bude.
 |
| Boscombe Pier. |
Case
study – DIBDEN
DAY,
Southampton-
Controversial
proposal to build
new container port
on SSSI
site. Would cost £700
million and
take 9 years to
build, covering 350
hectare. Would be
capable of handling 6
container ships at once.
Benefits:
The location is one of the
UK’s best natural
harbours,
with deepwater
channels
for large ships.
There is area on the banks of
the estuary for further
development.
On major
international shipping route.
Would keep Southampton
economy competitive and provide 3000
jobs.
A new access
road and rail link
would be built.
Costs:
Five
SSSI’s
would be destroyed
having severe implications upon 50,000
water birds.
Increased risk
of oil
spills & pollution
threatening
ecosystems
& water
quality.
Noise & air pollution
would increase.
Conflicts
between
stakeholders/
land users
regarding water space for marinas & leisure craft.
The
plan was rejected
by transport minister in 2004.
The need for a port was recognised however Dibden was deemed
unsuitable
as costs
outweighed benefits.
This came as a surprise to many and was probably influenced by
petitions
from RSPB &
Friends of the Earth.
Also
the site is on the edge
of the New Forest
Heritage Area,
and inside
the proposed boundary of the New Forest National Park.
 |
| Planned area of development. |
Case
study – JURASSIC
COAST-
World Heritage Site with
many SSSI’s
95 miles from
East Devon to Dorset
17 million visitors
per year
185 millions years of
Earth’s geological history recorded in fossils.
Key
tension – environmental
conservation vs. economic development.
Many groups
of stakeholders have
a viewpoint as how to best manage
to coastline, these
include…
Local
residents, the
National Trust,
Fishermen,
Landowners,
Private Developers,
County Councils,
UNESCO,
Sunbathers
& Tourists.
The
amount of tourists
means that there is
continuous demand for more caravan
parks/ campsites.
Other effects of tourism include…
Erosion
of coastal paths,
Habitat disturbance,
Litter,
Pollution,
Seasonal
unemployment and
Overcrowded
‘honey-pot’ sites.
Place
along the Jurassic Coast:
Pennington
Point: 9 high
value properties on
Cliff Road,
Sidmouth. Erosion rate increased 5
times to between
1.2 and 1.7 metres
per year due to Terminal
Groyne Syndrome
– homes will need to be demolished
within 20 years
to avoid collapsing into the sea as cliffs erode. It’s thought the
erosion has been sped up due to the two
rock groynes put in
place in 1995
to protect Sidmouth starving Pennington Point of its sediment.
Homeowners want protection
but UNESCO
say the World
Heritage Site would
be ruined
from a scientific perspective. Issue here is to hold
the line or
roll
back
the coast.
Isle
of Portland Quarry: (conflict) Long
history of Quarrying.
It is a peninsular in Dorset
whose stone has been exported all over the world. Plans were to
reopen the old
quarry (with
permission granted in 1951
but never used) but there was a PROTEST
& 2000
local residents
signed
a petition
against it so it didn’t continue, avoiding £77
million worth
of stone being quarried – it was said the quarry would ruin a
beautiful part of the Jurassic coastline & bring no benefits,
however it may have provided around 80
new jobs for 30 years of work.
Studland
Bay: Owned by the
National Trust
and is a SSSI
nature reserve, also home to a nudist
beach. 25,000
visitors
can be expected on a summer’s day! With most visitors arriving
by car, there are 4
main car parks providing 2,500 spaces
– an insufficient
amount for all the visitors… Congestion
becomes a major issue. The many visitors cause various problems
including litter,
trampling of sand dunes and noise pollution.
Conservation
vs. Economic development.
Many actions have been taken to protect the dunes, environment etc at
Studland Bay by the National Trust.
Boscombe:
Dilapidated
run down seaside resort – Rebranding in into the Newquay
of the South West.
£1.4 million
artificial surf reef
acting as an offshore
breakwater to
create 13ft
waves! £9
million on new
waterfront
apartments. Sport/
leisure centres.
Also
along the Jurassic Coast that rebranding schemes can take advantage
of:
Weymouth – site of 2012
Olympic Sailing Events
Land features such as Old
Harry Rocks
Fishing – Important fishing
grounds that sustains 400 ships
Ferry services at Poole
Harbour
600 known shipwrecks for deep
sea divers
Case
study – HOLDERNESS
COAST, East
Yorkshire-
Holderness
faces the North Sea and is currently the fastest eroding coastline in
the whole of Europe. The coastline is a stretch of land of about 50km
from the chalk cliffs at Flamborough Head up to Spurn Head, where a
large spit protects the entrance to the Humber Estuary.
Part of the Holderness
sediment cell
Fastest eroding coastline in
the Europe with an average erosion rate of 2m/ year
Made of boulder clay which is
very weak and is easily washed away
Affected by destructive waves
which have gained energy from Atlantic Ocean Currents
Deep sea floor meaning waves
hit coast without being weakened by friction
Different
places need different plans as to how best to manage the rates of
erosion:
Hornsea:
Small holiday
coastal resort –
Population 8243.
Losing beach
due to LSD
& winter
storms. Wooden
groynes were built
to trap the sediment
carried by the LSD,
helping to keep the beach in place and therefore protect
the town. However
as always with wooden groynes, they affect the area further down this
coast, depriving them of their sediment. In this case Mappleton…
Mappleton:
Suffering from Terminal
Groyne Syndrome
& sediment
starvation due to
wooden groynes at Hornsea… Residents’ campaigned so 2
granite rock groynes
were built in 1991
by the Humberside Council costing
£2 million.
Great
Cowden: Knock on
Terminal Groyne Syndrome from Mappleton,
starving the coastline of its sediment. Erosion rate rose from 2.5m
per year to 3.8m per year.
However, the land wasn’t valuable
enough to make
further protection viable.
The ‘do
nothing’
of coastal management was taken leaving home owners to lose their
land to the sea.
Withernsea:
Like Hornsea, a
coastal resort. An
integrated
coastal management scheme
has been implemented here featuring a recurved
sea wall and rock
armour. The ‘hold
the line’
approach was taken after a cost:
benefit analysis
showed that protection
was economically viable
due to the value of the land that would be protected.
Easington
Gas Terminal: worth
a lot of money, was decided to hold
the line and
build revetments
(walls of granite boulders).
Spurn
Point Spit: Biodiversity
nature reserve,
curving around mudflats
behind. 6km stretch,
one of UK’s
busiest life guard centres
at tip, responding to trouble in Humber estuary. Aged wooden groynes.
Cost: Benefit
Analysis weighted
up intangible loss of nature reserve with cost of defences… A
controversial decision of ‘Do
Nothing’ was
decided upon.
Coastal
Zoning/ Red Lining
is a device used by planners to
divide coast
into areas where costs exceed benefits and refuse planning
permission.
Coastal
engineers now realise that acting in just one place affects
others around the
coastline. UK coastline is split into 11
sediment cells
within which sediment in circulated.
Engineers now consider a whole cell or sub cell when thinking about
SMP’s (shoreline
management plans).
They devise plans which will work well for the whole coast.
SLUMPING
– mass movement
process –
Alternate wetness & dryness causes expansion and shrinking of
cliff material, can not support heavy wet clay which slides down the
side of the cliff. It collects as the base of the cliff and is washed
away by the sea.
Case
study – FLORIDA-
Florida
has been subject to Coastalisation.
75%
of population
live along the coastline and this number is still increasing.
Value
of property estimated at $9
trillion!
Florida
is the “sunshine
state”,
and its beautiful
beaches
& idyllic scenery make it a tourist
hotspot.
There are hot temperatures all year round due to the tropical climate
& this makes it a very attractive place to live. Its physical
shape (a
peninsular)
means that wherever you are, you are near the beach. The majority of
inwards
migrants
consist of families
and retired
people.
HOWEVER:
The
vast amount of people & property has had implications upon the
environment.
The Florida
Everglades Wetland
has shrunk by 80% due to prime coastal land demand. Florida is also a
low lying country, therefore flood risk is high (9% is less than 2m
above sea level). Hurricanes are also common. The number of people at
risk from these hazards increases as the population increases.
Case
study – SPAIN
vs. UK-
Spain’s “Costa
Geriatrica” & the attractions of holidaying in Spain vs.…
Britain’s coastal
resorts – declining in popularity as people choose to holiday
abroad.
65%
of the entire Mediterranean coastline is urbanised
& it is predicted that there will be 135
million living on the coastline by 2025.
22%
of
coastal dwellers are 65+
as the med is a hotspot
for retirement. The rise of package
holidays
meant that ordinary people could afford
to go abroad to places like Spain. Traditional
seaside holidays
have become unusual.
Price differences between going abroad and staying in the UK have got
smaller and resorts such as Benidorm
offer aspects
of British culture
e.g. clubs & bars.
Problems
include: loss
of cultural
identity,
problems with resources like having
enough water,
environmental impacts of so many flights
& a regressive population pyramid.
