Australia´s Coastal Erosion Processes

After the dredging in 2009 occurred effects from the procedure were seen within just two weeks, all being negative. Some longterm effects include loss of beaches and marine life. Portsea beach for example is no longer a beach and now the government is spending millions of dollars in sandbags to attempt to stop the beach from degrading even more. Erosion is slowly destroying the coast and

How effective are the coastal management strategies used at present in your local beach area?

Wind and waves affect Glenelg as they set up a northward drift of sand along the coast and this type of sand movement is known as littoral drift. During coastal storms, huge quantities of sand are eroded and this does damage to near shore, beach and sand dune areas. Glenelg is not considered to be a stable as beach as many others are. Seagrass loss and seabed instability that affect Glenelg is that a third of seagrass meadows along the coasts of Glenelg has died since 1950 and poor water quality resulting from the stormwater runoff and effluent disposal has most likely been the initial cause. When there are gaps in the seagrass meadows the sand below the meadow edge can be eroded by the waves and this will in turn increase the rate of seagrass loss and make it difficult for plants to recolonise the seafloor, even though the water quality has been improved. Sea levels affect Glenelg as parts of Glenelg are being subsided as a result of climate change and a relative sea level rise of one to two millimetres per year has been recorded for Glenelg. “As a result of the loss of sand from the seabed, the level of the seabed has steadily become up to one metre deeper and the wave energy reaching our beaches has increased.” (Adelaide’s Living Beaches Strategies,

Seawalls are also strategies that Cronulla and Collaroy implement on their beaches. However, the seawalls in Collaroy are buried under the sand and are only visible after large-scale erosion events. Whereas Cronulla beach’s seawalls are visible and reduce the scenic

Natural disasters are considered harmful in terms of coastal management and can often cause years of work to be wiped out. It can take large amounts of sand from the beach and remove plant life. Collaroy Beach has been a victim of such natural disasters. A large storm back in 1945 caused Collaroy Beach to empty out a large percentage of its sand and damaged many structures. Collaroy Beach’s local council, Warringah Council, has taken action to prevent storm damage in the future. A revetment wall has been established on the sand dunes so waves do not cause as much damage to the dunes behind. Warringah has also purchased properties that were residential and cleared them, so that a storm will not damage as many structures.

The Year 10 geography field trip was an insightful experience into the workings and functioning of metropolitan coastlines here in South Australia. The day consisted of visiting various beaches in Adelaide that were influenced by some form of hard or soft engineering techniques that changed the natural processes of the beaches. What was evident from this trip was how much these beaches have been changed to an extent where it is unlikely that they will ever go back to the way they were prior to human settlement.

Newhaven is well known for having a harbour arm built in 1890 and is 700m wide. The harbour stops any sediment from moving further and protects river Estuary from any longshore drift damage. The harbour also allows boats to preserve their acess to the river Ouse. Longshore drift occurs when waves approach the coastline at an angle of 45°. The sediment is then carried up the beach (Swash) at the same angle. The wave then moves back down (Backwash) at 90°. This results in a zigzag motion along the beach which transports and deposits sediment along the coastline. The formation of the cliff depends on erosion or weathering, the three main types of marine erosion include abrasion, attrition and hydraulic action. The two significant types of weathering in coastal areas are corrosion and wetting/drying. As a result of longshore drift, the sediments and shingle is transported from the sea and tends to be depostited on the oppersite side of the harbour arm. The beach is used mainly by locals of pleasure and lesuire. predict that the cliff will be

Because the GBR is such a highly visited tourist attraction for snorkeling and diving, there has been a large number of human structures that have been built in natural areas. Every five years, the Australian government publishes an Outlook Report that examines the Great Barrier Reef’s health, pressures, and likely future. “The report is required under Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 (section 54) and aims to provide a regular and reliable means of assessing reef health and management in an accountable and transparent way.” The report shows the actions that have been taken since 2009, including the focus on improving the quality of water that runs off the land. The increased freshwater run-off is in direct relation to the coastal development that has occurred since the major bleaching events have begun. The report released in 2009, states that the greatest risks to the Reef are still climate change, land-based runoff, coastal development, and some remaining impacts of fishing and illegal fishing and poaching. The report points out climate change as being the main cause of the destruction or bleaching of the reef (Department of Environment and Energy 2017). Most observers conclude that the climate change is a direct result of human

Coastal Management in Hastings is effective economically, socially, environmentally and is sustainable for the future.

The beach is a sand spit that stretches 2.8km long, linking to the sandstone of Sutherland Point at the east. Also the eastern side of the beach is the site on which captain cook first set foot on Australian soil in 1770. The beach is surrounded by various oil refineries and import terminals along with multiple houses that are alongside the road. There are a total of 13 groynes that have been placed in in the 1970’s to stop long shore drifts. At the end of the 13th groyne there is a jetty that stretches out for 1km that has been placed for the oil refinery. During the investigation both primary and secondary sources were discovered of the Silver beach at Kurnell. Focusing on the effects of pollution of the particular area, data was collected on the development and outcomes given from pollution. On the route to the beach there happened to a large industrial site rising many points regarding pollution, which will be discussed further

The more coastal erosion there is, the higher the chance is for saltwater contaminating freshwater resources and the salt from the ocean can cause soil to be uninhabitable to plants (Again this can affect agriculture). Coastal erosion is not only an issue for water resources, it’s also a direct issue for the communities. The communities on islands lay very close to the coast and important infrastructures are one of them. Islands cannot get all of their resources from the local farmers, so they import it via plane or boat. The problem with that is the airports and ports are all on the coast. Coastal erosion has the power to ruin airport runways and docks of the harbors and ports; this means that eventually communities will be starved of basic necessities and there will be no way of getting in basic needs. Not only will airports be ruined, so will our tourism industry. Coastal erosion will eventually ruin the beaches that attract tourists. Island communities depend on the tourism industry because that industry brings in a lot of money every year. Without tourists, communities will struggle financially. Lastly, the ecosystem of the islands will suffer the

tides. There are also many programs which help to ensure the stabilization of dunes, these include the planting of new vegetation to combat erosion, fencing and designated

If you have ever lived in proximity to coastal areas you may have seen coastline erosion first hand. The beaches you frequent during the summer may seem to be getting smaller and smaller every year. Why does your favorite beach seem to be disappearing? Coastal erosion is to blame. The waves, wind, tides and currents all play a part in the mechanism that is coastal erosion. When water and wind batter the shoreline sediments are carried out to sea and deposited on the sea floor or at other points along the coastline. This is called an erosional coastline. This erosion may be very apparent or seem to have happened overnight when it happens due to a large storm or extremely high tide.

Barrier beaches are not static, they are constantly being changed (Coastal Change ) by the forces that formed them; waves and wind. One change effecting barrier beaches is they are moving closer to the main coast. This movement is caused by the rise in sea level. As the sea level rises waves crash higher and higher upon the beach, as they do this the dunes are pushed back. There are also seasonal changes in the barrier beaches. During stormy seasons sand is removed from the beach and deposited off shore on the longshore bar. During calm season waves redeposit sand upon the beach and the beach grows.

The erosion of shorelines is a natural process that can have beneficial or adverse impacts on the creation and maintenance of habitats. Sands and gravels eroded from the shores of coastal bays maintain the beach as a natural barrier between the open water and coastal wetlands. Beaches move back and forth onshore, offshore and along shore with changing wave conditions. The finer-grained silts and clays derived from the erosion of shorelines are sorted and carried as far as the waters of wetlands or tidal flats, where benefits are derived from addition of the new material. However, excessively high sediment loads can smother submerged aquatic vegetation beds, cover shellfish beds and tidal flats, fill in riffle