Beach Erosion Research Paper

Sand nourishment refers to the replacement of sediment on beaches that has previously been lost, generally through natural processes. It is a commonly used practice in coastal management. Collaroy Beach uses sand nourishment as longshore drift has moved sand, which cannot be replenished as there are rock formations preventing sediment from refilling the beach. Collaroy Beach also does not have an established dune system, and cannot trap sand.

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

walls. Rip rap walls are when larged rocks are piled in a certain angle to catch drifting sand and protect the beaches from harsher waves and to protect buildings from high

Long Island is famous for its sandy ocean beaches. Between the barrier beach and the main coast is the Great South Bay. The beaches and dunes have very different characteristics. The sandy beach is the junction of land and ocean. The sandy beach consists of two zones, the swash zone and the drift line. The swash zone is the area of wet sand, caused by the incoming wave. The drift line is formed by the dead seaweed and other aquatic plants. Behind the sandy beach is the primary dune. The primary dune's main function is to absorb the force of the ocean and protect the great south bay and the island's main coast. In some cases secondary dunes form. These dunes are behind the primary dune and are therefor protected from the ocean. This provides the stability necessary for plant growth. Many time a maritime forests will form on secondary dunes.

The tiny pieces of rocks broken off by weathering are called sediment or alluvium. Erosion is the process of transportation of this sediment which on sea cliffs sediments becomes part of the seafloor and is washed away with the waves. The larger rocks that are broken off by sediment as shown in this picture are called scree or talus; scree builds up at the bottom of cliffs as the rocks tumble down, these piles are called scree slopes or talus piles.

The ripples on the sand dunes form when the sand starts to pile up high enough to cause a slope on the wind-blowing side of the dune. Once the sand piles up past the angle of repose, approximately 30 degrees, the extra weight causes it to become unstable. The sand particles making up this extra weight then slips down the other side of the slope.

The natural processes that are a cause for the destruction of the beach are mainly erosion by the waves and the wind. While we were there we did not witness any destructive erosion, as this happens when a cyclone hits and causes the waves to hit the foreshore at a faster rate.

Below is a map of Staten Island showing coastal erosion. All of the highlighted spots are the places that suffer from coastal erosion. Although it is impossible to stop coastal erosion by doing coastal nourishment we can fight coastal erosion. Coastal nourishment is taking sand from under the water and building out the beach. Another suggestion is building “Living Breakwaters barrier” this is a plan that Governor Cuomo suggests to help with coastal erosion during storms. These rock barriers would break apart waves before hitting the beach. The next suggestion is a sea wall. This wall would protect the island from the ocean. However, this would ruin the beaches used to walk, sun bath, and swim. Also if there is ever a storm like hurricane sandy

Relocating dredged sand onto a beach to create a buffer zone against erosion is called Beach nourishment. Moreover, the entire active profile, including the dune, must be raised by the rising sea levels to counter erosion completely. Therefore, a significant amount of sand might be required. The price of adopting this method is affected by the availability of sand and increases exponentially as the transportation distance increases. Furthermore, the sand is usually drifted away from the shore. Thus, the process must be repeated to replenish the depleted sand. (source in title)(http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/25735699.pdf?_=1462426654643).(http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/4298666.pdf). This solution while practical and physically appealing is very expensive due to the sand replenishment projects. The costliness of constant nourishing may drive away funding, and force poorer governments to adopt less environmentally friendly methods merely because they cost less. This said a beach which is considered to be healthy (read: safe from degradation from erosion) could play a vital role in the local community's economy through recreational activities.

·     The gradual sinking of coastal land (since the height of the land and the sea are both changing, we use "relative sea level rise" to describe the rise of the ocean compared to the height of land in a particular location). ·     Efforts to reduce erosion that have backfired and instead increased it. ·     Global warming, which is expected to accelerate the rise in sea level. The upshot is a threat to beaches and coastal communities around the world. At stake is far more than a movie mogul's mansion. New Orleans, now several feet below sea level, would face a greater threat of annihilation. Island nations across the Pacific Ocean could disappear beneath the waves. Millions of Bangladeshis, already exposed to typhoons that drown hundreds of thousands at a time, would have to find new homes in one of the Earth's most crowded nations. The predictions growing out of global warming studies are unsettling. Much of Long Island's extensive barrier beach, including not just the homes of the rich and famous in the Hamptons, but also public treasures like the vastly popular park at Jones Beach, would be submerged if sea levels rise by three feet, according to a projection by the National Environmental Trust, a Washington, DC, advocacy group. A three-foot rise over the next 50 to 100 years is possible, but extremely unlikely, according to current predictions. Coastal

During the summer months, when the seas are calmer and the waves smaller, beaches tend to build up. This process is known as accretion (http://biology.usgs.gov/s+t/SNT/noframe/cr133.htm). If the amount of winter erosion exceeds summer accretion, there is overall erosion with the land behind the beach being eroded as the beach retreats inland. The rate of retreat is called the erosion rate. Erosion may be due to one or more factors: for example, a severe winter swell, a recent hurricane, the death of an adjacent coral reef or interference in the supply of sand. Conversely, if accretion exceeds erosion, the beach gets wider over time and accretionary features, such as cuspate forelands, tom bolos, spits and bars, may develop (see Figure 1).

In addition to their role as indicators of water salinity and water quality, coral reefs also benefit us by providing our communities, harbors, coastal cities, and beaches with protection from heavy wave action caused by coastal storms (U.S. EPA). Their complex and deep roots help to stabilize our shorelines and protect the inshore area by breaking the impact of waves hurtling towards the shore from the ocean. As a result of healthy coral reefs, coastlines were spared further damage in the disastrous Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004. Also, when those living on the Maldive Islands decided to mine away its sand and coral reefs, it cost them about ten million U.S. dollars per kilometer to build a wall to protect their coastline when leaving the reefs alone would protect their coastline more effectively and less costly (Talbot, F. and Wilkinson, C.). If the reefs are left unprotected, they will eventually die out, and it will be more costly for us to attempt to build manmade objects as a replacement for them than to spend a portion of that money to keep the reefs safe from humans and healthy.

Coastal erosion is a major problem in Sri Lanka. A fairly small island by itself, coastal erosion will lead to even less land for Sri Lanka. The coastal districts also contribute to more than 40% of Sri Lanka’s GDP. As such, if severe coastal erosion occurs, it would negatively affect Sri Lanka’s economy.

When it comes to the efforts to be applied so as to ensure that shores are stabilized one must first recognize erosion problems. There is loss of soil and ultimately the value of shoreline and hence this is a problem that needs urgent action against. Stabilization of the shoreline can be done through the construction of various beach structures which all act in a similar way in that they act as an imposition of a physical barrier in the area near the shore zone and hence block flow of littoral drift which goes ahead to interrupt the natural equilibrium. They therefore are designed to withstand force of wave action. These are the hard stabilization methods and they include; sea wall

The forms of sand dune could throw light upon the sand supply in a given region.