1.2 Case studies

Question 1

Location of Hemsby

Answer 1

Hemsby is a village, seaside resort and civil parish in the county of Norfolk, England

Question 2

Issues in Hemsby

Answer 2

• homes falling into the sea due to cliff erosion of very soft clay + sand in storms
• no sea defences - public funding refused, Hemsby not considered economically valuable enough

Question 3

How have people in Hemsby responded?

Answer 3

• people are fundraising for sea defences
• helping people clear + evacuate coastal homes in storms

Question 4

Impacts of erosion in Hemsby

Answer 4

• potential loss of the cultural history/identity of the town
• area is reliant on tourism, with many businesses by the sea

Question 5

How has beach nourishment been used in Norfolk?

Answer 5

• in 2019, 2million m³ of sand was placed on the Norfolk coastline near Bacton
• aimed to prevent flooding of homes and businesses and protect Bacton gas terminal
• cost £20m - biggest contribution from Bacton Gas Terminal

Question 6

Has the Norfolk beach nourishment been successful?

Answer 6

2 years on
- heavy storms caused waves to crash into sand and create a 2m drop
- sand has moved further down the beach, creating a sand bar that breaks waves’ energy
- has prevented flooding in gas terminal and nearby villages

Question 7

Issues facing sand dunes in Berrow, Somerset

Answer 7

• sea buck thorn is an invasive species that outcompetes marram and needs to be removed manually
• trampling kills vegetation, causing blowouts in storms
• paths, roads, and walkways create weaknesses in dunes, which cause wind tunnels and flooding

Question 8

Dune management in Berrow

Answer 8

• soft management: rerouting paths, boardwalks, porous collection, fencing

Question 9

Dune management in Ynyslas, Wales

Answer 9

• management focused on educating public
• wooden paths
• free access to some areas, no access to others
• information centre
• warden
• allow school fieldwork to take place in some areas

Question 10

Location of Keyhaven Marshes

Answer 10

-Hampshire
-Behind Hurst Castle Spit
- Western Solent

Question 11

Describe the formation of Keyhaven Salt marshes

Answer 11

• developed due to formation and migration of Hurst spit
• spit is maintained by supply of shingle from west and longshore drift
• spit provides sheltered environment for mud flats and marshes to form
• spartina has led to marshes growing 2m higher than usual

Question 12

why is the hurst spit receding?

Answer 12

• groynes and engineering works to the west
• increased storms

Question 13

impacts of the recession of the hurst spit

Answer 13

• rapid erosion
• reduced height of spit
• breaches in the spit
• if not dealt with, the spit might’ve become isolated and marshes overwhelmed by marine attack

Question 14

Impacts of declining spartina on Keyhaven salt mashes

Answer 14

• exposed slumping platforms of bare mud - vulnerable to erosion
• this would expose coast to wave attack, flooding habitats

Question 15

Describe the Shoreline Management Plan used at Keyhaven Salt marshes

Answer 15

• marshes and hurst spit not totally independent so holistic approach needed
• 550m of rock armour protecting Western end at milford
• spit nourished with 300,000m³ of shingle
• 100m rock revetment at Eastern end to protect tip

Question 16

Long-term management strategies for the Keyhaven saltmarshes

Answer 16

• existing defences on landward side of spit maintained
• more information needed about saltmarshes
• working party should be established to investigate and develop strategies
• detailed assessment of marshes to be carried out

Question 17

Location of Kiribati

Answer 17

33 islands in the Pacific Ocean

Question 18

Why is Kiribati at risk of sea level rise?

Answer 18

• very low-lying sand and mangrove islands (1m above sea level)
• sea levels rising 4x faster than global average

Question 19

Impacts of sea level rise in Kiribati

Answer 19

• 2 islands completely flooded
• contaminated groundwater
• coral bleaching caused by warming oceans
• loss of outer islands and erosion of beaches means it is more at risk from storms
• food scarcity - increased storm surges killed crops and contaminated water
• increased temperature and water contamination spreads diseases

Question 20

Responses to rising sea levels in Kiribati

Answer 20

• in 2014 President Tong purchased land in Fiji for agriculture or future migration
• ‘migration with dignity’ policy allows people to apply to jobs in neighbouring countries
• new President Maamau plans to dredge underneath islands then raise them higher above sea level
• people built walls out of coral, mangroves planted, towns moved inland

Question 21

Barton on sea - Location and geology

Answer 21

• Christchurch Bay is a subcell of the Dorset-Hampshire littoral cell
• unresistant geology, high energy processes mean that coastal recession is avg 1m/year

Question 22

How is west barton on sea being managed?

Answer 22

• West to Naish farm and highcliff has a retreating and collapsing cliff
• managed retreat
• mobile caravans relocated
• soft engineering will allow for some cliff erosion while keeping the beach front in pleace

Question 23

How is central barton on sea being managed?

Answer 23

• holding the line
• no new developments on cliff edge
• new or redeveloped properties up to 400m inland must have soakaways to reduce groundwater build up
• risk of property loss
• hard engineering: revetments, rock armour, groynes, cliff regrading, beach nourishment

Question 24

How is East barton on sea managed?

Answer 24

• part of SSSI with major retreats in the cliffs
• do nothing approach
• re-routing of coastal foot path
• only losses to golf course

Question 25

What are the problems in Happisburgh, Norfolk?

Answer 25

- failed to qualify for coastal defences - homes lost to sea - by 2015, shoreline may recede by 200m, losing 50 homes, property losses of £50m - loss of life boat and beach access ramp in 2003 affected tourism - house values are low and people cannot afford to move elsewhere

Question 26

What are the suggested solutions in Happisburgh?

Answer 26

- do nothing approach - no national system of compensation - in 2009, government provided £5000 for demolition and £1000 for relocation - £1.4 million was set aside by community for 'purchase and lease-back' of 11 houses - pathfinder project

Question 27

Describe the pathfinder project

Answer 27

- owners offered half of 'non-blighted' house value - Beach road houses demolished and a buffer between cliff and village established - grants to relocate manor farm caravan park, public toilets, and derelict coastal defences - planning rights for coastal properties sold to local council - funded purchase of landward farmland to replace homes

Question 28

Views of the CCAG

Answer 28

- coastal concern action group - raise awareness of erosion issues - lobbied for policy change to allow for coastal defences in the future

Question 29

Why is Bangladesh prone to coastal flooding? - environmental reasons

Answer 29

- coriolis effect leads to storms moving from equator northwards - amplified by bay of bengal - low-lying country - river deltas for major rivers (Ganges, Meghna, Brahanaputra) - monsoon season often at same time as cyclone season - climate change causing sea level rise and himilayan ice to melt - land made from deposits of silt so easily eroded

Question 30

Why is Bangladesh prone to coastal flooding? - economic reasons

Answer 30

- LIC: lacks funds for coastal protection to mitigate against flooding - poorly built property more likely to collapse

Question 31

Why is Bangladesh prone to coastal flooding? - social reasons

Answer 31

- high population density - population rising rapidly - people living in vulnerable areas

Question 32

What problems does Bangladesh face as a result of sea level rise?

Answer 32

- 100,000 people displaced every year by erosion - salt water pollutes farms and freshwater sources

Question 33

How are Bangladesh adapting to the threat of coastal flooding?

Answer 33

- aquaculture: raising crabs in the salt water brought by storm surges to sell - fresh water provided by NGOs - fresh water taps and desalination plants - agriculture: farmers dug holes in sand and plant pumpkins to sell throughout the year, changing for chickens to ducks as they can handle damp conditions

Question 34

Netherlands - describe the Deltawerken project

Answer 34

- Hard engineering project which began following the 1953 Storm Surge drastically damaged the Netherlands. - 1800 people died during the storm surge as well as the flooding of 10% of the Netherlands’ farmland. - Consists of a series of dams and gates constructed along rivers to control the flow of water during a storm surge. - It also aims to reduce the length of the coastline exposed to the sea whilst maintaining safe access to the North Sea for shipping.

Question 35

Netherlands - benefits of the Deltawerken project

Answer 35

- It has allowed for 4 million people to live below normal sea level, hence easing the Netherlands’ population growth. - The dams have allowed for new roads and transport connections, which drastically reduce journey times and reduce isolation for settlements.

Question 36

Netherlands - costs of the Deltawerken project

Answer 36

- Cost $5 billion. However, due to sea level rise, the Dutch will need to spend more than $1 billion annually to maintain and improve defences against the rising sea levels. - A number of nature reserves were lost during construction, though some have been replaced during the project.