COASTAL SYSTEMS AND LANDSCAPES 20 MARKERS
‘Flooding and erosion are set to increase at unprecedented levels along coastlines across
the world. In response, mitigation and adaption by coastal managers will ensure people and
places are not affected.’ To what extent do you agree with this view? [20 marks]
I agree with this view to some extent. Mitigation is reducing man-made activities which cause
climate change and adaption is reducing vulnerability to the effects of climate change.
Mitigation and adaption by coastal managers will ensure as much as possible that people
and places are not effected by flooding and erosion risks. However, all these strategies are
limited in some way, and therefore not successful at preventing erosion and flooding to a full
extent.
Sea levels along the Holderness coastline, northeast Yorkshire, have risen from 3.14mm per
year in 2000 to 17.8mm per year in 2009. This means coastal management is vital for
mitigation against erosion and flooding, to protect people and infrastructure along the
coastline. One way in which the Holderness coastline, have done so is through SMP’s
(shoreline management plans). The aims of the Holderness SMP is to plan ahead for 100
years of erosion and flooding, through hold the line, managed retreat and do nothing
strategies placed by the East Riding Council. One hold the line hard engineering strategy in
the SMP was 4.7km of sea walls at Bridlington, designed to deflect wave energy and reduce
impacts of flooding and erosion on the coastline. A soft engineering strategy used to hold the
line was beach nourishment at Mappleton. This is a more sustainable way of protecting
people along the coastline, as they provide habitats, whilst also absorbing wave energy.
However, sand dunes are limited at mitigating impacts, as storms become more frequent,
and they are impacted by destructive waves more, meaning they cannot fully ensure people
and places are not affected.
Land at the Sundarbans, southern Bangladesh, has been lost due to flooding and erosion by
65km2 from 2000 to 2009. This is a result of sea level rise, which is increasing intensity and
frequency of storms, as well as the power of waves. To mitigate erosion and flooding, the
Sundarbans have put different strategies in place, such as planting 50,000 saplings along
the coastline in 2015, which absorb water through their roots and release it through
transpiration, reducing water on land, and binding the soil with roots to reduce soil erosion.
They have also mitigated flooding by building 3,500km embankments to stop water spilling
onto land and increasing storage capacity of the rivers. However, this strategy is limited, due
to the fact that 800km of the embankments are vulnerable in storms, therefore will be unable
to mitigate the rising consequences of climate change for people and the Sundarbans.
To adapt to flooding and erosion, the Sundarbans have also put strategies in place. For
example, as a result of rising sea levels, rice crops are unable to survive under salty water
for long, therefore people’s food security is jeopardised and lives are at risk. To adapt, the
Sundarbans introduced a new, salt tolerant rice variety, which can survive submerged under
salt water for up to 2 weeks. This means people are able to cope better with flood impacts.
To adapt against erosion and flooding from cyclones, which were felt at the Sundarbans
after cyclone Aila killed 190 people and cost the area £1.7 billion, 1,000 cyclone shelters
were built in 2015. This adapts against climate change as it means people most vulnerable
to the cyclones in the Sundarbans are protected. However, these are strategies that are only
a temporary solution, and will not completely stop erosion and flooding in the Sundarbans in
the long term.
This leads me to conclude that, although there are many coastal management, mitigation
and adaption strategies that have been put in place in order to mitigate areas and people
around the world, such as the Holderness coastline and the Sundarbans, it is not possible to
ensure nowhere, and no one is affected. Climate change is becoming an increasing issue
today and will only worsen if a permanent solution is not found. Coastal management,
mitigation and adaption all try to reduce and prevent impacts of flooding and erosion;
however all have issues which mean they are not completely successful.
, COASTAL SYSTEMS AND LANDSCAPES 20 MARKERS
Assess the importance of weathering and erosion in the development of coastal landscapes.
[20 marks]
Erosion is the process of wearing away a landscape, weathering is the process of breaking
down or dissolving rocks or minerals. They both have equally significant roles in the
development of coastal landscapes. They create erosional landforms and impact cliff
profiles, which all impact coastal landscape development.
Marine erosion can have a large impact on coastal landscapes. Original processes such as
hydraulic action and abrasion can impact the development of coastal landforms to a great
extent. There is evidence of this along the Holderness coastline, at Flamborough head,
where high rates of erosion have resulted in the development of headlands and bays on the
chalk headland. High rates of erosion here have also led to the development of erosional
landforms, such as stacks and stumps. Concentrated erosion on the headland means
hydraulic action and abrasion have a large impact on the Cliff, which forms cracks, that
eventually turned to arches, to stacks, and to stumps. This shows that erosion has a great
significance in the development of coastal landscapes. However, it can be argued that
marine erosion is not the only factor involved in the creation of these landscapes.
Weathering processes such as freeze thaw weathering, also erode the upper cliff face,
which cause the arch to collapse and stacks to erode the stumps.
Weathering is equally an important factor, therefore, in the development of the coastline, and
can cause upper cliff profile erosion, as well as coastal retreat. Weather in, such as
combination, can cause rocks to dissolve, or become more susceptible to erosion. When
slightly acidic rain reacts with calcium carbonate in rocks, it weakens the rock. This causes
the cliff to retreat, as the rock is weaker therefore quicker to erode, so the cliffs become
steeper. This can be seen along the Holderness coastline, as the coastline is eroding 2
metres every year as a result of these processes. This shows the importance of weathering
coastline development, as it can completely alter the coastline shape. Weathering causes
the cliff to become more susceptible to erosion, it shows that the two processes work
together, and so are equally important.
Although these two factors play a great role in coastal landscape development, other factors
such as deposition, rock lithology, and mass movement, can have a large impact too.
Deposition can create depositional landforms, rock type plays plays a huge role in rate of
erosion and mass movement. For example, unconsolidated glacial till from Bridlington to
Flamborough head on the Holderness coastline is a large factor involved in the fast rate of
erosion.
This leads me to conclude that both erosion and weathering play significant roles, often
working together to develop coastal landscapes. However, this conclusion is partial, due to
the fact that mass movement, and many other factors, play a great role in determining how a
coastline develops.
“Climate change risks outweigh opportunities for people living in coastal areas.” To what
extent do you agree with this statement? Refer to a beyond UK study. [20 marks]
Climate change is a change in climate patterns, mainly due to increased carbon dioxide from
humans. Climate change in the 21st century has significant effects on flooding, erosion, and
storm risks globally. This is putting people all over the world at great risk, which can be seen
in the Sundarbans, southern Bangladesh. This leads me to strongly agree with this
statement.
Higher global temperatures from climate change can create risks of flooding for people living
in coastal areas. Eustatic sea level rise is the global increase in sea levels as a result of
‘Flooding and erosion are set to increase at unprecedented levels along coastlines across
the world. In response, mitigation and adaption by coastal managers will ensure people and
places are not affected.’ To what extent do you agree with this view? [20 marks]
I agree with this view to some extent. Mitigation is reducing man-made activities which cause
climate change and adaption is reducing vulnerability to the effects of climate change.
Mitigation and adaption by coastal managers will ensure as much as possible that people
and places are not effected by flooding and erosion risks. However, all these strategies are
limited in some way, and therefore not successful at preventing erosion and flooding to a full
extent.
Sea levels along the Holderness coastline, northeast Yorkshire, have risen from 3.14mm per
year in 2000 to 17.8mm per year in 2009. This means coastal management is vital for
mitigation against erosion and flooding, to protect people and infrastructure along the
coastline. One way in which the Holderness coastline, have done so is through SMP’s
(shoreline management plans). The aims of the Holderness SMP is to plan ahead for 100
years of erosion and flooding, through hold the line, managed retreat and do nothing
strategies placed by the East Riding Council. One hold the line hard engineering strategy in
the SMP was 4.7km of sea walls at Bridlington, designed to deflect wave energy and reduce
impacts of flooding and erosion on the coastline. A soft engineering strategy used to hold the
line was beach nourishment at Mappleton. This is a more sustainable way of protecting
people along the coastline, as they provide habitats, whilst also absorbing wave energy.
However, sand dunes are limited at mitigating impacts, as storms become more frequent,
and they are impacted by destructive waves more, meaning they cannot fully ensure people
and places are not affected.
Land at the Sundarbans, southern Bangladesh, has been lost due to flooding and erosion by
65km2 from 2000 to 2009. This is a result of sea level rise, which is increasing intensity and
frequency of storms, as well as the power of waves. To mitigate erosion and flooding, the
Sundarbans have put different strategies in place, such as planting 50,000 saplings along
the coastline in 2015, which absorb water through their roots and release it through
transpiration, reducing water on land, and binding the soil with roots to reduce soil erosion.
They have also mitigated flooding by building 3,500km embankments to stop water spilling
onto land and increasing storage capacity of the rivers. However, this strategy is limited, due
to the fact that 800km of the embankments are vulnerable in storms, therefore will be unable
to mitigate the rising consequences of climate change for people and the Sundarbans.
To adapt to flooding and erosion, the Sundarbans have also put strategies in place. For
example, as a result of rising sea levels, rice crops are unable to survive under salty water
for long, therefore people’s food security is jeopardised and lives are at risk. To adapt, the
Sundarbans introduced a new, salt tolerant rice variety, which can survive submerged under
salt water for up to 2 weeks. This means people are able to cope better with flood impacts.
To adapt against erosion and flooding from cyclones, which were felt at the Sundarbans
after cyclone Aila killed 190 people and cost the area £1.7 billion, 1,000 cyclone shelters
were built in 2015. This adapts against climate change as it means people most vulnerable
to the cyclones in the Sundarbans are protected. However, these are strategies that are only
a temporary solution, and will not completely stop erosion and flooding in the Sundarbans in
the long term.
This leads me to conclude that, although there are many coastal management, mitigation
and adaption strategies that have been put in place in order to mitigate areas and people
around the world, such as the Holderness coastline and the Sundarbans, it is not possible to
ensure nowhere, and no one is affected. Climate change is becoming an increasing issue
today and will only worsen if a permanent solution is not found. Coastal management,
mitigation and adaption all try to reduce and prevent impacts of flooding and erosion;
however all have issues which mean they are not completely successful.
, COASTAL SYSTEMS AND LANDSCAPES 20 MARKERS
Assess the importance of weathering and erosion in the development of coastal landscapes.
[20 marks]
Erosion is the process of wearing away a landscape, weathering is the process of breaking
down or dissolving rocks or minerals. They both have equally significant roles in the
development of coastal landscapes. They create erosional landforms and impact cliff
profiles, which all impact coastal landscape development.
Marine erosion can have a large impact on coastal landscapes. Original processes such as
hydraulic action and abrasion can impact the development of coastal landforms to a great
extent. There is evidence of this along the Holderness coastline, at Flamborough head,
where high rates of erosion have resulted in the development of headlands and bays on the
chalk headland. High rates of erosion here have also led to the development of erosional
landforms, such as stacks and stumps. Concentrated erosion on the headland means
hydraulic action and abrasion have a large impact on the Cliff, which forms cracks, that
eventually turned to arches, to stacks, and to stumps. This shows that erosion has a great
significance in the development of coastal landscapes. However, it can be argued that
marine erosion is not the only factor involved in the creation of these landscapes.
Weathering processes such as freeze thaw weathering, also erode the upper cliff face,
which cause the arch to collapse and stacks to erode the stumps.
Weathering is equally an important factor, therefore, in the development of the coastline, and
can cause upper cliff profile erosion, as well as coastal retreat. Weather in, such as
combination, can cause rocks to dissolve, or become more susceptible to erosion. When
slightly acidic rain reacts with calcium carbonate in rocks, it weakens the rock. This causes
the cliff to retreat, as the rock is weaker therefore quicker to erode, so the cliffs become
steeper. This can be seen along the Holderness coastline, as the coastline is eroding 2
metres every year as a result of these processes. This shows the importance of weathering
coastline development, as it can completely alter the coastline shape. Weathering causes
the cliff to become more susceptible to erosion, it shows that the two processes work
together, and so are equally important.
Although these two factors play a great role in coastal landscape development, other factors
such as deposition, rock lithology, and mass movement, can have a large impact too.
Deposition can create depositional landforms, rock type plays plays a huge role in rate of
erosion and mass movement. For example, unconsolidated glacial till from Bridlington to
Flamborough head on the Holderness coastline is a large factor involved in the fast rate of
erosion.
This leads me to conclude that both erosion and weathering play significant roles, often
working together to develop coastal landscapes. However, this conclusion is partial, due to
the fact that mass movement, and many other factors, play a great role in determining how a
coastline develops.
“Climate change risks outweigh opportunities for people living in coastal areas.” To what
extent do you agree with this statement? Refer to a beyond UK study. [20 marks]
Climate change is a change in climate patterns, mainly due to increased carbon dioxide from
humans. Climate change in the 21st century has significant effects on flooding, erosion, and
storm risks globally. This is putting people all over the world at great risk, which can be seen
in the Sundarbans, southern Bangladesh. This leads me to strongly agree with this
statement.
Higher global temperatures from climate change can create risks of flooding for people living
in coastal areas. Eustatic sea level rise is the global increase in sea levels as a result of
