1. Coastal Environments Introduction
Definitions, Characteristics, Importance, Issues, Factors, System, Processes

2. Coastal Environments Definitions Characteristics Importance Issues
Factors
System
Processes
Landforms
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3. Definitions & Characteristics of Coasts
Coastal environments are dynamic places; constantly changing and affecting both natural landforms and the lives/activities of people
They represent the ever-changing boundary zone between the habitable terrestrial environment and the largely inhospitable marine environment
The coast is the part of the land that is next to the sea. A precise line that determines the coast is difficult to create due to the movement of tides and also the constant changes to the land itself through the processes of coastal erosion, weathering & mass movement (sub-aerial processes), transportation & deposition
The ‘coastal zone’ can be summed up as the area where land and sea processes interact - ‘the interface between land and sea’
The coast is an open system with inputs, processes and outputs. Inputs of energy from waves, winds and tides interact with the coastal geology, sediments, vegetation, atmosphere and human activities to initiate erosional, sub-aerial, transportational and depositional processes that lead to distinctive outputs in the form of a wide range of coastal landforms
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4. Importance of Coasts: Worldwide & UK
Many premium economic sites for industry and trade (ports, harbours)
Rich and diverse wildlife habitats and ecosystems (marshes, sand dunes, coral reefs)
Highly attractive sites for tourism (sandy beaches, bays)
Long history of the coast used for defensive sites so many historical features (castles, forts)
Coastal areas are home to approximately one third of the world’s population
Two thirds of the world’s largest cities (mega cities) are in the coastal zone
Coastal ecosystems extend along more than 1.6 million km of coastline in a total of 123 countries
The UK has around 17,000km of coastline (the length varies with the tides!)
25 million people in the UK live within 10km of the coast
The Jurassic Coast in southern England (Exmouth to Studland Bay) spans 185 million years of geological history and is designated a World Heritage Site
2,300km of the UK coastline is artificially protected
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5. Issues for Coastal Environments: UK
The coast is a dynamic place where change (rockfall, landslides etc) often occurs rapidly. This suggests that some parts of the coastal system have yet to achieve a steady state (equilibrium). This is not surprising given that the UK coastline is relatively young - at 6,000 years old – as a result of the rise in sea level that followed the last glacial. It is estimated that over 3,000km of the UK’s coastline is susceptible to erosion, and the annual cost of damage from erosion is expected to increase by 3-9 times by 2080.
Coastal environments also witness considerable competition for land and sea resources by various groups, often resulting in conflicts. Managing conflicts successfully depends on understanding the natural and human processes at work.
Aspects to consider…
Why are some parts of the UK coastline eroding more quickly than others (e.g. Holderness Coast)?
Why is deposition creating new land in other parts of the UK?
Why is coastal flooding becoming more of a problem?
What coastal management methods can be used to protect coastal land from the sea?
What are the pros and cons of different coastal management methods?
Why is the UK government moving to a policy of managed retreat for the coastline?
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6. Issues for Coastal Environments: UK (continued)
From The Guardian:
Study reveals huge acceleration in erosion of England's white cliffs
Iconic southern coastline is eroding 10 times faster than the past few thousand years
The cause of the huge acceleration is likely to be human management of the coastline, which has stripped some cliffs of their protective beaches, as well as changes in storm intensity. Climate change, which is bringing higher sea levels and fiercer waves, will make the erosion even worse, say scientists.
Researchers analysed rocks from Beachy Head and Seaford Head in East Sussex and discovered that the cliff erosion rate over most of the past 7,000 years was just two-six centimetres a year. But the erosion rate over the past 150 years has been much higher at 22-32cm a year.
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7. Factors affecting the Coastline
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8. The Coastal System
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9. Assessment Time: Tasks
Write a definition for ‘coastal environments’ using approximately 30 words
Name 3 inputs, 4 processes and 6 outputs in the coastal system
Outline the human, physical and environmental importance of coastal environments
Coastal issues include a) increased rates of erosion b) increased frequency and severity of flooding and c) increasing conflict between users. Explain the increasing nature of two of these coastal issues
Did You Know?
More than 2,000km of the coastline of England and Wales is important scenically or scientifically. Of this, over 1,200km is managed by the National Trust. The rest is either privately owned or managed by other trusts e.g. RSPB, WWF, English Nature, The Crown Estate and Nature Conservation Trusts
A wide range of designation orders protect the coastline from human interference e.g. National Park status, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), Heritage Coasts, National Nature Reserves (NNR), Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
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