Ways to help...
A picture showing a few defences at the beach.
There are a few ways to protect the coast, they are called SEA DEFENSES...
Sea Defenses - Engineering schemes designed for the coast line to help reduce natural processes, such as long-shore drift and erosion. Anything that acts as a barrier between the sea and the land can be considered to be a coastal defence.
There are lots of different sea defence... ...such as
These are all types of engineering but some are hard and some are soft but which are which...
Hard engineering - To try and stop natural processes, long-shore drift or erosion... (Hard = heavy and expensive)
Soft engineering - To try and stop natural processes, long-shore drift or erosion... (Soft = Cheep and simple)
Sea Defenses - Engineering schemes designed for the coast line to help reduce natural processes, such as long-shore drift and erosion. Anything that acts as a barrier between the sea and the land can be considered to be a coastal defence.
There are lots of different sea defence... ...such as
- Sea Walls - A sea wall is a concrete wall placed at the foot of a cliff to reflect the waves energy protecting the cliffs from erosion.
- Groynes - A groynes are dividers along the beach to attempt to stop long shore drift, by blocking the sand and eroded material but letting the sea through.
- Revetments - A revetment is a wooden or concrete, slopping structure placed at the foot of the cliffs, to reflect and damage the impact of the waves.
- Rip Rap - Rip rap is, boulders places at the base of cliffs, offend made of granite with small, tiny gaps to let the sea through, but still taking the impact of the sea instead of the cliffs.
- Gabions - A gibion is a wire cage, filled with small rocks and stone/pebbles placed at the bottom of the cliffs to help break down the waves.
- Beach replenishment - Beach replenishment is when unwanted extra sediment is dumped on to the beach to wide and increases the depth of the beach, this means by the time the waves hit the cliffs if a tall they have no energy left.
- breakwaters - Breakwaters are off shore coastal defense structures built from stone parallel to the coastline; they help absorb the energy of breaking waves. Deposition can occur in calmer waters created behind the breakwaters.
- Cliff drains - Cliff drains are steel barriers and drains put into cliffs to intercept the water movement though out the cliff, which help prevent mass movement and land-slides.
These are all types of engineering but some are hard and some are soft but which are which...
Hard engineering - To try and stop natural processes, long-shore drift or erosion... (Hard = heavy and expensive)
Soft engineering - To try and stop natural processes, long-shore drift or erosion... (Soft = Cheep and simple)
Hard Engineering
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Soft Engineering
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Item, Aim, Advantages, Disadvantages...
The next table explains in more detail...
ItemSea Wall
Groynes Revetment Gabions Rip Rap Cliff Drainage Breakwaters Beach replenishment |
AimTo limit erosion by creating a barrier.
Limit long-shore drift, increase sedimentation rate, build up beaches. To reduce wave energy. Stabilize foot of cliff and help drainage. Plus damage the power of the waves. To reduce wave energy. To stabilize cliffs by reducing land slides. To break waves further out to sea, reducing their energy at the coast. To build up beach by dumping sand, creating a larger area over which waves energy is lost. For example, Sherringham Norfolk. |
AdvantagesEffective defense against erosion and sea wall last a long time.
Very efficient in trapping sediment. Cheap and effective. Plus looks nicer than sea walls. Cheap and relatively quick to install. Cheap and very effective and last a long time. Effective and have less impact on other areas of the coast line. No costly building involved, cheap and long term. Looks identical to before. A cheep way of of stopping the waves energy and does not make the beach loss any of it's beautiful look. |
Disadvantages Very expensive £2000+ per meter don't look the best.
Trap sediment at that part of the coast, but stops the sediment getting any further and this means this means coast further along doesn't get any sediment as it's wears away. Is not the most lasting defence, They last a while but not as much as a sea wall does. Don't last long at all. Not the prettiest things. Not the most niceness looking defence. Not the easiest things to install. Costly as they need to be very strong. Can be short-lived. Appreciation of local tidal conditions vital for success. New sediment must match the original type, otherwise it would not look as good. Materials from quarries can be expensive. |
Prices...
Sea Wall - £5000 Per Meter
Groynes - £6000 Each
Revetment - £1000 Per Meter
Rip Rap - £300 Per Meter
Gabions - £60 Per Meter
Beach Replenishment - Approx. £1000 - £5000 Per Meter
Cliff Drains - Unknown
Breakwaters - Unknown
Groynes - £6000 Each
Revetment - £1000 Per Meter
Rip Rap - £300 Per Meter
Gabions - £60 Per Meter
Beach Replenishment - Approx. £1000 - £5000 Per Meter
Cliff Drains - Unknown
Breakwaters - Unknown
Below there are 8 photos going from left to right, top to bottom they are...
... 1. Rip rap at Happisburgh. 2. Beach Replenishment from near Happisburgh. 3. Breakwaters from near Happisburgh.
4. Gibions 5. Groynes 6. Revetment 7. Sea Wall 8. Sea defences
... 1. Rip rap at Happisburgh. 2. Beach Replenishment from near Happisburgh. 3. Breakwaters from near Happisburgh.
4. Gibions 5. Groynes 6. Revetment 7. Sea Wall 8. Sea defences
Views...
People all over the world have views on lots of things, but sea defences hold one of the most argumentative views...
I have collected some views from my close family...
Nick Belgrave -
My Views -
However everyone is in titled to their own opinions, so please let me know what your views are in the blog... thanks.
I have collected some views from my close family...
Nick Belgrave -
- What do you think on the idea of sea defences???
- I think that any area which is under threat from flooding should have a strong sea defence in place.
- Are you aware of how much they cost and do you agree with the prices???
- I was unaware of the price until I read your facts but they seem to be highly priced.
- What do you think of the look of most sea defences???
- I don't think they enhance the look of the beach but they are there for a reason.
- Do you think the government and councils should help coastal towns and villages such as Happisburgh??? Unfortunately the local authority will only have a limited amount in there budget for all coastal towns in their area, however they should of planned for the future when building so close to the cliffs.
- Do you think We should just let nature take it's course or should we intervene??? If there are no houses which will be affected then erosion is a natural event.
My Views -
- What do you think on the idea of sea defenses??? I think sea defenses are goods ideas.
- Are you aware of how much they cost and do you agree with the prices??? I am aware of the sea defenses prices and I do think they are a bit over priced.
- What do you think of the look of most sea defenses??? I think the look of most of the sea defenses look ok however I don't like the look of the sea wall or gabions.
- Do you think the government and councils should help coastal towns and villages such as Happisburgh??? I do think the governments and councils should help the coastal towns as they can be barriers for the rest of the country.
- Do you think We should just let nature take it's cause or should we intervene???
However everyone is in titled to their own opinions, so please let me know what your views are in the blog... thanks.
There was a public meeting held recently...
This is was we found this...
WhoNorfolk County Council Executive officers
Chairperson of county council coastal protection sub-committee Local Farmer Caravan site owner Local cliff top owner UEA geography professors County Council from Norfolk Friend of the earth representatives Eloise & Louise James & Tom |
For / AgainstFor
For For For For Against Against Against Against Against |
Why and what.cheep like groynes and cliff drains. Because they own a £2.5 million pound worth school that need to be saved.
They want sea walls because they are most effective. Sea walls and revetment because if not they will loss land and go out of business. Revetment because they are not to expensive and if erosion continues they would loss a home, loss work and loss land. Sea wall because if not they would loss their home and they think they need compensation from the government. Because it is a natural process and should not interfere. To much money to spend on things that probably not going to work and should spend money on more important things. Help the world! Groynes are made from trees and the trees are the earths lungs. Because if groynes were put in place at Happisburgh the beach at Holt (where their from) will be worn away because extra sediment is trapped at Happisburgh. The government would raise tax making us retired people even more skint. |