Dynamic Nature Of Our Ever Changing Coasts example essay topic

Geography Studies, Coastal Zones Coastal zones may be described as narrow and dynamic. Coasts are the dynamic relationship of water, air, and land. Wind and waves, tides and currents, migrating sand dunes and mangrove swamps, and a variety of plant and animal life, all combine to form our ever-changing coasts. The dynamic nature of our ever-changing coasts is what gives it their great diversity. Narrow coastal zones tend to be more subject to natural erosion, which makes it easily visible. Narrow coastal zones have little sand on their beaches to be carried away and deposited so the seasonal changes that occur in summer and winter are very noticeable.

Coastal lands and sediments are always in motion, constant breaking waves move sand along the coast, eroding sand in one area and depositing it on another beach up or down from the eroded area. Tidal cycles bring sand onto the beach and carry it back into the surf, during the seasons of summer and winter constructive (summer) and destructive's (winter) waves transport or deposit sand and sediments down or up the coast. Rivers also carry sediment to the coast and build deltas into the open water where the river pours out into the ocean. Storms, which cause deconstructive waves, cause deep erosion in one area and leave thick over wash deposits in another.

Plants retain sediment in wetlands and slow down movement of coastal dunes. Natural processes that change the water level also affect coastal dynamics. Taken separately, each natural process of coastal transport is complex; taken together; they create a very complex system that achieves a very dynamically balanced coastline. Sand dunes help absorb the pounding of high waves during and reduce over wash flooding during storms; bulldozing dunes to improve views of the sea destroys this natural protection. Also human actions lead to the destruction of dune grasses and the disturbance of natural coastal landforms, and this is causing increasing erosion and movement of beach materials. Four-wheel drives and people who walk on the sand dunes compact sand, destroying plants and animal burrows.

An example of this can be seen at the Port Noarlunga clubhouse, which was very badly eroded because it was used by the people of the clubhouse and also by surfers or fishermen who wanted to access the beach. Repercussions of this were blowouts on the dunes system and the loss of native plants and dunes in some areas. To prevent this from happening the local coast board fenced off areas, put in set walkways which used a boardwalk effect with planks, and they used sirloin cloth to help regenerate the lost sand dunes. The centre of the Gold coast is Surfers Paradise, formally known as Elston after being changed in the 1930's when some enterprising locals changed its name to that of a local hotel. Since the settlement of former Elston to Surfers Paradise and since the 1960's to 1970's tourism has flourished and the beauty of well-known Gold Coast is a world know destination.

The Gold Coast was the almost unbroken stretch of sandy beach, which first stimulated the growth in the area. The straight coastline creates long, rolling surf, and the beaches attracted swimmers, sunbathers and family's. Due to a rise in the amount of people who flock here for Holidays each year, there has been enormous investment in and development of hotels, resorts and entertainment venues. Such extensive building and rapid population growth in such a short time raised concerns about the environmental impact in the area.

The effects of building these multi-storey buildings so close to the beach, and due to rapid population growth in such a short time, the effects of this were clearly demonstrated when a series of storms swept along the coast during the 1960's. The beach was torn apart and sand was deposited right up to the bottom of some buildings. Mangrove swamps are tidal forests that are found on all the continents in the tropical regions of the world, they also extend into the subtropical regions of Asia, North America, Africa and Australia. The outcome of this is that they form the borderline in which the oceans meet the inland tropical rainforests, they provide and serve as a nursery for native fish, which are commercially fished for markets and sale inland.

They are also valuable in that they provide raw materials for a variety of purposes and help protect and stabilise the coastline itself. Population expansion of many developing countries is putting sever pressure on coastal areas. For example, the population of urban Calcutta India is believed to be increasing by one thousand people per day due to an increase in immigration from surrounding rural areas. In Bangladesh, where about one-eighth of the country is covered by mangroves, it is estimated that approximately one-third of the population, some 30 million people depend on them for their income.

Te main difficulty in managing mangrove coastlines comes from the fact that they are easily removed by human interaction, but take a very long time to grow back. The land is often cleared and used for another kind of development.