11. soft engineering

soft engineering

1. Big Picture Soft engineering Research task Practice Question 6 mark question Managing Coasts - Soft Engineering LO: To assess the costs and benefits of soft engineering management strategies. Soft engineering managing erosion by working with natural processes to help restore beaches and coastal ecosystems. Key Vocabulary Page 108 - 109 11 June 2019

2. What soft engineering is. Examples of soft engineering and how they work. What are the benefits and drawbacks of soft engineering? Compare the types of engineering and evaluate their effectiveness. Managing Coasts – Soft Engineering LO: To assess the costs and benefits of soft engineering management strategies.

3. Over to you In each section of your data collection sheet you must include: A sketch How it works Advantages Disadvantages Information Collect Managing Coasts – Soft Engineering LO: To assess the costs and benefits of soft engineering management strategies.

4. Beach Nourishment Sand and shingle from elsewhere (e.g. from the seabed) or from lower down the beach that’s added to the upper part of beaches A wider beach means more room for beach users. People living along the sea front are more protected from coastal flooding. At Sandbanks, the wider nourished beach protects expensive properties. X Taking material from the seabed can kill organisms and destroy habitats X It’s expensive as it has to be repeated. X Although cheaper than hard engineering options, this has high overheads as it costs around £300 000 to hire a dredger. Creates wider beaches which slow the waves A nourished beach is natural and blends in with the environment. Wider beach attracts tourists. Managing Coasts – Soft Engineering LO: To assess the costs and benefits of soft engineering management strategies.

5. Produced by Mr M Colclough Managing coasts - soft engineering LO: To assess the costs and benefits of soft engineering management strategies.

6. Beach Nourishment Managing Coasts – Soft Engineering LO: To assess the costs and benefits of soft engineering management strategies.

7. Dune Stabilising Creating or restoring sand dunes by either nourishment, or by planting vegetation to stabilise the sand. Marram grass is a species that is adapted to growing in sand, and its roots help hold the dunes together and prevent the sand being blown away. Sand dunes protect land uses behind them. Once established they are popular for picnics and walking on. At Studland sand dunes, regeneration has helped maintain a habitat for rare Dartford warblers and nightjars. Six species of reptiles including lizards and adders inhabit the dunes. Small planting projects often use volunteer labour and local grass for transplants so costs are minimal. Sand dunes provide a barrier between the land and the sea. Wave energy is absorbed with prevents flooding and erosion. Stabilisation is cheap X The protection is limited to a small area X Nourishment is very expensive X Dune regeneration has to be checked twice a year and have fertilisers applied. X While becoming established, regenerated sand dunes are fenced off and signs tell people to keep out. This may deter tourists. Managing Coasts – Soft Engineering LO: To assess the costs and benefits of soft engineering management strategies.

8. Produced by Mr M Colclough Managing Coasts – Soft Engineering LO: To assess the costs and benefits of soft engineering management strategies.

9. Dune Stabilising Managing Coasts – Soft Engineering LO: To assess the costs and benefits of soft engineering management strategies.

10. Beach Reprofiling Beach reprofiling is the artificial re-shaping of a beach using existing beach material. In winter, a beach is lowered by destructive waves. After winter storms, bulldozers move sand and shingle back up the beach. Like beach nourishment, reprofiling ensure that the beach is large enough to be an effective buffer between land and sea. The combined cost of beach nourishment and beach reprofiling at Pevensey, East Sussex is £30 million over 25 years. The residential area behind the beach is now protected so residents feel safe. By using the material from the beach, it still looks reasonably natural. Provides an effective buffer for the coastline X A steep, high crested beach may look unnatural and uninviting to tourists. X Major reprofiling costs can be expensive. X This has to be done regularly to be effective Managing Coasts – Soft Engineering LO: To assess the costs and benefits of soft engineering management strategies.

11. Managing Coasts – Soft Engineering LO: To assess the costs and benefits of soft engineering management strategies.

12. Beach Reprofiling Managing Coasts – Soft Engineering LO: To assess the costs and benefits of soft engineering management strategies.

13. Managed Realignment Managed retreat (also called coastal realignment) involves removing current defences and allowing the sea to flood the land behind. Over time the land becomes marshland, which then protects the land behind from flooding and erosion. It is a cheap and easy strategy, and it doesn’t need maintaining. The marshland can also create new habitats for plants and animals. Because land is lost to the sea, choosing areas to flood can cause conflicts, e.g. flooding farmland would affect the livelihood of farmers. The saltwater can also have a negative effect on existing ecosystems. Land becomes marsh, slowing waves and reducing erosion Created new habitats Cheap and easy, does not need maintaining. X Land is lost to the sea eventually X Choosing which areas to flood can cause conflict with local communities Managing Coasts – Soft Engineering LO: To assess the costs and benefits of soft engineering management strategies.

14. Managing Coasts – Soft Engineering LO: To assess the costs and benefits of soft engineering management strategies.

15. Exam Practice: Describe how soft engineering methods are used to protect coastal areas. Use an example you have studied. [6 marks + 3 SPaG ] Read the guidance below the answer space to work out what you should be putting in your exam answer. Answer the Question on your sheet. Use examples and evidence. E.g. costs, materials used Exam Practice Managing Coasts – Soft Engineering LO: To assess the costs and benefits of soft engineering management strategies.

16. Glue it in the centre of a page Around the edge point out good features about the answer Uses key terms Mentions different types Explains how they work (answering the question!) Example given Use the model answer that you have been given: A Model Answer Managing Coasts – Soft Engineering LO: To assess the costs and benefits of soft engineering management strategies.

17. Practice Question: Identify the differences between hard and soft engineering coastal management strategies (4) L1 (1-2) – Points are general and not developed. No comparative language has been used. L2 (3-4) – Both soft and hard engineering strategies have been considered. Comparative language has been used. Answer the Question below. Use examples and evidence. E.g. costs, materials used Managing Coasts – Soft Engineering LO: To assess the costs and benefits of soft engineering management strategies.

18. Answer the Question below. Identify the differences between hard and soft engineering coastal management strategies (4) Hard engineering strategies such as sea walls and rock armour tend to be more expensive (1) with sea walls costing around £5000 per metre (1) and rock armour is often imported from Sweden or Norway, adding to the cost substantially (1). However soft engineering strategies such as sand dune stabilising is relatively cheap as local grass and volunteer labour is often used (1). Strategies such as dune regeneration tend to be more environmentally friendly (1). At Studland sand dunes, regeneration has helped maintain a habitat for the rare Dartford warblers and nightjars (1) whereas damaged gabions are unsightly and seabirds may damage their feet in them (1). Managing Coasts – Soft Engineering LO: To assess the costs and benefits of soft engineering management strategies.