Preview

Coastal Erosion Management of the Kapiti Coast Beach Environment

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2822 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Coastal Erosion Management of the Kapiti Coast Beach Environment
Sam Ziaja | Geography 3.6 | ‘Analyse a contemporary geographic issue and evaluate course of action’ | | | Coastal erosion management of the Kapiti Coast Beach Environment |

|

Current Situation
The Kapiti Coast lies at around 41°S 175°NAddress:, North to South the Kapiti Coast goes from Peka Peka at Te Hapua Road towards Paekakariki to just at the beginning of the Centennial Highway. And from west to east from the western edge of Kapiti Island to Reikorangi in the Tararua foothills. This is around 50km north of the capital Wellington.
Along this coastline wave and aeolian action is causing coastal erosion, prominently from Paekakariki to the Waikanae River mouth. The Kapiti Coast District Council (KCDC) and independent groups have put in measures to stop this erosion. The measures include, Vegetation planting, seawalls, rock revetment, dune restoration and beach re-nourishment.
Below is a diagram showing areas on the Kapiti Coast where measures have been taken out. (Fig. #1)
Currently the recent dune restoration along Paraparaumu Beach is doing great, however the seawall along Raumati to Raumati South’s coast line is failing and rock revetment that has been out in place to improve the seawall’s performance is failing too.

-Kena Kena Beach -Seawall al Raumati South

Fig. #1

Views
Support Coastal Erosion Management-

Kapiti Coast District Council:
The Kapiti Coast District Council (KCDC) supports coastal erosion management as it is a “public reserve under the control of the Wellington Regional Council from Mean High Water Spring Tide Mark seaward”(1). The KCDC has put in measures to protect the beach from eroding; these include a seawall in Raumati South which stretches from Marine Gardens to Queen Elizabeth Park. This was installed in 1977(2) after the September 1976 storm which created highly destructive waves in which the Raumati South coastline was severely eroded. This seawall absorbs and deflects the wave’s energy


Bibliography: (6) “A guide to managing coastal erosion in beach/dune systems” (2000) Scottish Natural Heritage (7)Prices from http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/topics/coastal_management.htm - 01/04/12 * Dr. Rodger Shad’s Report ‘Marine Parade Revetment erosion update and management programme’ August, 2010.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Cronulla Beach Research Assignment
    • 1662 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Cronulla Beach Research Assignment

    * What management strategies have been put in place to minimise human impacts at Cronulla Beach.…

    • 1662 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Coastal Management Long Reef Notes Geography
    • 1396 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Coastal Management Long Reef Notes Geography

    Sand dunes are a valid indication of the quality of the soil and the surrounding ocean. When vegetation is established in sand dunes, it stabilises it- i.e. gives the dunes structure. This structure helps prevent erosion by using the plant life to trap the sand. Without these plants (and ultimately the sand dunes) sand will be subject to many natural forces without protection, meaning any major storm could theoretically remove large amounts of sand from the beach with no natural means of replenishing it. Long Reef Beach is commendable in the amount of vegetation it has produced. Because of this the area will not be prone to dangerous levels of erosion. However, Collaroy Beach had very little vegetation and smaller sand dunes. As no definitive structure is given to the dunes at Collaroy Beach it is much more prone to erosion than Long Reef Beach. The buildings found on the edge of Collaroy Beach would benefit from structured sand dunes as they will not be as prone to storm damage and other weather forces.…

    • 1396 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Coastal Management Report: Collaroy Beach
    • 1953 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Coastal Management Report: Collaroy Beach

    Approximately 60 percent of the NSW open coastline is characterised by sandy beaches. These beaches are dynamic environments undergoing continual cycles of erosion and accretion in response to the action of tides, wind and waves. In many…

    • 1953 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    New Jersey Sea Grant College Program Manual for Coastal Hazard Mitigation
    • 22874 Words
    • 92 Pages

    New Jersey Sea Grant College Program Manual for Coastal Hazard Mitigation

    New Jersey is often used as an example of a natural system gone awry. The unflattering term "New Jerseyization" was coined by a prominent scientist to describe a developed, eroding coast, where natural beaches have been replaced by engineering structures. This view may have been correct in the past, when seawalls and bulkheads replaced many of our beaches, but our beaches are being brought back by artificial nourishment projects. Hard protection structures are only one phase in the cycle of changes on a developed coast. Human efforts can help regenerate landforms and biota, providing we take a proactive approach to shore protection that accommodates a wide range of resource values. The preferred method of shore protection in New Jersey has changed from groins, to bulkheads and seawalls, to beach nourishment. Hard protection structures are less likely to be built in the future, but many structures still exist, and some new structures may have local usefulness. Accordingly, it is important to know how these structures function. It is also important to know that all protection strategies have usefulness, but they are not readily interchangeable at a given location. Beach nourishment can help restore lost natural values, but many municipalities have elected to grade and rake their nourished beaches, preventing them from evolving into topographically and biologically diverse natural environments. The large amount of sand scheduled to be pumped onto New Jersey beaches in the future represents an invaluable resource, but the full potential of nourishment will not be realized without addressing habitat improvement and nature-based tourism in addition to the goals of protection from erosion and flooding and provision of recreation space. A dune is another valuable natural resource that is often overlooked. Dunes provide protection from flooding and…

    • 22874 Words
    • 92 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Costal Erosion Story
    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Costal Erosion Story

    A couple living in Old Castle Road woke up to discover they had a new view than the day before in February 2009. They thought they had at least 20 years before any land erosion would threaten their home. 6ft of their garden collapsed (abrasion) into the beach below.…

    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hengisbury Head Coastal Processes
    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Hengisbury Head Coastal Processes

    | Much building and recreation occurs at the coast, and this increases pressure on cliff tops, making them more liable to erosion and subsidence. The building of sea defences upsets the dynamic equilibrium of the coastline…

    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Biophysical Processes-Erosion
    • 1948 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Biophysical Processes-Erosion

    Boarded chain walks help set out a path from the car parks to the beach over the Birdwood Park Dune so that we kill minimal vegetation that is keeping the structure of the dune intact. To keep the vegetation up to standard, re-vegetation schemes are put in place so that the dune stays stable and minimal erosion takes place. A training wall on the western side of the lagoon entrance keeps the lagoon in shape and stops any erosion that will be introduced by the widening of the lagoon. After a big storm sand dredging takes place at the entrance of the lagoon to stop the channel from blocking up which will cause a massive change to the lagoon structure. There strategies really help keep the beach as pristine as…

    • 1948 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Long Beach Island Case Study
    • 2254 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Long Beach Island Case Study

    Long Beach Island is a barrier island located approximately one mile off of the southern coast of New Jersey. The island in some areas is only a half-mile wide, with some areas, which are even narrower. Therefore, coastal erosion and flooding are both major concerns for the residents. Most of the island’s eighteen miles of beaches have experienced significant damage from erosion in recent decades. The damage is not only threatening the multimillion dollar homes in the area, but others also believe that the island will eventually become one with the Atlantic Ocean. However, in 2005 the Army Corps of Engineers began work on a $75 million dollar project to build a dune the length of the island. To analyze the severity of beach erosion on Long Beach Island, the following report compares the conditions to the Grand Strand off the coast of South Carolina. Both areas are experiencing many negative factors, which are contributing to the deterioration of the sandy beaches. The conclusion points to the fact that however short-term beach replenishment may be; it is the most viable option to solve the current devastation of beach erosion.…

    • 2254 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Pros And Cons Of Fencing
    • 58 Words
    • 1 Page

    The Pros And Cons Of Fencing

    Construction of semi-permeable fences along the seaward face of dunes will encourage the deposition of wind blown sand, reduce trampling and protect existing or transplanted vegetation. A variety of fencing materials can be used successfully to enhance natural recovery. Fencing can also be used in conjunction with other management schemes to encourage dune stabilisation and reduce environmental impacts.…

    • 58 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ap Psychology Quiz
    • 700 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Ap Psychology Quiz

    longshore drift, groin, spit, berm, low tide, high tide, breaker zone, swash zone, backshore, foreshore,…

    • 700 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Mississippi Depicting Sediments Due to Erosion
    • 752 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Mississippi Depicting Sediments Due to Erosion

    The finest beaches on the Mississippi Gulf Coast are located on Ship Island and are being eroded however; erosion is the thing that initially created the beaches. There were no beaches when oceans first covered the surface of the earth millions of years ago, only rocky shores. Over millions of years these solid stones were broken down into rocks by erosion, then were broken down into pebbles, and then into gravel, and then into sand. Rivers also carried down sand and silt from the mountains and deposited it into seas around the world and oceans. I found out that most causes of beach erosion are natural and the rest is because of man made structures. Jenny Lazlo of the National Awareness of Erosion was interviewed by one of my team members and stated that “everyone likes waves but they actually contribute to the erosion of beaches. Formations of waves are caused by wind, the rotation of the earth, and deep ocean currents.” Water moves in circular paths perpendicular to the ground. Waves take sand from the depths of the ocean and deposit it on the beaches. They also carry little pebbles and stones, and smash them into each other which create sand. Living on a beach or nearby one can be extremely harmful to humans because large waves can form (are powered by storms) and break into the beach washing back down much more sand with them to the ocean. A major part of beach erosion is ocean currents. Ocean currents can make and break the shore, depending on the circumstances but in this case it erodes the shore. “Long shore and near shore currents (riptides) are the two main types of currents that shape up beaches. The creation of the near shore current is when waves hit the beach at a ninety degree angles, they are very strong, narrow, and flow perpendicular to the beach in the seaward direction. This allows them to carry away large amounts of sand.” says Adam Copeland Erosion Researcher of Cornell University. Long…

    • 752 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    3
    • 380 Words
    • 2 Pages

    3

    -“The increased wave energy and the sediment trapped behind the seawall often decrease the sediment supply near the seawall, causing erosion on adjacent beaches. Therefore, alternatives to these hard structures are strongly encouraged and actively sought by the NPS.”…

    • 380 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Goldcoast Erosion
    • 365 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Goldcoast Erosion

    In recent decades erosion has become a major issue to beaches around Australia, since beaches are temporary features. There is always sand being removed and sand being added to them, often, they change drastically during the year, depending upon the frequency of storms. Eventually, a beach erodes because the supply of sand to the beach cannot keep up with the loss of sand to the sea. The Sand dunes and vegetation help to hold the sand in place when wind or water tries to erode it away. The environment can be affected by erosion in several ways. First and the most obvious, houses that are built along the shore are at risk of being washed away if more sand is being removed from the beach in the winter, and not enough sand is returned in the summer. Secondly, animals that live on the beach are at risk for losing their homes. The amount of sand on the beach, and how it is deposited can also affect the shape of the shoreline, which can have an effect on the type of waves that are produced at the beach. The type of waves produced at the beach will also ultimately have an impact on beach erosion.…

    • 365 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Geology
    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Geology

    What do you do when mid-latitude cyclones get larger, strong frontal winds are more frequent, and waves and currents get stronger? How can we control high waves and storm surges that drive more sediment transport, permanently changing the coast? Coastal dunes, of all shapes and sizes, are are dense enough to prevent rapid and significant changes. The Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 specifically calls for the creation and enhancement of dunes in the coastal zone. There is increasing recognition of the variety of dune features that exist at the coast and the interplay between the beach and coastal dunes. The measurements of sand gains and losses in the dunes and the flows of sediment from the beach to the dune have been practiced along many shorelines. The research has led to a series of site-specific descriptions and categorizations of dune types and their interaction with local dynamics. In 2011, the Congress spent 56 million dollars supporting such projects (Coastal Zone Management, 2008). Some of the projects include dune stabilization, the mining and study of dune composition, sand fencing, and beach nourishment. Jetties and groins are being built to capture sand that would normally have been washed miles away. These methods are used all over the world and they help to prevent accelerated shoreline alterations. Preserving the shoreline also protects certain species in the biosphere like Sea Turtles, rare birds, and important plants. These are some of the few wise environmental choices we are making with money these days.…

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Climate Change Persuasive Speech
    • 526 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Climate Change Persuasive Speech

    Kiribati, an island nation located in the central Pacific Ocean, is sinking. Scientists estimate that within the next 50 years the water will have risen to engulf the whole of the island. There are over 110,000 men, women and children occupying this island, all living with the threat of not just losing their homes but the very land they stand on.…

    • 526 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics