Shoreline Erosion Essay

For this assessment, discuss a variety of techniques used to stabilize shorelines throughout the world. Then answer this question. “Are they temporary or permanent?” Then let’s discuss,” Two ways in which the development/urbanization of coastal areas contribute to shoreline erosion, and what they contribute to our beaches?”, also, “What increases with the creation of roads and rooftops?”
Shoreline erosion is a big expensive problem that is having a negative impact on our environment. Tarbuck (2014) states that erosion along the coastline causes significant property damage. Large sums of money spent annually not only to repair damage to the shorelines, but also to prevent or control erosion. The first technique we will discuss is hard stabilization,
A barrier island is a wide beach backed by dunes and separated from the mainland by marshy lagoons. A barrier island receives full force of major storms and absorbs the energy through the movement of sand. This changes drastically, when development puts up manmade barriers to protect homes and property, which changes the dynamic and distribution of the sand causing major erosion in different areas along the shoreline. Along the pacific coast, shoreline erosion is contributed to a narrowing of many beaches, due to the alteration of natural systems by people. The bulk of the sand on many of these beaches is supplied by rivers that transport it from the mountain regions. This process has been interrupted with dams built for irrigation and flood control. With little sand to replenish and widen the narrow beaches, the waves have no barrier and come in full force, slowly eroding the sand around the cliffs, and on the shoreline. This endangers homes and roads. Lastly homes and roads add further to the erosion. Rooftops and road runoffs, following large storms, spiral down the side of the cliffs in an unnatural direction, accelerating the erosion process along the shoreline