The Dynamic Coast

Houses threatened
by coastal erosion
in California

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presentations in this series
A presentation about the interaction visit
between the dynamic coast and people www.rightplace.sqrl.net
 People and the Coast
People have always lived by
the sea. The sea provides
food, opportunities to trade
and is a great place to relax…

…but the coast can change

and affect people and their
property. Protection from the
sea might be necessary.
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 Cliff erosion along
Auckland’s coastline and
erosion at Omaha Beach
(below).

What do you think causes

erosion of the coastline?
What makes it worse?
Can it be stopped or
lessened?

Images courtesy of Auckland Regional Council

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 Natural processes that cause
coastal erosion
Coastal Geomorphology
•The geology of the coast
•The shape of the seabed
The coastline
Aeolian (Wind)
The wind determines the
waves and also carries
fine sediments
Hydrological
• Wave energy and force
• Movement of sediment
• Currents
• Changes in sea level
Biological
• Weathering can weaken
rocks
• Vegetation can strengthen
and stabilise slopes.
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 Erosion and deposition over time
Most coastal erosion occurs during
storms. Storms cause great damage, but
often the rock or beach has been exposed
to years of weathering and erosion by the
wind so is already in a weakened state.
The storm really just finishes it off.

erosion

Storm events

Time

A collapsed cliff face in East

Anglia, England.
Do you know of a beach that is
eroding?
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Examples of coastal landforms

Which
landforms are
caused by
erosion?
Which
coastlines are
growing?

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Can you name these landforms and
describe how they might have been caused?

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Look carefully at this coastline

This part of
the
coastline
has
remained
stable.
Why has it
not eroded?

Why has this part eroded?

This dotted line is the original coastline

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Stacks – a well known coastal landform
You’ve probably seen pictures of stacks
before, but did you know that they are a
landform caused by coastal erosion?

The Twelve Apostles, Australia

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Old Man of Hoy, Scotland

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 The Dynamic System of the Beach

Why do some coastlines

erode away? Why do some
grow?

All beaches exist in a

dynamic equilibrium involving
four factors:

5.The supply of sand

6.The energy of the waves
7.Changes in sea-level
8.The
It is the location
balance of of the
these This sand dune pictured above is
shoreline
four factors and how they evidence that this beach has lots
interact with each other of sand.
that determines whether
How might this sand have been
a beach erodes or
deposited here?
grows.

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The Sand Supply The Waves

Sand is food for beaches and The erosive action of a wave is

gives shorelines protection from
the waves. Being starved of
sand can cause higher rates of
erosion.
greatest when the wave is high.
The angle at which they strike a
beach and how much sand they
are carrying can also influence
the rate of erosion.

The Dynamic
Equilibrium is
affected by…

The Sea Level The location of the shoreline

In New Zealand the sea level Shorelines move back and forth
is rising at approximately 15 between storms and their location
cm/100yrs. Climate change can either increase or decrease
may cause this to rise further. erosion rates

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 Storms – a major cause of coastal erosion
Erosion of a beach is often in spurts,
with high rates of erosion occurring
during a storm, and lower rates
occurring in calm periods.
Storms bring:
Image: Richard Vroom
Higher than usual wave heights,
and thus, greater wave energy
Waves containing sand that has
been churned up from the sea
floor, causing them to be more
erosive.
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 These photos show a beach
on the west coast of the
USA.
The top photo shows a cliff
face with a beach below.

October 1997
A year later, after a series of
winter storms, attributed to El
Nino, the beach beneath the
cliffs has all but disappeared.
The natural ‘bank’ of sand has
gone, leaving the cliff more
exposed to erosion.

Images from USGS

April 1998 Right Place Resources

These photos show a part of
the coastline of the state of
Louisiana, USA, that was
affected by Hurricane Katrina
The top image, taken in July
2001, shows narrow sandy
beaches and adjacent overwash
sandflats, low vegetated dunes,
and backbarrier marshes broken
by ponds and channels. The
second image shows the same
location on August 31, 2005, two
days after Hurricane Katrina made
landfall on the Louisiana and
Mississippi coastline. Storm surge
and large waves from Hurricane
Katrina submerged the islands,
stripped sand from the beaches,
and eroded large sections of the
marsh.

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 Coastal Erosion and People
Over 80% of the world’s shorelines are retreating at a rate from centimeters
to meters per year. Many governments, local authorities and individuals
spend large amounts of money protecting their developments from being
washed away by coastal erosion.

Examples of houses affected by

coastal erosion in the United States

Do you know of someone who has property

or land affected by coastal erosion?

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 People versus the Sea: Who wins?

Who do you think

would win the battle
of People versus the
Sea?
Which is more
powerful?

Hold a quick class

survey to see who thinks
A seawall left battered by the July 1978 storm at
the sea will ultimately
Omaha on the east coast of Auckland, New
always win and who
Zealand.
thinks that people can (Image courtesy of NIWA)
tame the sea and control
coastal erosion.
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 Humans: Negative Impact
A poor understanding of how a shoreline works can actually cause human
activity to accelerate the rate of erosion.
Key factors often over-looked are:
 The supply of sand.
 The energy of the waves.
 The natural shape of the coastline.
Human activity can cause these factors to be altered, and this will affect the
dynamic equilibrium of a beach.

Look at these groynes.

They are designed to trap
sand, but in doing so,
they are probably starving
a beach further down the
coast of sand.

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 Accelerating Erosion
Can a man-made structure designed to prevent coastal erosion actually
achieve the opposite and accelerate the rate of erosion?

Example: Wave Energy

When a wave strikes at a beach all
its energy has to go somewhere. If
a large wave in a storm hits a
straight wall, its energy is
concentrated and it can do more
damage, often undermining the
wall.

Study these two diagrams of

coastlines and discuss which one
dissipates wave energy and which
one concentrates wave energy

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Shore protection (a revetment) by massive concrete armour units fronting a resort in Japan.
(Photo: Jess Walker, courtesy of NIWA)

What effect do you think this structure

has? Have you seen something similar?
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 Although hardening of the
shoreline may temporarily protect
property, it often results in beach
loss on chronically eroding shores.

Images: Coastal Lands Program, Hawai’i

In this photo, there was not

enough distance between
the building and the shore,
and people have put sacks
down to try and stabilise
the beach.

Why might some structures work and

others not?
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 Coastal Management

Over the course of history,

humans have interacted with
the coastline in a variety of
ways.

There are three main

approaches to managing
shoreline erosion:

5. Hard Stabilisation What would you spend millions of

6. Soft Stabilisation dollars on protecting from coastal
7. Relocation erosion?
The approach that is
taken can depend on the A housing estate.
cost, how many people A tourism resort.
or properties are A historical Maori Pa site.
affected, and the rate of A golf course.
erosion.

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 1. Hard Stabilisation Methods
This involves holding the shoreline in place
using fixed structures, usually made out of What would
concrete. you do here?

Examples include:
• Sea walls that run parallel to the shoreline and
aim to protect buildings. They often require
maintenance and can look ugly.
• Revetments are sloping walls usually made of
large concrete blocks not cemented together. In
New Zealand they are often big boulders.
• Groynes that run perpendicular to the shoreline
and aim to prevent sand loss and also deflect
wave energy.
• Breakwaters are large concrete structures built
offshore that aim to alter the wave direction and
dissipate wave energy before it reaches the
Image: Coastal Lands Program, Hawai’i
shore.
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 Examples of Hard Stabilisation Methods

Sometimes the
sea just jumps
over the wall!
groyne

Images: Coastal Lands Program, Hawai’i

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 2. Soft Stabilisation
A beach usually erodes because of a lack of sand to protect it. Thus,
soft stabilisation methods involve building up the supply of sand and
protecting it.
Examples include:
• Beach Nourishment: Trucking sand in from one beach to another
• Sand dune stabilisation: Planting grasses and fencing the dunes
• Beach Drainage: This involves lowering the water table that is under the
beach to enable sand to remain on the beach and not be washed away.
Planting marram grass is a
common method of dune
protection.
Can you think of other ways
in which dunes are
protected?

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 3. Relocation
This can be thought of as the “the sea has won” approach, because it
is really saying that people should move out of the way of the sea.
There are advantages and disadvantages:
3. The natural events of coastal erosion are allowed to continue.
4. Money is saved by not doing any construction work.
5. Money is lost by not doing anything, as land is lost and people have to
relocate.

The management and planning of development

along a coastline has a big impact into how a
coastline affects human development.
If councils don’t allow anyone to build within say,
500m of an actively eroding coastline, there will
be less chance of any building being affected. Included in retail version

What do you think the locals would think of this

planning restriction? View this video clip:
“Should they have been
allowed to buildPlace
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 The New Zealand Situation
With over 11 000 km of coastline, New Zealand actually has very little coastal
protection, mostly because there is very little concentrated human development
on the coastline. Most of the ports have some form of protection and some of
the cities, like Auckland, have extensive sea walls. The vast majority of coastal
protection works are done by local and regional councils or by individuals.
This has resulted in a variety of structures all over New Zealand’s coast, often
protecting baches and small coastal settlements. In some cases the structures
are causing erosion to occur.

Image:
Old Tyres University of
used as Waikato,
protection Department
of Earth and
Ocean
Sciences

Think of a beach you visit regularly. Is

there any coastal protection at this beach?

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 Examples from around New Zealand

An example of a seawall that doubles as a

walkway. Visually pleasing and also practical.

Image: Auckland City Council

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Image: R.K. Smith Note the fence out on the right
www.climatechange.govt.nz

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Image: Environment Waikato

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Matapouri Bay, Image: Northland Regional Council

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 If this was your house, what would you do?

Image: Coastal Lands Program, Hawai’i

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 Revision

1. Can you remember the various processes that cause

coastal erosion? How many can you identify?
2. Explain the four factors that make up the dynamic
equilibrium of a beach.
3. Describe how a man-made structure designed to
protect a beach from erosion, could actually cause
erosion to increase.
4. Name the three approaches to coastal management
and give examples for each.
5. Choose one fact or piece of information that you have
learnt from this presentation and explain what it is.

Go back to considering who wins in

“Humans vs the Sea”. What do you think?

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 The Dynamic Coast
We are very grateful for the use of information and
images from the following websites and organisations:
• United States Geological Survey: Center for Coastal
and Watershed Studies; coastal.er.usgs.gov/
• National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research
(NZ): www.niwascience.co.nz
• The Why Files: www.whyfiles.org
• University of Hawai’i Sea Grant College Program

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• Auckland Regional Council: www.arc.govt.nz
• Auckland City Council
• Environment Waikato
• www.climatechange.govt.nz
Resources
• Northland Regional Council Get the rest of the
• Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University
presentations
of Waikato. www.rightplace.sqrl.net
All images are from Wikipedia unless otherwise noted