Geology
How has society responded to coastal changes initiated by sand transportation, and have these responses been wise environmentally and economically?
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.
References
Coastal Zone Management. (n.d.). Coastal and Environmental Services. Retrieved June 27, 2012, from http://www.cesnet.co.za/expertise/czm.htm
Hess, D., & McKnight, T. (2010). Introduction to Earth. In Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation. (10th ed.). (p.
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.
References
Coastal Zone Management. (n.d.). Coastal and Environmental Services. Retrieved June 27, 2012, from http://www.cesnet.co.za/expertise/czm.htm
Hess, D., & McKnight, T. (2010). Introduction to Earth. In Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation. (10th ed.). (p.
References: Morris, J. C. (2009). From Disaster to Lessons Learned: What Went Wrong in the Response to Hurricane Katrina?. Old Dominion University. Retrieved June 27, 2012, from http://www.odu.edu/ao/instadv/quest/DisasterLessons.html Hess, D., & McKnight, T. (2010). Introduction to Earth. In Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation. (10th ed.). (p. 173). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. In preparation for taking your final exam(s) on Wednesday, please consider all of the materials you have covered in this course during modules 4-7 (i.e., discussion questions, text readings, projects, etc). Post at least 1 question that you are unclear of and would like to receive feedback from your instructor on. I was confused with Exercise 30 When calculating the age of volcanic rock on the islands. How do we get the age when using millimeters and the denominator or 4,200,000?