Earth And Life Science Quarter 1

Notes
Throughout the world, there are more than three billion
people living within
200 km near the coastlines. Coastal areas refers to the land and sea areas bordering

the shoreline. It comprises the natural boundary between the land and ocean which

may include the beach, dunes, mangroves, estuary, delta, or lagoon, among others.

As an archipelago located in the tropics, the Philippines is particularly susceptible to

coastal hazards. Coastal processes, such as waves, tides, sea level changes, crustal

movement, and storm surges will result to coastal erosion, submersion, and

saltwater intrusion.

Coastal erosion is the wearing down of the coastlines by the movement of wind

and water. It is not a constant process; instead, the rate of erosions depends on the

other events such as cyclones. When cyclones occur along coastal areas, the winds

and waves carry the sediments away from the shoreline. Shorelines play an

important role to society. Historically, these are areas where cradle of civilization

usually begin due to the ease of transportation, fishing and tourism. Therefore,

preventing coastal erosion is utmost priority. There are three main classifications of

stabilizing the shoreline: hard stabilization, soft stabilization, and retreat.

1. Hard stabilization is done by building structures that will slow down the erosion

on areas that are prone to erosion. Examples of hard stabilization structures are

jetties, sea walls, and breakwaters. Though they may slow down the erosion in one

area, it may hasten the erosion in other areas.

2. Soft-stabilization includes the process of beach nourishment, wherein sand from

an offshore location is brought to an area with a receding shoreline. It does not make

use of structures like one used in hard stabilization.

3. Retreat is the option taken by the residents near areas where coastal erosion is

already severe. At this point, the authorities no longer attempt to save the shoreline

but rather limit the amount of human interference in the area.

Coastal erosion happens because of the interaction of the wind and waves on

the shoreline. Submersion, on the other hand, happens because of the changes in

the sea level, specifically, when it rises dangerously above the normal level. This is

all due to the increase in the global temperature, which in turn, melts the glacial

deposits and increases the overall sea level. Another factor that may cause

submersion is the vertical movement of the plates. Landmasses can be uplifted,

which can also cause changes in the sea level. It can also be caused by tsunamis

and storm surges. Submersion will most likely occur in reclaimed lands. These are

the areas that were originally part of oceans, riverbeds, or lakebeds. They are lowlying
flatlands, so even a small rise in sea level can cause great damage on the land.

To prevent this from happening not only in the reclaimed areas but also in coastal

areas, a hard stabilization is used. Sea walls are built along the coastline to protect

the land from being easily flooded. Aside from sea walls, dikes can also help prevet

flooding. The government can also upgrade the infrastructures built in coastal areas,

regenerate mangroves or relocate the people.

In coastal areas where there is an interaction between saltwater and fresh

water, salt water intrusion is one of the hazards that are evident in that area.

Saltwater intrusion is the movement of saltwater into the freshwater aquifer. The

natural flow is that the freshwater, which is less dense, moves towards the dense

saltwater. But if the freshwater is being withdrawn faster than it is being

replenished, then there will be a change in pressure and saltwater intrusion will
occur. However, when the demand intrusion is greater than the natural recharge

rate of the aquifer, the rate of saltwater intrusion increases, leading to the depletion

of usable groundwater. There are few ways of preventing saltwater intrusion. One

is to stop using the well where freshwater has been depleted and let the water

replenish through the water cycle. The other method is to build two wells: a pumping

well built farther inland and an injection well built closer to the coast. Using the

injection well, freshwater is pumped into the aquifer to prevent the saltwater from

intruding.

Module 18

Coastal zone – is the part of the land influenced by the sea together with the

adjacent part of the sea influenced by the land. From an ecological perspective,

there should be no fixed boundary since the influencing factors will have varying

strengths depending on the location or season.

Important Impacts of Development in the Coastal Areas

All development from housing to large scale industrial sites welcome environment

and socioeconomic impact and should be subject to some type of environmental

review.

Major Impacts:

1. Destruction of habitat and loss, activities such as reclamation projects,

conversion of mangroves to fishponds, clear cutting of forested areas and large

scale industrial and urban development result in waste streams that will eventually

reach the sea and cause degradation of coastal habitats.

2. Declines in Biodiversity and disruption of ecosystem Function. Conversion

of mangroves to fishponds results in a loss of nursery habitat for fish and can

cause declines in productivity of fisheries.

3. Coastal and marine pollution, chemical waste, sediments and nutrients

cause adverse impacts to human health and the environment. Industries, housing

settlements and hotels/resorts not equipped with septic tanks or sewage

treatment plants results in runoff of nutrients and pathogens to the sea that

severely degrade coral reefs and sea grass habitats and endangers human health.

The Joint Group of Experts on Scientific Aspects of Marine Pollution (GESAMP), an

advisory group to the United Nations, periodically assesses the problems of the

world ocean. In their most recent report (GESAMP, 2018) they pointed out that

while human fingerprints are found throughout the world ocean, the open ocean is

still relatively clean. However, there are serious problems in the coastal ocean.

GESAMP (2018) summarized the major problems of the world ocean as;

nutrient contamination;

microbial contamination of seafood;

disposal of debris (particularly plastic debris);

trace contaminants such as lead, cadmium, and mercury when discharged

in high concentrations;

occurrence of synthetic organic compounds in sediments and in predators at

the top of the marine food chain; and

•

oil in marine systems, mainly the global impact of tar bails on beaches and

the effects of spills in local sheltered areas.

There are other environmental impacts of discharging raw or improperly treated

sewage into coastal waters, particularly into bays, estuaries, and lagoons. The

added nutrients can produce eutrophic conditions leading to loss of submerged

aquatic vegetation; to shifts in plankton assemblages; to degradation of coral reefs;

and, in the extreme, to hypoxic or even to anoxic conditions. The most popular

beaches and coastal environments and the tourists they attract are increasingly at

risk.