Coastal Erosion in Hawaii
Introduction:
Coastal Erosion is a natural process along the worlds coastlines that occurs through the actions of currents and waves and results in the loss of sediment in some places and accretion in other places. (center for ocean solutions n.d.) Hawaii is one of the most eroded places in the world along the coast. Hawaii is located 4165km West of California and the mainland.
(Map of Hawaii. 2014)
The two main islands that are been worked on the most for coastal erosion
The change of the coastline from 1912 to 2002. From this we can see it went far inland and now is gradually moving out but there still is a lot of work to be done
(Change in Hawaii coastline. 2006.) The main problem with Hawaii’s …show more content…
This is a cause of coastal erosion because of the breaking point and the beach presence. Breaking point is when the waves break at foot of cliffs which causes a higher rate of erosion and beach presence is when sandy beaches absorb less wave energy through friction which also gives a higher rate of erosion.
(Cliffs.2014)
Human causes of Erosion
Housing/Industry
One of the biggest human causes is offshore dredging. In 2000 nearly 4 tonnes was removed in the beaches of Hawaii but concerns that more was illegally dredged closer to shore, increasing steepness of sea bed.
(wave motion. 2005)
Coastal Defences
Hard engineering works at Oahu and Maui in particular and there are gas terminals as well to keep a lower rate of erosion.
Promontory effect: As the coastline retreats on either side of these places it will create a slight headland, which will cause wave retraction and increase lateral (sideways) erosion. It will also act like a groin, inhibiting longshore drift and increasing erosion along the coast.
In this image we see that the longshore drift is occurring which is pushing the coast inwards towards the unprotected side which is on the left of the swerved …show more content…
For the farmers, they lose there farms which mean there land values and profits will go down which can lead into bankruptcy. Many settlements rely on tourism as erosion will lead to the loss of jobs. If the erosion gets too bad, tourists won’t go to the ‘sunny beaches of Hawaii.’ For the people who are growing up in Hawaii there will be a lack of opportunities and shops and services will close down as they won’t be able to sustain viable populations.
Stakeholders
Public
Firstly, the public is affected by coastal erosion. When people think of Hawaii, the first thing that comes to them is the ocean. The people who are living on the coast of Hawaii need the best protection of their housing from the beach eroding and it affecting their houses.
SOEST and Government
The Hawaii government is assisting the Hawaii Coastal Geology Group (SOEST) in decision - making in the coastal zone. By doing this they are providing money to this group who they have trust in to do the right job for the Hawaii coastline. This group and the government have been working closely together for many years now as Hawaii is an island and coastal erosion is a major problem over
Introduction:
Coastal Erosion is a natural process along the worlds coastlines that occurs through the actions of currents and waves and results in the loss of sediment in some places and accretion in other places. (center for ocean solutions n.d.) Hawaii is one of the most eroded places in the world along the coast. Hawaii is located 4165km West of California and the mainland.
(Map of Hawaii. 2014)
The two main islands that are been worked on the most for coastal erosion
The change of the coastline from 1912 to 2002. From this we can see it went far inland and now is gradually moving out but there still is a lot of work to be done
(Change in Hawaii coastline. 2006.) The main problem with Hawaii’s …show more content…
This is a cause of coastal erosion because of the breaking point and the beach presence. Breaking point is when the waves break at foot of cliffs which causes a higher rate of erosion and beach presence is when sandy beaches absorb less wave energy through friction which also gives a higher rate of erosion.
(Cliffs.2014)
Human causes of Erosion
Housing/Industry
One of the biggest human causes is offshore dredging. In 2000 nearly 4 tonnes was removed in the beaches of Hawaii but concerns that more was illegally dredged closer to shore, increasing steepness of sea bed.
(wave motion. 2005)
Coastal Defences
Hard engineering works at Oahu and Maui in particular and there are gas terminals as well to keep a lower rate of erosion.
Promontory effect: As the coastline retreats on either side of these places it will create a slight headland, which will cause wave retraction and increase lateral (sideways) erosion. It will also act like a groin, inhibiting longshore drift and increasing erosion along the coast.
In this image we see that the longshore drift is occurring which is pushing the coast inwards towards the unprotected side which is on the left of the swerved …show more content…
For the farmers, they lose there farms which mean there land values and profits will go down which can lead into bankruptcy. Many settlements rely on tourism as erosion will lead to the loss of jobs. If the erosion gets too bad, tourists won’t go to the ‘sunny beaches of Hawaii.’ For the people who are growing up in Hawaii there will be a lack of opportunities and shops and services will close down as they won’t be able to sustain viable populations.
Stakeholders
Public
Firstly, the public is affected by coastal erosion. When people think of Hawaii, the first thing that comes to them is the ocean. The people who are living on the coast of Hawaii need the best protection of their housing from the beach eroding and it affecting their houses.
SOEST and Government
The Hawaii government is assisting the Hawaii Coastal Geology Group (SOEST) in decision - making in the coastal zone. By doing this they are providing money to this group who they have trust in to do the right job for the Hawaii coastline. This group and the government have been working closely together for many years now as Hawaii is an island and coastal erosion is a major problem over