How Tourism-Related Activities Hasten The Deterioration Of Coastlines?

The environmental impact of tourism on erosion is significant, particularly in delicate ecosystems and arid regions. Increased foot traffic from tourists can accelerate soil erosion, disrupting the natural balance and threatening the features that attract visitors. This study provides an innovative approach for assessing coastal erosion, resulting in important information for decision-making. Research has proven that rapid and uncontrolled primary and economic anthropogenic activities of tourism development in coastal zones have exposed the environment.

Coastal erosion poses a significant threat to both the value created by the tourism industry and the coastal biodiversity. Projected shoreline dynamics are dominated by sea level rise for most sandy beaches, but in certain regions, accretive ambient shoreline changes counteract the erosive trend. Beach nourishment and coastal defense are essential in addressing these challenges.

To deal with this issue, an original theoretical model representing the change in tourism demand for a seaside site affected by coastal erosion due to environmental problems is discussed. Morphological constraints have led to the concentration of settlements along the coast, accelerated by the development of infrastructure and related activities. The reduction in sediment supply and consequent beach erosion is due to the development of tourism resorts and associated activities, such as road widening.

Projected climate change caused by changes in sea level rise, wave circumstances, and storm occurrences will increase erosion rates, exposing the environment to erosion. The extraction of sand and gravel from beaches and seabeds for use in construction and industry can accelerate coastal erosion, causing property loss and damage. Coastal erosion also impacts industries ranging from shipping to tourism, with the most notable effect being the reduction in the width of the beach strip, causing a reduction in the availability of water.

What activities contribute to coastal erosion?

Human activities such as rain, wind, flooding, ocean waves, and glaciers, as well as landslides, deforestation, habitat loss, and agricultural activities, can increase erosion rates 10 to 100 times that of non-human geologic processes. This leads to decreased soil quality and water quality by increasing sediment and pollutants in rivers and streams. Urbanization and concrete paving can also increase erosion. Human structures like coastal harbors and jetties can trap sediments, decreasing erosion while increasing rates on adjacent coastlines.

Damming rivers and extracting water from freshwater ecosystems can also decrease erosion, altering habitats and ecosystems. The rock cycle and global change processes and phenomena are interconnected, highlighting the need for further research on the relationship between erosion rates and other Earth system processes.

How does human activity affect coastlines?

Over half of the U. S. population lives within 50 miles of a shoreline, and communities strive to protect their beach homes and coastal businesses. Humans have attempted to slow or alter the dynamic coastal zone throughout history, causing various anthropogenic changes such as creating inlets, beach nourishment, dunes, dredging waterways, and introducing hard structures. These changes have far-reaching effects on coastal processes and ecosystems. Understanding how human changes alter shoreline environments and park resources is crucial for the protection and preservation of coastal areas.

Variations in sea levels are natural responses to climate change, geodetic variations, and Earth processes. Human actions, such as wetlands drainage, groundwater withdrawal, and deforestation, may contribute to global sea level rise. Human-induced climate change, primarily through fossil fuel burning, is also important. Local changes may be caused by large engineering works nearby.

The National Park Service allows natural coastal processes to continue without interference, but when natural processes interfere with the preservation of cultural resources and park infrastructure, modifications to coastal dynamics may be necessary. Park managers in coastal parks must balance the preservation of historic landmarks with the protection of natural ecosystems. Understanding how anthropogenic modifications will alter shoreline environments and park resources is vital for effective coastal management.

What are 3 factors affecting erosion?

Erosion in landscapes is influenced by various natural factors such as climate, topography, vegetation, and tectonic activity. Climate, including precipitation, wind, and seasonal variability, significantly influences the impact of erosion on a landscape. Topography, the shape of surface features, can also affect erosion. Earthen floodplains in river valleys are more prone to erosion than rocky flood channels, and soft rock like chalk erodes more quickly than hard rocks.

Vegetation can slow erosion by adhering to soil and rock particles, preventing their transport during rainfall or wind events. Trees and shrubs can also limit the impact of mass wasting events like landslides and hurricanes. Deserts, which lack thick vegetation, are often the most eroded landscapes. Tectonic activity shapes the landscape itself, causing one part to rise higher than others. For example, the Colorado River cut deeper into the Colorado Plateau, forming the Grand Canyon.

What are the factors affecting coastal erosion?

The diagram delineates the myriad factors that can precipitate coastal cliff erosion, including but not limited to sea level rise, wave energy, coastal slope, beach width, beach height, and rock strength. The USGS research indicates that the rate of erosion of coastal cliffs from Santa Barbara to San Diego may exceed the historical rate by a factor of two or more by 2100 due to rising sea levels.

What human activities lead to coastal degradation?

The graphic illustrates the considerable environmental impact of twelve human activities, including coastal ecosystem drainage, construction of dykes, dams, seawalls, and mining of wetlands, on estuarine, intertidal wetland, and open ocean ecosystems. It also underscores the detrimental effects of these activities on marine life.

What are the 3 main processes of coastal erosion?

Coastal erosion is the process of coastline being worn away by destructive waves, with different types including abrasion, attrition, and hydraulic action. Hydraulic action occurs when waves hit a coastline, trapping air into cracks and joints on cliff faces. Over time, these cracks grow larger, causing the cliff to splinter away. Changes in air pressure during wave retreats also cause chunks of the cliff face to loosen and fall off. Hydraulic action can also cause large pieces of the cliff face to break away due to the power and force of the waves.

What is the main cause of coastal erosion?

Coastal erosion affects 40 of India’s coastline, with wave energy being the primary cause. Natural hazards like cyclones, thermal expansion of seawater, storm surges, and tsunamis due to climate change hamper natural rhythm and precipitation erosion. Strong littoral drift and sand movement are also major reasons. Dredging, sand mining, and coral mining contribute to sediment deficit, water depth modification, longshore drift, and altered wave refraction.

Fishing harbors and dams in river catchment areas reduce sediment flow from river estuaries. The Bay of Bengal erodes about 89 of the shoreline of Andaman and Nicobar Island, with Goa having the highest percentage of stable shoreline. From 1990 to 2016, 33 of India’s coastline experienced erosion, with most of it along the East Coast facing the Bay of Bengal. West Bengal faced the highest erosion among states along the East Coast.

How does human activity affect the rate of coastal erosion?

Human activities, such as dredging to improve shipping capacities, can amplify wave strength and increase erosion rates along affected coastlines. Lithology, which examines a rock’s physical properties, also significantly influences erosion rates. Hard rocks like granite are erosion-resistant, leading to slower changes in coastlines, while softer rocks like limestone erode faster. The geology of a coastline determines whether it’s concordant or discordant, with concordant coastlines having hard rock layers protecting softer rocks behind. If breached, rapid erosion can occur, forming features like Lulworth Cove.

What are three techniques used to slow coastal erosion?

A brush mattress is a structure made of live cut branches along the slope of an eroding shoreline, secured by a grid of stakes and jute rope, wire, or other material. The branches sprout and take root, stabilizing the shoreline with a dense matrix of roots. Toe protection may be needed to resist scour and undercutting. Live, rootable vegetative cuttings, often willow, are used to revegetate eroding shorelines, tamping into the soil, sprouting, and taking root.

Toe protection may be required in areas where scour is anticipated. Live stakes are suitable for repairing small earth slips and wet slumps and can also be used to stake down erosion control materials. They should be installed during spring or fall when the plant material is dormant. Stakes are 2-3 ft. long and 0. 5-1. 5 inches in diameter, collected from sections or branches of plants from donor sites.

Rooting is most effective when stakes are planted off horizontal in relation to the ground. Stake rooting is most effective when stakes are positioned at an angle off horizontal, allowing rooting to occur more effectively along the entire below-ground length.

How do human activities and nature accelerate coastal processes?

Coastline erosion is caused by natural processes like winds, waves, and currents, as well as human actions like seawall construction, groins, jet ties, and navigation of inlets. These interruptions disrupt physical processes, as per FEMA’s 1997 report. ScienceDirect uses cookies, and all rights are reserved for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. Open access content is licensed under Creative Commons terms.

What is the biggest impact of erosion on coastal areas?

The loss of land due to climate change increases coastal flooding risks, causing damage to buildings, property, agricultural land, and ecology. ScienceDirect uses cookies and acknowledges the use of them. Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B. V., its licensors, and contributors. All rights reserved, including text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. Creative Commons licensing terms apply for open access content.