Geography

Sea Defences and their

Effect
BY DAISY C
 INTRODUCTION

There are many different ways we

try and stop the treacherous sea
from destroying our precious land. In
this slideshow I hope to show you
just exactly how Britain prevents the
threat that the sea brings with every
wave it takes.
 The sea is constantly breaking
down the coastal area along the
whole of Britain.
Although we can never stop the
force completely we can try to
prevent it for as long as possible.
Here are some examples of the
defences along Britain's
coastline….
Groynes – these are the
most popular forms of
defence, they are made
from wooden beams and
are placed along the beach
about 100m apart. They
help keep the beach
together and stop the force
of the waves transporting it
away.

Sea Wall – This is a

great big giant concrete
wall built to stop the sea
hitting and eroding the
land, they are often very
ugly and very expensive,
but they are one of the
most effective forms of
defence
Granite reefs – Are Big Long
strips of granite rocks placed
in the sea to take the energy
of the waves before it hits the
land. They are effective
although they obstruct the
view a little, these beaches are
not very good for surfing.

Beach replenishment – is just

any form of metal or stone
dumped on a beach in huge
bundles to try and protect the
land, one of the cheapest
and least effective defence.
At Happisburgh the towns
people put any of their bricks
or rubbish to try and stop the
incoming sea.
Flood Gate – This is a Metal
Gate which blocks the sea
from flooding the town behind
it. They are not the most
effective and if the water is too
strong it will just flow over the
gate, they provide easy access
to the beach…when they are
open.

Promenades – Not officially a

sea defence they help break
the force of the waves before
reaching the land. They are just
concrete walkways, higher than
the earth. They give easy
access on the beach for
walking and pushchairs.
Ridges are man-made, trucks place
lots of shingle in different sizes of
slopes, the smallest tend to
be nearer the sea and they
get higher further in. These help
to break the force of the
waves but need a lot of maintenance
as the waves push them into different
positions.

Curved backwash walls are just like

sea walls, they are made from
concrete but are not quite as big.
They curve around so that when the
wave hits the wall it just curves
back round. They are quite effective
but tend to be worn down quite
quickly.
Defence cost

Sea wall - £6000 per m.

Beach replenishment - £4500 per m.

Groynes - £5000 each.

Ridges - £3500 per m.

No body realises the effect the sea can
have on our coastline, all round the
UK people are having to abandon
their homes because their houses
are not safe to live in. Here is a place
along the coast that has been eroded
by the sea. The first
picture was
taken in
1949, the
most recent
in 1999.
Over only
50 years the
land has
changed
significantly.
 Quiz time

I will test you on all that you should

have learnt from my slideshow. I
hope you have learnt something
from this, if not, then tough luck.
Which one of these is a defence?

Sea slab
Sea wall
Sea ridge
Sea wave
Sea Wall was the
right answer
Which of these is the correct spelling?

Groin
Groine
Groyn
Groyne
Groyne was the
right answer
How much is Beach replenishment per
m?

£300
£3000
£400
£4500
£4500 was the
right answer
Which (according to me) is the most
effective sea defence?

Sea wall
Gabions
Rock replenishment
Groynes
Sea wall was
correct
I mentioned a town in this slide show,
what was it?

Hertfordshire
Herefordshire
Hampshire
Happisburg
Happisburg was
the place that
dumped all their
rubbish for
protection
How many meters apart were Groynes
placed?

50m
75m
100m
125m
100 meters was
the most
amazingly
correct answer
What is a floodgate made out of?

Wood
Metal
Plastic
Concrete
METAL……
What else…
Now score yourself out of 7
If you got 0-2 you must improve….lots
If you got 2-4 you did ok but still need
to improve
If you got 4-6 you are pretty good but
could do better
If you got 7 why did you bother
watching this.
I hope this has helped you with your CE
revision. Good luck, it really isn't that bad.
Just don’t panic.

Think of it as a normal exam.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!