Author Question: What human activities happening tens or hundreds of kilometers from a coast can still end up ... (Read 20 times)

iveyjurea

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 555
What human activities happening tens or hundreds of kilometers from a coast can still end up affecting the shoreline sediment budget?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Describe how construction of groins and jetties affect adjacent beaches.
 
  What will be an ideal response?



mjbamaung

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 343
Answer to Question 1

Land use in the drainage basin of a stream that delivers sediment to the coast will affect the shoreline sediment budget. Agriculture, mining, timber harvesting, or urbanization typically increase sediment loads to streams so that there are potential gains in the shoreline sediment budget. This effect is counteracted, however, where dams trap sediment in reservoirs and decrease the shoreline sediment budget compared to natural conditions. Increases in sediment budget tend to cause enlargement of beaches whereas decreases cause loss of beaches by wave and current erosion.

Answer to Question 2

Groins are walls built perpendicular to the shoreline to trap sediment being moved by longshore current, which widens the beach on the up-current of the groin. Sediment supply down-current of the groin is reduced, so erosion in this area is accelerated. Jetties function in the same way, but stabilize the location of an inlet. Beaches up-current of a jetty accumulate sediment whereas those down-current of the jetty are sediment-starved and subject to wave and current erosion.



Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question
 

Did you know?

Bacteria have flourished on the earth for over three billion years. They were the first life forms on the planet.

Did you know?

Lower drug doses for elderly patients should be used first, with titrations of the dose as tolerated to prevent unwanted drug-related pharmacodynamic effects.

Did you know?

Blastomycosis is often misdiagnosed, resulting in tragic outcomes. It is caused by a fungus living in moist soil, in wooded areas of the United States and Canada. If inhaled, the fungus can cause mild breathing problems that may worsen and cause serious illness and even death.

Did you know?

Chronic marijuana use can damage the white blood cells and reduce the immune system's ability to respond to disease by as much as 40%. Without a strong immune system, the body is vulnerable to all kinds of degenerative and infectious diseases.

Did you know?

In the United States, congenital cytomegalovirus causes one child to become disabled almost every hour. CMV is the leading preventable viral cause of development disability in newborns. These disabilities include hearing or vision loss, and cerebral palsy.

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library