Specifics of the Problem

By definition, coastal erosion is the loss of shoreline, beach, and/or dune sediments caused by lack of sediment delivered to the coast to balance out the impacts ranging from man-made actions like the damming of rivers, land subsidence from groundwater withdrawal, construction of seawalls, groins and jetties, diversion of rivers and streams, boat wakes and other factors as well as natural processes like storm waves, tidal surges, high winds, and loss of wetlands.

As human settlements and modifications of coastal regions have intensified, so have the problems with coastal erosion. For example, in many Gulf Coast areas such as central Florida, barrier islands like mangrove forests are reduced and homes and businesses are built on top of these inter coastal areas. Also, humans move around sediment and modify coastlines in order to create shipping channels and more space for homes. This also leaves human settlements at risk for natural disaster when hurricanes come through, such as the Katrina tragedy in 2005. 

Several factors determine risk for coastal erosion. Studies have found that tidal range and rate of relative sea level rise are highly significant, which will become an increasingly serious issue as sea level rises with climate change. Speculations about rise in global sea level range between 15-95 cm by 2100. Other important factors include geomorphology, coastal slope gradient, shoreline erosion acceleration rates, and mean wave height (Erosion Hazard Vulnerability Study). This study concludes that long-term decisions to renourish or engineer a coastline may be the single determining factor in how that particular coastal settlement evolves. 

As mentioned above, anthropogenic effects are also important, though not noted in this study. Humans often alter coastline for their own personal use, leaving themselves vulnerable to all of the risks noted above. 

The consequences that will arise from Coastal erosion are that people and ecosystems will be greatly affected. It affects the environment because wetlands and coasts are being destroyed by sediment depletion and storms. Without the sediment that usually contains minerals that the plant life need, they start to disappear. Many marshes become converted to open-water bodies, which can undergo a complete transformation in less than 40 years, showing the immediate gravity of this issue. 

Undoubtedly, great consequences will arise from coastal erosion as people and ecosystems will be increasingly affected. This growing problem affects the environment because wetlands and coasts are being destroyed by sediment depletion and storms. Without the sediment that usually contains minerals that the plant life need, gradually aquatic and semiaquatic plant life like mangroves and sea oats will start to disappear. 

Other coastal wildlife is affected as well; animals such as birds, fish and deer that live up and down the coastline. As the land retreats, the deer will be forced to move closer to more densely populated areas. Additionally, many species of fish use the wetlands as nurseries, and birds use this area to nest repopulate as well. Coastal erosion affects these populations because many of these species rely on the coastline ecosystem at their various stages of life, as well as people who live near the coast. This erosion losing the wetlands will greatly affect humans socially and economically because these states near The Gulf, especially Louisiana (which provides 30% of the nations fish), rely on the population of fish for income. With decreased aquatic habitat, the Gulf of Mexico's fishing industry will suffer. Therefore as these wetlands disappear, the fish population lowers, the fish industry is hit by hard times, and the economy becomes affected. There will be loss of jobs and prices for fish will rise. 

One of the co-writers of this blog, Bailey Rosen, undertook her own research on coastal erosion by investigating the presence of coquina shells, an indicator of intertidal zone health, at increasing distances away from coastal erosion reconstruction projects on the St. Petersburg beaches on the Gulf Coast of central Florida. The results showed that there were no coquinas found on Upham or St. Pete Beaches where coastal erosion was having great effects on the ecosystem and restoration practices (huge sand bags below) were underway. The further away from the erosion and restoration, the more coquinas found, indicating a healthier ecosystem. 

Table 3.2 – T Test using data from Table 3.0

Null Hypothesis: There is no statistical difference between the amount of coquina clams in each location. 

	St. Pete Beach	Upham Beach	Madeira Beach	Redington Beach
	0	0	173	498
	0	0	208	236	0.174677388
	0	0	191	742
N=	3	3	3	3
Average=	0	0	191	492
StDev=	0	0	14	207