Sea Level Rise in Cornwall


Synopsis
This essay will be exploring two main aspects of the same issue that of sea level rise and the appropriate management techniques.

Firstly how will sea level rise potentially impact the Cornish coastline on a practical level, taking into account, both human and wildlife populations. Using the estimated amounts of sea level rise and projected maps for the future from Cornwall county council as well as information laid out in two IPCC reports as the main resources. Impacts upon already vulnerable and unstable coastal areas prone to coastal erosion and estuarine and low lying environments prone to flooding will be explored.

Secondly this essay will discuss the challenges of shoreline management and the different solutions available to help combat pressing issues such as coastal erosion; this discussion will cover both positive and negative aspects of the debate.
Solutions such as;
sea walls,
groynes,
jetties,
boulders,
offshore bars,
breakwaters and
artificial reefs,

How do they work? In what sort of situations would they be viable, where have they already been used successfully in Cornwall, why they can be unsustainable?
How do our ever moving seas and currents complicate the issue, for example longshore drift.
The importance of all these issues and the possibilities of using a holistic approach, such a planned retreat, are all matters that will be explored.

Abstract
As the British public look to the future it is becoming ever apparent that issues connected to climate change are not going to disappear overnight. The impending threat of sea level rise (SLR) is of particular concern to all those who live on the coast, which in Cornwall will effect the vast majority of the population as approximately only 10 miles of the Cornish boarder is connected to the mainland, this geographical fact coupled with the southern climate makes Cornwall not only a desirable place to live but one of the most popular holiday destinations in the United kingdom. So what are the experts predicting? How will sea level rise affect Cornwall?


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