Causes of Shoreline Erosion
Big Bags USA® flood barrier systems can be used in a variety of flood & water control situations. From flood control to coastal erosion and slope stabilization, our barrier systems provide an easy, cost effective solution. With the recent coastal flooding, coastal erosion and slope stabilization have been top of mind. The causes of shoreline erosion can be grouped into the following categories: terrestrial forces, aquatic forces and human activities. Let's take a look at each type!
Terrestrial forces erode shorelines and carry material to beaches. While these types of erosion are natural processes, human activities can be a contributing cause. Generally, these types of erosion occur on banks and unconsolidated shorelines with no vegetation. These terrestrial forces include:
Aquatic forces remove material from the beach, as well as the bank during high lake levels and often remove material from one area and deposit it elsewhere.
Human activities can cause or increase soil erosion. While erosion is a natural process, human influences can contribute significantly to increases in sedimentation and runoff.
Areas concerned about coastal erosion can use Big Bags USA® as berm barriers and tidal breaks. Existing sand from the coastal fronts can be used to fill the sandbags, providing even more savings while eliminating further sediment deposits. In the event that slope stabilization is needed, Big Bags USA® sandbag barriers' heavy duty textile weave makes them a great choice. Land slide control and falling rock protection requires strong protection methods. For more information on our products and the services they can provide, give us a call at 800-337-0537.
Terrestrial Forces
Terrestrial forces erode shorelines and carry material to beaches. While these types of erosion are natural processes, human activities can be a contributing cause. Generally, these types of erosion occur on banks and unconsolidated shorelines with no vegetation. These terrestrial forces include:
- Slumping - the downward movement of a mass of unconsolidated material moving as a unit, commonly caused by groundwater that exerts outward pressure on soil particles, causing the formation of a drainage area and creating a landslide.
- Sliding - the movement of soil or rock, similar to slumping, that is caused mainly by groundwater, but occurs less frequently than slumping.
- Soil Creep - the gradual downhill movement of soil and loose rock material on a slope, only involving soil erosion, not landslides. Gravity combined with an aquatic force is a typical cause.
- Frost Action - generally occurring in poorly drained soils such as clay, frost action often results in the development of heaves or depressions.
- Wind Erosion - banks and shorelines composed of fine, dry soil are prone to wind erosion. The amount of rainfall an area receives has a direct effect on wind erosion. Wind breaks such as trees, shrubs, sedges and grasses will slow down the rate at which wind erosion occurs.
Aquatic Forces
Aquatic forces remove material from the beach, as well as the bank during high lake levels and often remove material from one area and deposit it elsewhere.
- Raindrop Splash - during a heavy storm, when raindrops hit directly on exposed soil, a significant amount of that soil can be splashed up in the air. While steeper slopes have more severe results, this occurs on both level and steep banks.
- Sheet Erosion - storm water flow that occurs in sheets, removing thin layers of soil from sloping land. This tends to be less severe than raindrop splash and the extent of this type of erosion is dependent on the depth and velocity of runoff and the given size and shape of a slope.
- Rilling - when soil is removed in very small, but well defined channels or streamlets where there is a concentration of overland water flow. It is one of the most common types of rainfall erosion losses and is most severe at sites that have a combination of steep slopes and loose unconsolidated materials.
- Gullying - the removal of soil by intermittent larger diameter stream channels. while the amount of soil eroded by gullies is not as great as that from rilling, gullies are more difficult to fix and prevent.
- Wave Action - the impact of waves hitting directly on exposed soil. The extent of this type of erosion depends greatly on the bank slope, vegetation, and bank composition. Natural beaches serve as buffers for the bank, absorbing some of the wave action before it hits the bank. This type of erosion typically occurs during high water, when beaches are completely submerged in water and the bank is exposed.
- Longshore Drift - when waves strike the shoreline at an angle, moving shoreline material from one location to another. It is an essential, natural process in beach formation and resupply. The effects are often made worse though by deflectors or structures which redirect wave energy, causing erosion elsewhere.
- Ice Push - during the winter months, when lakes are partially frozen, ice that begins to melt may push, destroy or lift objects, particularly when aided by wind and rising water levels. Often times ice is pushed ashore in blocks or sheets that pile up and erode the shoreline.
- Storms - storms can accelerate the loss of soil due to aquatic and terrestrial forces. Shoreline vegetation is often lost each year due to heavy storms.
Human Activities
Human activities can cause or increase soil erosion. While erosion is a natural process, human influences can contribute significantly to increases in sedimentation and runoff.
- Clearing of Natural Vegetation - many landowners remove live, natural vegetation to expand their view or increase recreational areas. This destroys the roots of the plants that provide significant stabilization to a bank or shoreline.
- Stormwater Runoff - driveways, buildings, roofs, drainage ditches, berms and common stormwater collection methods increase the velocity and energy of stormwater, which if directed down a slope or bank, can cause rilling or gullying.
- Agriculture - plowing, irrigation, drainage ditches and grazing can all modify the rate of erosion. Water runoff from agricultural land is the greatest in spring when snow is melting and the soil is saturated.
- Urbanization - beaches modified for personal use or land that is cleared for housing or roadways increase the opportunity for soil erosion. Development of housing uphill of a bank can result in increased stormwater runoff over the bank.
The Big Bags USA® Solution
Areas concerned about coastal erosion can use Big Bags USA® as berm barriers and tidal breaks. Existing sand from the coastal fronts can be used to fill the sandbags, providing even more savings while eliminating further sediment deposits. In the event that slope stabilization is needed, Big Bags USA® sandbag barriers' heavy duty textile weave makes them a great choice. Land slide control and falling rock protection requires strong protection methods. For more information on our products and the services they can provide, give us a call at 800-337-0537.
If you have an immediate need for our systems, or have any questions for us, please Call us Toll Free at 1-800-337-0537 or visit www.BigBagsUSA.com.
If you have an immediate need for our systems, or have any questions for us, please Call us Toll Free at 1-800-337-0537 or visit www.BigBagsUSA.com.
.png)
Comments
Post a Comment