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Unlock This CourseAround the world, about four in every ten people live within roughly 100 kilometres of the coast. That is a huge number. People are drawn to the coast because it offers many chances to earn a living and to live well. But the coast can also be a dangerous place. Good answers in the exam show both sides.
Opportunities and hazards work here just as they did for people living near rivers.
Ships carry most of the world's goods. Ports need deep, sheltered water. Rotterdam in the Netherlands is one of the biggest ports in Europe, and Singapore in Asia is one of the busiest in the world. Ports bring trade, factories and many jobs.
The sea gives food and work. The cold coastal waters off Peru in South America are among the richest fishing areas in the world. Fish are caught, landed, processed and sold, so one boat supports many other jobs.
Beaches, warm sun and sea views attract visitors. The Gold Coast in Australia and the beaches of Bali in Indonesia are popular examples. Tourists spend money in hotels, cafes, shops and on trips, which creates jobs for local people.
Coastal lowlands are flat, so they are cheap and easy to build on. Many ports and airports use them. Flat land with fertile soil is also good for farming. Rice is grown on the low coastal plains of Vietnam, for example.
Coasts are windy, so wind farms are built offshore, for example in the North Sea off the UK and Denmark. The rise and fall of the tide can also turn turbines. The La Rance tidal power station in France opened in 1966.
The sea heats up and cools down slowly. This keeps coastal places cooler in summer and warmer in winter than places far inland, so the weather is less extreme.
Jobs come from every one of these: dock workers, fishers, hotel staff, builders, engineers and farmers. More jobs mean more income and more people moving in.
Many of the world's largest cities are ports, such as Tokyo, New York, Shanghai, Lagos in Nigeria and Sydney. A coastal site gave them a harbour for trade and flat land to build on. Trade brought jobs, jobs brought people, and the city grew. Today a coastal city can also use its port to bring in food and raw materials and to send out goods.
The coast is a meeting place of land and sea, so it is changing all the time. These changes can put people at risk.
| Hazard | What it is | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal erosion and cliff collapse | Waves wear away the land. Weakened cliffs fall into the sea. | Homes, roads and farmland are lost. The Holderness coast in eastern England loses about 2 metres a year on average. |
| Coastal flooding and storm surges | The sea rises over the land. A storm surge is a rise in sea level caused by low air pressure and strong winds pushing water onshore. | People drown, and homes and crops are damaged. A storm surge in 1953 flooded the North Sea coasts of the Netherlands and eastern England, and more than 2,000 people died. |
| Tsunamis | Huge waves caused by an earthquake under the sea. | They hit with little warning. The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 killed more than 200,000 people in several Asian countries. |
| Rising sea levels | The sea level slowly gets higher. | Low-lying land floods more often. Small islands such as Tuvalu in the Pacific are at risk. |
| Tropical storms | Powerful spinning storms with strong winds and heavy rain. | They damage coasts in hot parts of the world and cause surges. |
You only need to name tsunamis and tropical storms here. They are taught in more detail in the lessons on earthquakes and on tropical storms.
Opportunities and hazards often sit in the same place. The flat land that is easy to build on is also the land that floods first. A beach that brings tourists may be eroding. Some people accept the risk because the jobs and income are worth it. Others are forced to live there because they cannot afford to move.
Fig. 1.1 describes Kessing, a made-up coastal town. It has a busy port, a small fishing fleet and two large hotels. It is built on low, flat land. Some of its cliff-top houses have been lost to the sea. Last winter a storm surge flooded the town centre.
(a) Give two opportunities of living in a coastal town such as Kessing. [2 marks]
(b) Explain how a storm surge can cause coastal flooding. [3 marks]
(c) To what extent do the hazards outweigh the opportunities of living near the coast? [6 marks]
(a) Any two from: trade through the port (1); fishing for food and work (1); tourism (1); flat land to build on (1); jobs (1).
(b) Low air pressure and strong winds push the sea towards the land (1). This makes the sea level rise higher than normal (1). The water flows over the low coast and floods homes and streets (1).
(c) Level 3 (5-6 marks): a balanced, developed answer with a clear judgement. For example: Opportunities such as a port, fishing and tourism give many people jobs and income, and flat land makes building cheap. However, hazards such as flooding from storm surges can kill people and damage homes and businesses, and erosion can destroy houses on cliffs. In a rich country, people can afford warnings and protection, so the opportunities may outweigh the hazards. In a poorer country, the hazards may be more serious because people cannot afford to move away or rebuild. Overall, I think the opportunities outweigh the hazards for most people, because the jobs and income are what let them live there, but the hazards can be severe in a big storm.
Level 2 (3-4 marks): some points on both sides, but little explanation or no judgement, for example: The port gives jobs and tourists come, but the sea can flood and erode the cliffs.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): a simple idea only, for example: The coast has beaches but it can flood.
In "to what extent" questions, give points for both sides, then finish with a clear judgement. Use words such as "however" and "overall".