Discuss the impact(s) of rising sea levels on coastal environments. (15 marks)
Mark scheme
Level 1 (1-6 marks)
Identifies impact/s of sea level increase. May drift into cause or management per se or out of coastal
area. Will focus on limited range – or have many, list-like effects. Points made are simple and
random.
Level 2 (7-12 marks)
Description of impact/s is more specific and precise. Begins to target content to purpose. Begins to
consider impact in an analytical way. Focus is on impact/s and there is some engagement in debate.
Some support is present in an organised account.
Level 3 (13-15 marks)
Description of impact/s is specific and precise. Clearly considers impact in an analytical way. Impact
is to the fore and there is purposeful engagement in debate. Support is present. An organised
account that is purposeful in responding to the question.
The rising sea levels by the process of eustatic rejuvenation which can be melting glaciers which
increase the sea water’s volume, causing it to rise relative to the land.
The impact on the coast is a variety of landforms. First, submergent landforms, where the base level
rises relative to the land. For example Rias, which are submerged river valleys and have gentle valley
slopes and a wide river channel. An example of this is Kingsbridge estuary in Devon, now a popular
sailing point. Another submergent landform is a fiord, which are submerged glacial valleys and the
water in them is often the glacier which created the crater in the land. They have sharply steep sides
and look much like a wide lagoon. An example is the Geirangerfjord in Norway.
As these happened so long ago, man has evolved with them and using them for our own uses, but
had that happened today the impact on our lives would be catastrophic. The British coast is already
experiencing positive eustatic change which has increased the erosion of our cliffs as the sea level is
rising above the natural barrier of the beach – for example weaker rock such as Mappleton’s boulder
clay is eroding at 2m a year and has already lost 32 villages in the documented life of man. As coastal
flooding will continue due to global warming, important coastal cities – our home environment –
such as New Orleans, Cairo, London and Shanghai may be lost. This will impact world politics,
economy and resources – for example the Nile delta relies upon irrigation channels from the coast
and could lose their cotton trade – nearly half of their income.
Conclusively, eustatic change has always occurred and as a sea bound island, Great Britain needs to
act against these negative impacts – as we used to be connected to the Netherlands and France and
eventually we could end up as a collection of landforms.
But it is also important to see the impact on the environment as wildlife habitats are being
threatened such as saltmarsh, home to the Redshank. Therefore as humans, we greatly increase the
global warming threat, it is important to foresee the impacts we will commit on ourselves and the
environment around us. (15)