Aims: 1. To describe and account for the distribution of pollution/ erosion. 2.

To evaluate the effectiveness of current management practices in limiting pollution/ erosion.

Your Research should address: i. Location- exact, latitude, longitude y Located 18km north-east of CBD y 3346'19.67"S and 15117'23.71"E y In Warringah Council Area ii. Why it is there (land uses) The beach is used mainly for recreational purposes, including: y Swimming y Surfing y Kite flying y Picnicking y Running/Walking Good swimming and body boarding conditions in north end. Good surfing in front of and south of the lagoon. Best in north easterly winds. The beach can also be used for scientific and geographical research, including the study of marine life, human impacts on the beach and global warming. iii. How it formed (geographical processes) The beach has been formed over a long time, roughly 6000 years, through the processes of erosion and deposition. Erosion also creates cliffs, rock platforms, headlands, blowholes and stacks. In places sheltered from strong wind, deposition forms features such as beaches, dunes and lagoons. Deep rip gutters are found right along the beach, with the largest running out past the southern rock pool. Good easily accessible shore platforms are located at either end and are popular, though potentially hazardous spots. Exposed energetic 1.2 km long beach, backed originally by large dunes. Northern dunes were partly removed during WW2 then used as a tip and finally returned to a somewhat natural state in the 1980s. Beach is bordered by 50m high Dee Why Head and the lower sandstone rocks at South Curl Curl. Each headland borders a permanent rip, while the waves maintain a single bar usually cut by five beach rips. It faces east-southeast and receives southerly swells with waves averaging 1.6 metres. Commonly regarded as Sydney's most dangerous beach. Its most noticeable hazard is the infamous Garbage Bowl, the permanent southern rip which runs out into the swell and over rock creating a rough side seaward. iv. How it has changed over time Scientists have concurred that the beaches have been relatively similar for the past 6000 years, since the ocean became the same level as it is today. Although, the beach is constantly changing in small ways as erosion and deposition are currently having an effect on the beaches depending on tides, wind patterns and rips and currents. These days, humans pose the greatest threat to beaches through pollution, over development and global warming. v. How people affect it People pose one of the greatest threats that the natural ecosystem of beaches have to face. Through overdevelopment, humans have destroyed the sand dunes at Curl Curl, resulting in erosion and deposition of the remaining sand. vi. How people are effected by it vii. What is being done to address the issue

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To help the beach recuperate from the loss of normal dunes and amounts of sand lost, sand is regularly dumped on the beach, but most is washed away or moved through Suggest future strategies for sustainability Construction techniques: Groynes Groynes are wooden, concrete and/or rock barriers or walls perpendicular to the sea. Beach material builds up on the downdrift side, creating a wider and a more plentiful beach. However, there is a corresponding loss of beach material on the updrift side, requiring that another groyne to be built there. Moreover, groynes do not protect the beach against storm-driven waves and if placed too close together will create currents, which will carry sand material offshore. Groynes are extremely cost-effective coastal defence measures, requiring little maintenance, and are one of the most common coastal defence structures. However, groynes are increasingly viewed as detrimental to the aesthetics of the coastline, and face strong opposition in many coastal communities. Sea walls Walls of concrete or rock, built at the base of a cliff or at the back of a beach, or used to protect a settlement against erosion or flooding. They are usually about 35 metres high. Modern seawalls aim to re-direct most of the incident energy, resulting in low reflected waves and much reduced turbulence and thus take the form of sloping revetments. Revetments Wooden slanted or upright blockades, built parallel to the sea on the coast, usually towards the back of the beach to protect the cliff or settlement beyond. The most basic revetments consist of timber slants with a possible rock infill. Waves break against the revetments, which dissipate and absorb the energy. The cliff base is protected by the beach material held behind the barriers, as the revetments trap some of the material. Most revetments do not significantly interfere with transport of longshore drift. Rock armour Also known as riprap, rock armour is large rocks piled or placed at the foot of dunes or cliffs with native stones of the beach. This is generally used in areas prone to erosion to absorb the wave energy and hold beach material. Although effective, this solution is unpopular due to the fact that it is unsightly. Also, longshore drift is not hindered. Rock armour has a limited lifespan, it is not effective in storm conditions, and it reduces the recreational value of a beach. Offshore breakwater Enormous concrete blocks and natural boulders are sunk offshore to alter wave direction and to filter the energy of waves and tides. The waves break further offshore and therefore reduce their erosive power. This leads to wider beaches, which absorb the reduced wave energy, protecting cliff and settlements behind. Soft Engineering methods: Beach nourishment Beach nourishment or replenishment is one of the most popular soft engineering techniques of coastal defence management schemes. This involves importing alien sand off the beach and piling it on top of the existing sand. The imported sand must be of a similar quality to the existing beach material so it can integrate with the natural processes occurring there, without causing any adverse effects. Beach nourishment can be used alongside the groyne schemes.

Sand dune stabilization Vegetation can be used to encourage dune growth by trapping and stabilising blown sand. Planning approaches There are five generic strategies for coastal defence: y inaction leading to eventual abandonment Managed retreat or realignment, which plans for retreat and adopts engineering solutions that recognise natural processes of adjustment, and identifies a new line of defence where to construct new defences y Hold the line, shoreline protection, whereby seawalls are constructed around the coastlines y Move seawards, by constructing new defenses seaward the original ones y Limited intervention, accommodation, by which adjustments are made to be able to cope with inundation, raising coastal land and buildings vertically The decision to choose a strategy is site-specific, depending on pattern of relative sea-level change, geographical setting, sediment availability and erosion, as well a series of social, economic and political factors.
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GPT (Gross Pollutant Trap) Test 1 Phosphate 2 pH 3 Nitrate 4 Turbidity 5 Dissolved O2 20 ppm 80 jtu 2 ppm Result 2 ppm Rank good 8 good very poor poor poor

The testing was supposed to be repeated at North Curl Curl Lagoon; but due to the weather we were unable to complete these tests at the site. However, due to the location of the site and the close proximity to the ocean, it is assumed that the tests would prove a cleaner water quality. Management Strategies: Soft Signs Lifeguards Fines Beach Cleaning/ Nourishment Zoning to stop residential buildings Hard Drains/ Canals Fences to keep people off dunes Car park Wood planks and chains Concrete walkways

Around the GPT, the land used to be mangroves/ wetlands, but these were filled in to be softball and netball fields. This causes a lot of Nitrogen to enter into the environment, through the runoff from fertilizers used on the fields.