Daniel Akill-Attieh's Blog | 393: COASTAL EROSION AND SAND MINING I

Dear Readers and Fellow-Apes; 2008 was a Murky and Hapless Year! Let us hope that 2009 does not turn out to be even More Murky and Hapless!

I intentionally did not wish you a Merry Christmas, because Christmas is another story for another Posting at another time; and I do not wish you a Happy New Year, since I believe that ONLY FOOLS ARE, OR CAN BE, HAPPY ALL YEAR ROUND. I do, however, wish all of you A GOOD YEAR! With a little Good in one's life, one can be a little happy, which is all one can ask for in one's short sweet dream one calls a life-time. BY GOD AND SATAN!

A Jack of many trades and master of all; I am honest to the core and I hate lies, deceits, pretensions, hypocrisy, treachery, betrayal, and stoic compliance; and I despise – and actually pity – Human-Apes who follow-the-herd-or-pack

I expose and reveal the lies, deceits, pretensions, hypocrisy, treachery, betrayal, and blind, deaf, and stoic compliance, and Human-Apes who follow-the-herd-or-pack; I tell or write the truth; and I say what I mean and mean what I say

I fear nothing; least of all, death

If I must fear anything at all in life, then let me fear what I think and know of myself; because, in the end, one’s knowledge and opinion of oneself is what counts most. All the world may think and believe one is such and such, but one knows one is such and such. Also, I like to look in the mirror and like what I see and know about me.

I invite comments, remarks, criticisms, and even insults – so long as they are straight to the point, in order for me to correct or adjust myself accordingly. What I do not welcome and won’t accept or tolerate is HORSE-SHIT!

Dear readers and felow-Apes; with every page, every report or article, every paragraph, every sentence, every word, and every letter; I thank you for taking the trouble and the time to read My Not-So-Humble Comments.

« Previous Post Next Post »

393: COASTAL EROSION AND SAND MINING I – Making way, and making it easier

05 October, 2008

COASTAL EROSION AND SAND MINING I – Making way, and making it easier

The following gleaned from: Internet/Geography

Wave Actions

The size of a wave depends on its fetch. The fetch is the distance a wave travels; the greater the fetch, the larger the wave. Wind also has a significant effect on the size of waves; the stronger the wind the larger the wave. As the wave approaches the beach, it slows down. This is the result of friction between the water and the beach and this causes the wave to break.

There are two main types of wave: Constructive and Destructive

Constructive waves build beaches. Each wave is low, and as the wave breaks it carries material up the beach in its wash. The beach material will then be deposited as the back-wash soaks into the sand or slowly drains away. These waves are most common in summer.

Destructive waves destroy beaches. The waves are usually very high and very frequent. The back-wash has less time to soak into the sand, and as waves continue to hit the beach there is more running water to transport the material out to sea. These waves are most common in winter.

Coastal Erosion

There are four main processes which cause coastal erosion. These are erosion-abrasion, hydraulic action, attrition and corrosion.

Erosion/abrasion is when waves pick up beach material (pebbles) and hurl them at the bases of cliffs. The cliffs are eroded by abrasion – abrasive friction.

Hydraulic action is when waves hit the base of a cliff air is compressed into cracks; and when the wave retreats, the air rushes out of the gap. This causes cliff material to break away.

Attrition is when waves cause rocks and pebbles to bump into each other and break up – Daniel: This reminds me of Israel and the Palestinians. Destruction and Extinction by Mutual Agreement and Action, You break me, I break you; and so it goes until we both end up broken. Meanwhile, the Arabs, especially, send the Palestinians money and weapons, and the West sends Israel weapons; then they sit back and laugh and enjoy the show.

Corrosion is when certain types of cliff erode as a result of weak acids in the sea.

Ingenta/Connect 1^st June 1997

Sand mining is a type of open-cast mining that provides material for the construction sector in Ghana. The construction sector in the coastal areas of Ghana relies heavily on coastal sand and pebbles in building houses, bridges, and roads. Its contribution to Ghana's industrial output has increased from 17.4% in 1986 to 20.8% in 1993. However, the process of sand mining has accelerated coastal environmental degradation to an alarming rate in many areas. As a result the government has been compelled to spend millions of dollars to combat sea erosion. This paper examines the causes and effects of coastal sand-mining in three communities in the Ahanta West District of Ghana. It argues that coastal sand needs to be exploited to satisfy human demands but this requires efficient and effective resource management to ensure sustainable development. It also calls for a concerted effort by policy makers, sand contractors, engineers, traditional rulers and local residents to find a solution to the coastal environmental crisis………

Friends of the World’s Waters – Oceans, Seas, Lakes, Rivers, and Streams

Mining the sea sand

An application for resource consent by Kaipara, Auckland/New Zealand, Excavators to mine large quantities of sea-sand over a vast area of sea bottom, during a projected period of over 30 years, raised grave concern with government administrators and local communities. What were the environmental consequences of that unproven method of excavation, and how could reasonable limits be drawn to protect benthic life, beaches, and dunes? This article aims to provide insight into the problems involved, and suggest reasonable but secure limits to the operation. Although the situation might seem to be specific, much of it applies to too many other places in the world, if not all over the world; making this chapter suitable for studies of resource management.

Benthic: of ocean, sea, and lake bottom. Relating to or characteristic of the bottom of an ocean, a sea, a lake, or a deep river; and the animals and plants that live there.

Sand-mining is a practice that has become an ecological problem as the demand for sand increases in industry and construction. Sand is mined from beaches and inland dunes and dredged from ocean beds and river beds. It is often used in manufacturing as an abrasive, for example, and it is used to make concrete. As communities grow, construction requires less wood and more concrete; leading to a demand for low-cost sand. Sand is also used to replace eroded coastline – Daniel: JEEZ! This is digging holes to cover holes!

A related process is the mining of mineral sands and mineral deposits which contain useful industrial minerals such as diamonds, gold, and silver. These minerals typically occur combined with ordinary sand. The sand is dug up, the valuable minerals are separated in water by using their different densities, and the remaining ordinary sand is re-deposited.

Sand-mining is a direct and obvious cause of Human-Ape-made-erosion, and also impacts local wildlife; for example, sea turtles depend on sandy beaches for their nesting, and sand-mining has led to the near extinction of gavials – a species of crocodiles – in India. Disturbance of underwater and coastal sand causes turbidity – cloudiness or haziness – in the water, which is harmful to such organisms as corals that need sunlight seeping through clear water. It also destroys fisheries, causing problems for people who rely on fishing for their livelihoods.Removal of physical coastal barriers such as dunes leads to flooding of beachside communities, and the destruction of picturesque beaches causes tourism to dissipate. Sand-mining is regulated by law in many places, but is still often done illegally.

Afghanistan, America, Angola, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Benin, Botswana, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, England…………Ghana, Holland, India, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Syria, Turkey……you name any country, there is sand-mining there.

Daniel: I would advise them to get all the sand they needed from the deserts of the world, but first, that would cost them more; and second, that would make more way, and make it even more easier, for the waters of the oceans and seas to cover the lands, when they rise, not if they rise.

Posted by akill 07:29 | General | Comment(0) | Permalink