Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Coastal Hazards in Barbados

As an island nation, Barbados is no stranger to coastal hazards. Barbados suffers from beach erosion, mostly due to climate change. The economy heavily relies on tourism, but coincidentally that is also the biggest contributor to the pollution and erosion that Barbados is suffering from. Like many other coastal areas, climate change has brought on sea level rises and a slough of other issues. Barbados is only 166 square miles to begin with and it's losing a foot of beach each year. Coral reefs are a major part of the landscape of Barbados, and they're rapidly deteriorating due to pollution caused by domestic sewage, as well as climate change and deforestation. Without the protective barrier that the coral reefs provide, the force of waves is extremely powerful and destructive to the beaches. The beaches are also covered in rocks that are actually dead pieces of coral. In order to try to mitigate effects of climate change, the Barbados Coastal Conservation Program has stepped in. The BCCP has put programs in place that put years of research and surveys into use in order to create programs and management plans that fight coastal erosion and pollution. They've created solid waste disposal plants and sewage treatment plants that cut down on erosion. 

 Sources: https://coastalcare.org/2011/02/last-chance-beach-battling-erosion-in-barbados/
http://www.coastal.gov.bb/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-09-07-8901100984-story.html
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Beach-erosion-in-Barbados_fig1_234038862
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3 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 1, 2020 at 10:03 AM

    Hi Paige I enjoyed reading your blog since my country is Mali which has a very low chance of any coatal hazard. I found it interesting how barbados relies on tourism, but at the same time they are also the reason for pollution and erosion. Another thing I found interesting is how the BCCP is helping with reducing the problems. All in all very good post.

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  2. Carissa EllisMay 3, 2020 at 3:35 PM

    Hi Paige, thank you for your post about coastal erosion in Barbados. My country is the Philippines and is also an island that is heavily susceptible to erosion. It is kind of scary how much damage coastal erosion is doing in only a short amount of time. I am happy to read about the mitigation efforts to reduce the damage.

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  3. Sam's Geology 9 Chile BlogMay 3, 2020 at 10:30 PM

    Super cool blog Paige, It was shocking to read about how much land is lost every year due to the rising sea levels. The image you chose also has a very shocking effect too because it is extremely alarming how severe that problem really is for the country. Especially since it relies heavily on tourism for its economy, those beaches that are losing area are a huge money maker for that country.

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