2.3 Coasts present opportunities & hazards for people

2.3.1 The opportunities of living near the coast.

2.3.2 The hazards of living near the coast.

2.3.3 An evaluation of hard and soft engineering strategies and techniques used to manage coastal erosion
and flooding; including sustainable.

2.3.4 The distribution and impacts of tropical storms: cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons.

2.3.5 An evaluation of the strategies and techniques used to manage the impacts of tropical storms:
preparation, planning, protection, prediction.

2.3.6 The global distribution, importance of, threats to, and strategies and techniques used to protect and
manage coral reefs and mangroves; including sustainable.

2.3.7 One detailed specific example of a named country or coastal area to include:
• the causes and impacts of coastal erosion
• the strategies and techniques used to protect the coast from tropical storms and manage
erosion; including sustainable.

2.3.8 One detailed specific example of a named country or coastal area to include:
• why the coral reef is important
• threats to the coral reef
• the strategies a and techniques used to protect and manage and the coral reef; including sustainable

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2.3.1 The opportunities of living

​near the coast.
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​Coastal areas are attractive places for people to live, work and visit. Around the world, many large cities and tourist destinations have developed along coastlines because they offer economic, environmental and social advantages.

​Sitges, located on the Mediterranean coast south-west of Barcelona, is an excellent example of how people benefit from living near the sea.

For students at the International School of Toulouse, this place will be the focus of your IGCSE coursework. 

Watch - Spend 3 minutes watching the Spain Holiday tourism video that focuses on the resort of Sitges. 
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Task 1 - Study the embedded map of Sitges below and use CTRL to zoom in to study the location more carefully. 

Complete the worksheet below by looking for evidence of the opportunities that coastal areas bring for people. 
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opportunities in sitges worksheet

G9 IST students in Sitegs - May 26

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2.3.2 The hazards of living near the coast. 
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Although coastal areas offer many opportunities, they also expose people to natural hazards. Coastal environments are constantly changing due to waves, currents, tides and storms. Climate change is increasing some of these risks.

Coastal erosion

• Waves remove beach material and attack cliffs.
• Property, roads and infrastructure can be threatened.
• Beach width can decrease following winter storms.

Storm damage

• Mediterranean storms occasionally generate powerful waves.
• Seafront infrastructure can be damaged.
• Beach facilities may be destroyed.

Coastal flooding

• Storm surges and high tides can inundate low-lying areas.
• Promenades and roads close to the sea may flood.

Sea-level rise

• Global sea levels are rising due to climate change.
• Narrow beaches may experience increased erosion.
• More expensive coastal management may be required.

Economic impacts

• Tourism can decline after severe erosion or flooding events.
• Repairs and coastal defences are costly.

Backgound Research - Watch the videos to the right and the study the photos below showing some of the coastal hazards and resultant damage that have occured in Sitges in recent years. 

The last video was taken by Mr Podbury in February 2026 on San Sebastian beach during a storm, and the photos below were taken in February and May 2026 and show the damage to the sea defences and subsequent €1 million repair. 

Task 1 - Complete the note taking activity using the text and images above, and the worksheet below. 

The hazards of living near the coast - worksheet

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2.3.3 An evaluation of engineering strategies & techniques used to

​manage coastal erosion & flooding

Starter: Watch the rather old video to the right, from 10 minutes onward. 

When it comes to protecting the coastline, a mixture of both hard and soft engineering approaches are used to preventing coastal erosion and transportation. These protection methods are often present in areas where tourism / settlement has been developed. Check out the diagram above for more info. 


Hard Engineering may be defined as: A technique involving the construction of significant man-made structures to manage the coastline. e.g. Sea walls and rock armour


Soft Engineering may be defined as: A technique involving the construction of more environmentally friendly, less damaging and arguably more sustainable management solutions. e.g. beach nourishment or managed retreat


Task 1  - Put together your own fact sheet using the template below that demonstrate how humans can protect the coastlines from erosion and flooding, how these defenses work and their pros and cons.  


a - Hard engineering approaches

Time for Geography Video link here (groynes, sea wall, gabions)

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b - Soft engineering approaches

Time for Geography Video link here.  (beach replenishment). 


You should suplmement the information from the video with the details in this PDF factsheet. 

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protecting the coastline with hard & soft engineering

Rock islets in Sitges

Sea wall in Sitges on beach 5

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Decision-Making Exercise:

​Managing the Coastline of Sitges 

Task 1 - Download the document to the right to read more about what Sitges does to protect its coastline from flooding and erosion. ​

The local government of Sitges has €10 million available to spend on future coastal management. However, they can only choose one of the following options.

Option A: Hard Engineering
Build additional sea walls and groynes along the coastline.

Advantages

• Protects houses, hotels and businesses from erosion and flooding.
• Sea walls can last for many years.
• Groynes trap sand and help maintain wider beaches.
• Reduces the risk of damage during winter storms.

Disadvantages

• Very expensive to build and maintain.
• Can be visually unattractive.
• Groynes may increase erosion further down the coast.
• May interfere with natural coastal processes.

Option B: Soft Engineering
Continue the programme of sand replenishment.

Advantages

• Creates wide sandy beaches that attract tourists.
• Looks natural and blends into the environment.
• Helps absorb wave energy.
• Supports local tourism and recreation.

Disadvantages

• Sand is lost each year and must be replaced regularly.
• Expensive over the long term.
• Requires ongoing maintenance.
• Storms can quickly remove newly added sand.

Question
Which option should the local government of Sitges choose?

​Use the information above and your own knowledge to explain your answer. In your response, consider which option is likely to be the most sustainable in the long term. [5 marks]

The generic mark scheme below can be applied. 

5 mark decision making question mark scheme

sitges example

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