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Factors and contributors Essay People usually love to go by the shorelines, as these have been identified as the home of a variety of fish and other aquatic creatures (Department of Fisheries and Oceans-Canada, 2008). Many of the fish breed their young, and seek shelter and protection from predators (DFO, 2008). Hence the efforts of shoreline stabilization must be conducted to counter the effects of shoreline erosion (DFO, 2008). Shoreline erosion have varied causes, from natural causes such as wind driven wave action, a dearth in vegetation, ice and water (Marine Information Portal). Man- made factors contributing to shoreline erosion would include n of forests and vegetation and wash, or waves generated from passing boats (Portal). Most shorelines that have been affected by erosion usually undergo shoreline erosion will undergo some stabilization procedures to prevent it from being a threat to development on the waterfront (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration, 2007). Among the measures that are placed on a permanent basis are divided into several types. â€Å"Soft† or â€Å"non-structural† procedures bank on planting of plants and the use of sand fills, while â€Å"hybrid† techniques are deemed as effective stabilization modes to the conventional hard structures such as bulk heads or â€Å"rip rap† structures (NOAA, 2007). Shoreline erosion does not only affect marine life, destroying their natural habitat, turbidity of the water , and algae growth, shoreline erosion contributes to land loss and lowering of property values (Marine Info). But many factors go into determing the impact of shoreline erosion on the waterway (Marine Info). Factors such as the size of the watercraft, how far it is from the shoreline, and the speed when it passed the waterway, influence the degree of erosion on the particular waterway (Marine Info). Urban development has also taken its toll on the shoreline (Department of Boating and Waterways, 2002). In California, the erosion being experienced in North County in San Diego has been attributed to the rapid development pace of urbanization of the watershed area and the competing interests in society (Terra Costa Consulting Group, 2005). The effects of human interference in the natural ecosystem began with the damming the rivers for flood prevention, and creating recreational water facilities (DBW, 2002). These construction activities reduced the sand that would normally reach the coast, and that, along side with obstruction of sand development because of harbor construction activities, contribute to shoreline erosion (DBW, 2002). References Department of Boating and Waterways. (2002).California beach setting. Retrieved September 12, 2008, from http://www. dbw. ca. gov/PDF/Reports/BeachReport/Ch2_Setting. pdf. Department of Fisheries and Oceans-Canada. (2008). Fish habitat shoreline stabilization. Retrieved September 12, 2008, from http://www. dfo-mpo. gc. ca/regions/CENTRAL/pub/fact-fait-on/c4_e. htm Marine Information Portal. (n. d. ). Shoreline erosion caused by boat wake. Retrieved September 12, 2008, from http://www. marinfo. gc. ca/Doc/Erosion/Erosion_des_berges_En. pdf. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2007). Alternative shoreline stabilization methods. Retrieved September 12, 2008, from http://coastalmanagement. noaa. gov/initiatives/shoreline_stabilization. html Terra Costa Consulting Group. (2005). Appendix d: sediment/ erosion analysis. Retrieved September 12, 2008, from http://www. ci. solana-beach. ca. us/uploads/Appendix%20D%20Sediment-Erosion %20Analysis. pdf.