OCEA 2000X Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Surface Runoff, Siltation, Coastal Management
31 Aug 2016
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Document Summary
Human population near the coast is large and expanding rapidly. Humans tend to live near coasts for a variety of reasons: About half of the earth"s population lives within 150 kilometres of the coast. Despite containing half of the earth"s population, the 150-km strip near the coast represents only 2% of the earth"s land area. In 1960 in the u. s. , the coasts already had populations densities that were 4 times higher than inland regions. By 2015, coastal populations densities at the coasts are projected to be about 6 times higher. Coastal zones experience additional population pressures from seasonal visitors and tourists. On the northeast seaboard of the u. s. there are an estimated 500,000 seasonal homes. The area of developed land per person is getting larger. Land development is increasing faster than population in north america = sprawl . Coastal sprawl has become pervasive around population and recreational centres.
