Final answer:
Factors that encourage coastal recession include sea-level rise due to melting ice and thermal expansion, damaging human activities like dredging and coastal development, and increased storm activity in combination with elevated sea levels.
Step-by-step explanation:
The factors that encourage coastal recession include both natural processes and human activities. Three significant factors contributing to this include:
- Sea-level rise: This is caused by the melting of ice sheets and glaciers, as well as the thermal expansion of water as it warms due to global climate change. Elevated sea levels can lead to increased coastal erosion and damage to coastal ecosystems.
- Human activities such as dredging, coastal development, and destruction of natural barriers like reefs and seagrass beds, can exacerbate the effects of storms and damage the natural protection of shorelines.
- Storm activity and extreme weather: The combination of high tides, heavy waves, and low pressure associated with storms can result in severe coastal damage. This effect is heightened by the existing elevated sea levels due to climate change.
Continued human-induced stressors, along with the natural phenomenon of thermal expansion, present a significant challenge to coastal areas, leading to coastal recession and potentially devastating socioeconomic impacts.