/library/oar/handle/123456789/56310 2025-11-17T07:24:46Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/91106 Title: Beach nourishment : assessing its validity and benefits in the Maltese islands Abstract: The coastal zone has been the focus of human civilization for centuries and beach nourishment has proven to sustainably improve the relationship between the coast and development when properly designed, managed and monitored. The dynamic character of the coasts has provided coastal scientists, developers and managers with several challenges in trying to adapt beach nourishment to the natural environment of the coast under development. The three parameters: design, management and monitoring have been examined for both nourishments under study: St. George's Bay, St. Julians and Perched Beach at Bugibba. Beach nourishment on St. George's Bay was expected to be more effective than beach nourishment on the Ix-Xtajta ta' Bugibba due to the natural character of the coastline, being, a pocket beach and a high energy coastline respectively. Primarily, the pivotal point of success or failure of a project is said to be the nourishment material and so the case studies in question were examined particularly, with respect to the choice of the nourishment material, its behavior to the natural dynamics and its relationship with the native beach material. Being both in an erosional state before the commencement of the nourishment projects, erosion control had to be a key factor in all the phases of the nourishment designs. Erosional estimates may be predicted by analyzing the distribution of the nourishment material and the original beach material (D. Reeve et.al. 2004). For this reason, the sand distribution of both the nourishment material and the natural sand material were regularly monitored for St. George's Bay for approximately eighteen months by on-site observation and sand profiling. The Bugibba Perched Beach, being a high energy shore platform, could not be examined from this point of view as prior to the project it lacked natural sand. As a result, the primary objective of the fieldworks was to identify a pattern of movement for the seasonal distribution of the artificial nourishment material outside the Perched Beach boundaries. The initial predictions for both case studies were sustained throughout the research, however, an interesting pattern evolved in the case of St. ( George's Bay, St . Julians, where the volume of the natural sand was found to be more abundant on the bay and extended further out from the coast beyond the waterline after the beach nourishment project. The results revealed an interesting element of beach nourishment where while the sediment budget was recharged by the nourishment material, the volume of the native sand was recuperated. This may be explained by the fact that the coarseness of the nourishment material allowed it to settle on top of the natural sand, and protecting it from erosion by absorbing the wave energy upon contact. Another advantage was the fact that the bay extended further on the sea bed and produced a shallower coast, which allow for the deflection of the waves by friction. Therefore the choice of grain size in this nourishment project was the key element for its success. Description: B.A.(HONS)GEOGRAPHY 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/90777 Title: Europeanisation and Malta : spatialising national identity Abstract: In the context of expanding and deepening Europeanisation, this project examines the process of negotiating national and supranational identities among the University of Malta students. An online quantitative survey and qualitative interviews are used to measure students' sense of identity, and their attachment to Europe and to Malta. Statistical analysis of the quantitative data, and discourse analysis of the qualitative data, reveals that: 1. there is no significant difference between respondents' attachment to Malta and to Europe, though there is a significant positive correlation between the two; 2. while nation-states are intrinsically spatial, family and friends are more important than spatiality in the formation of national identity; and 3. a place-identity hierarchy is created in which respondents' national attachment was ranked above their local attachment, which was ranked above their supranational attachment. The concluding chapter argues for more geographical research to be conducted in this field, and provides directions for such research. Description: B.A.(HONS)GEOGRAPHY 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/90755 Title: An investigation into the potential of urban regeneration : the case study of Pieta', Malta Abstract: Urban regeneration involves a comprehensive and integrated strategy that seeks the physical, economic and social community development of an urban area. This dissertation focuses on housing led urban regeneration. It is understood that by simply improving the housing stock, urban regeneration as a full strategy is not fulfilled, however various authors (Gamer, 1996; Edgar & Taylor, 2000; Smith, 2006) claim that this can act as the initial trigger towards the regeneration of an area. This research analyses street degradation emanating from housing structures together with the residents' perception on general housing aesthetics and their willingness to participate in housing renovation schemes if these were to be offered. Data was collected through a field survey and telephone questionnaires. All this is set within a housing led urban regeneration scenario in the Maltese town of Pieta'. The latter is synonymous with St. Luke's Hospital (for many years the main hospital in Malta) which has effected the urban fabric of this locality. This study considers a number of spatial and demographic relationships between a number of variables and discusses the extent to which housing related issues can trigger urban regeneration in Pieta'. Description: B.A.(HONS)GEOGRAPHY 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/90636 Title: A new face to the scars in the landscape : the rehabilitation of quarries in Malta Abstract: The main focus of the dissertation deals with the environmental impact of the rehabilitation of disused quarries in Malta. The aim of rehabilitation is to improve the visual and physical aspect of the land after mineral extraction, as well as to protect significant underground sources; such as the water table. The first potential of rehabilitation is to convert derelict land into a sustainable after-use that is compatible with the surrounding environment. The topic of interest covers debatable issues on whether the issue of rehabilitation in the Maltese Islands is given the full importance it deserves. Most of the literature findings will be based upon the plans and policies in Malta, especially by MEP A and also WasteServ Malta Ltd. and NSO for statistical information. Further references; will include books, articles, journals and previous thesis on the subject. Interviews will also be administered to MEP A directors, quarry tenants, farmers and locals around the area affected by quarrying accompanied by several on-site observations. In the end, the dissertation will focus the research question on whether it is more risky to leave a scar in the landscape rather than regenerate it without the proper considerations. Description: B.A.(HONS)GEOGRAPHY 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z