Holderness Coast Case Study

• Context

  • North-East England
  • Exposed to strong waves (fetch) from the North Sea
• Geology

  • Discordant coastline
  • Mainly soft boulder clay
  • Coastline retreats 1-2m per year (one of the fastest eroding coastlines in Europe)
• Physical Processes

  • Coastal Erosion - due to a combination of strong waves and rock type)
  • Mass Movement - clay frequently slumps from the cliffs after rainfall
  • Transport - strong waves move the eroded material away from the coastline
  • Deposition - happens further south in Spurn Head
• Human Causes of Coastal Retreat

  • Tourism
  • Industry/Road Building (expansion)
  • Global Warming leading to higher sea levels and more storm surges
  • Settlements
• Coastal Defences

  • Spurn Head is protected with groynes and rock armour
  • Mapleton is protected by rock groynes
  • Withersea is protected by groynes to try and make the beach wider, as well as a sea wall to protect the coast
  • Hornsea is protected by a sea wall, groynes, and rock armour
  • Bridlington is protected by a 5km long sea wall
• Conflicts of Coastal Defences

  • May negatively impact tourism, harming the economy
  • Some people disagree with where the coastal defences are located as their land may not be protected (coastal defences can cause faster erosion elsewhere)
  • Increase in erosion at Great Cowden because of the groynes used at Mapleton - loss of farms and 100 chalets at the Golden Sands Holiday Park