Holderness coast

• where is the holderness located?

  The Holderness Coast is located on the coast of east Riding of Yorkshire, stretches between bridlington and Flamborough head in the north and Spurn head in the south
• facts about holderness?

  • Europe’s fastest eroding.

  -2 meters lost every year

   This is around 2 million tonnes of material every year. Approximately 3 miles (5kms) of land has been lost.
• what are the main factors for erosion here?

  -geology

  -fetch

  -LSD + beach material
• what is the geology like?

  -Geology at Flamborough head has discordant nature meaning different erosion take place. ---Chalk is the main part of the coast in the north which is resistant so produces features like headland.

  -Rest of coastline is boulder clay.
• what is the fetch like?

  FETCH

  -Holderness exposed to winds + waves from North Sea. Fetch of 500-800km.

  -the currents/swell come from Atlantic into North Sea and the Atlantic fetch is 5000km

  -so destructive waves

  -sea floor is deep so no friction

  -low pressure system so strong winds and waves
• what is the LSD like?

  -beaches narrow so no friction

  -sand taken southwards—spit

   
• what hard engineering is here?

  • Wooden groynes at Hornsea
  • Rock groynes at Mappleton
  • Revetments at Easington
  • Sea walls at Withernsea
• explain the management at hornsea?

  Wooden groynes at Hornsea

  -traps sediment and protects cliffs and town

  -causes friction to wave as have to travel further

   

  -Led to south of Hornsea- Mappleton being starved of sediment trapped by these groynes with no sediment being replaced
• explain management at mappleton?

  Rock groynes at Mappleton

  -2 rock groynes costing £2million

  -cliff also regraded so more stable

  -caused Cowden (3km south) to be starved of sediment and increased erosion

  (TERMINAL GROYNE SYNDROME)
• explain management at easington?

  Revetments at Easington

  -expensive and ugly
• explain management at withernsea?

  Sea walls at Withernsea

  -replaced its old straight wall with recurved wall costing £6.3 million

  -expense justified with cost-benefit analysis-benefits outweighed costs

  -‘holding the line’

  But waves are noisier, views in hotels restricted and rock armour at bottom is ugly.
• what are the soft engineering?

  • beach nourishment at Hornsea
  • Costal zoning- ‘Managed retreat’
• explain engineering at hornsea?

  beach nourishment at Hornsea

  -by dredging and pumping

  -creates wider beach and adds sediment but needs replacing as can disappear quickly
• explain coastal zoning?

  Costal zoning- ‘Managed retreat’

  -red-lining identifies areas at risk of erosion where cost exceeds benefits

  -so don’t protect it