the holderness coastline

• location

  • east riding of yorkshire, north east england
  • extends 61km from flamborough in the north to spurn point in the south
  • one of europes fastest eroding coastlines, average rate of 2 metres a year
  • coastline against the north sea
• rates of erosion

  • vary in places due to a mix of human and physical factors
  • 3 main reasons for retreating: geology, fetch, LSD
• geology

  • made up of soft boulder clays(glacial tills) left aftet the retreats of ice sheets
  • boulder clay is structurally weak and has little resistance to erosion
  • chalk surrounds the boulder clay, much stronger rock, but has eroded along fault lines and bedding planes= cliffs, caves, arches, stacks
• fetch

  • Holderness is exposed to wind and waves from the north-east, with a fetch of 500 to 800 km across the North Sea. This is not that far and would normally cause large waves but other factors increase their size:
• what increases fetch?:

  • Currents move northwards around the UK from the Atlantic and into the North Sea. The Atlantic’s fetch is 5000km so it’s currents add even more energy to the waves. This causes powerful destructive waves.
• what increases fetch?

  • Weather systems and winter storms in the North Sea are often intense. The low pressure raises the sea level, producing higher tides than normal and the storms add energy to the waves, especially in storms.
• what increases fetch?


  The sea floor is deep in the North Sea, meaning waves hit the coast relatively fast and are not slowed down by friction.
• long shore drift and beach material

  • Boulder clay erodes very easily and produces very small, fine clay particles, these are easily transported by longshore drift out to sea and along the coast, rather than accumulating in front of the cliffs, forming a layer of protection from the waves. The beaches are narrow and fail to absorb the wave energy, during high tide there is not enough beach and waves hit the base of the cliffs.
• why manage?; economic impacts of erosion

  •  Numbers of visitors to areas along of this coastline has dropped.
  • he Gas Terminal in Easington, which supplies 25% of Britain’s gas, is at risk.
  • 80000m2 of farmland is lost each year, this has a huge effect on farmer’s livelihoods.
  • It’s predicted that 200 homes and several roads will fall into the sea by 2100 .
• why manage?; social impacts of erosion

  • Around 30 villages have been lost since Roman times, meaning homes and businesses have been lost.
  • Many of the settlements rely heavily on tourism, as facilities close down the settlements are unable to maintain a good population.
  • Properties under threat of erosion lose their value leaving owners with negative equity. There is no financial help to aid people as no compensation is paid out for the loss of private property or land caused by coastal erosion in England.
• why manage; environmental impacts of erosion

  • Wildlife behind Spurn Point is losing diversity as the environment cannot support many species due to the lack of sediment. Spurn Head is a spit and salt marsh at the southern tip of the coastline.
  • Some SSSIs (Sites Of Special Scientific Interest) are threatened by erosion.