Barton-on-sea - Coastal management Flashcards
Where is barton on sea
Barton-on-sea is the main settlement in the middle of christchurch bay, on the south coast in Hampshire.
Where is barton on sea relative to
Barton is a densely populated settlement; to the east a golf course and farmland and to the west is the naish holiday village.
Where is Hengistbury spit?
Hengistbury head spit lies to the west of the bay, hurst castle spit is found to the east.
What landforms make up the area?
From christchurch there are sand dunes, which rise to cliffs (at highcliffe) and these continues as far as Milford. Sand beaches run from highcliffe and Barton but give way to shingle by hordle cliff and milford.
What is the geology of barton on sea?
Much of the geology is sands and clays, Barton clay being weak rock, vulnerable to erosion through processes such hydraulic action, wave pounding, abrasion.
What is a dominant process at Barton-on-sea.
Longshore drift is a dominant process, moving beach material from west to east, narrowing beaches so that the base of cliffs face undercutting. Slumping of saturated clay is an subaerial process that weakens the cliff.
What is the main process that threatens the town?
Erosion is the main process here and threatens the town. Tourist facilities on the cliff top have had to be demolished before they fell into the sea.
What was put into place to help drainage of water. what happened after that?
Pipes were inserted into the cliff to aid drainage but major landslides still occured through slumping.
What other coastal management was put in place which wasn’t as effective as it should have been?
Wooden groyes were built to reduce the impact of lonshore drift but didn’t prevent cliff collapse.
What were some concerns with the methods of coastal management?
There was a concern that management needed to improve to protect housing, communities and the economic viability of the area. Some people may have felt that new forest district council was pouring good money after bad and that it was viable to continue to try and defend such a rapidly eroding coastline.
What happened in 2003 to protect houses at highcliffe?
newportland stone groynes had been installed to protect housing at highcliffe.
- rock groynes are stronger than the wooden ones, lasting longer and blend in with the natural surroundings better. -
- They have helped build up the beach and appear to be working in reducing cliff erosion.
What happened between Highcliffe and the mouth of Barton?
Between highcliffe and barton the mouth of a stream
(chewton bunny) was channelised to contain the water and stop it eroding the cliffs - but in 2007 a major storm washed away much of this work.
Which area is unprotected by coastal management strategies?
The area in front of the naish farm holiday village is not protected and is slumping. Whilst this allows access to the beach for residents it means that the holiday village is at risk of being destroyed. Caravans there can be moved and chalets are of lower economic value than houses, which explains the decision to allow cliff retreat.
What hard engineering strategies were installed at barton?
At barton itself rock armour has been installed as well as some rock groynes, whilst previously slumped material also offers the cliffs some protection, managed retreat is still the policy here because geologists recognise the extreme vulnerability of the cliffs here.
What does the rock groyne east of barton do?
- reduces longshore drift
- keeps the beach in place
- but has the effct of starving the adjacent coastline to the east of material,
- increasing erosion of the farmland and reducing the supply of shingle to hurst castle spit which is now itself threatened by erosion.
