East Norfolk Coast - Local Scale Coastal Environment Case Study Flashcards
Describe the location
A North Sea coastline in the NE of East Anglia in Eastern England.
Describe the direction of Longshore drift here
North to south
Name the 4 key villages form north to south (to remember they are in alphabetical order)
Bacton
Happisburgh
Sea palling
Winterton
Outline the 4 key processes operating along this coastline
Rapid coastal erosion – hydraulic action (wave pounding and
cavitation) with high energy waves.
Mass movement – landslides and rotational cliff slumping
particularly in winter due to runoff over the cliffs and ground water
seeking through cliffs.
Transport processes – longshore drift moving sediment
southwards plus backwash removing sediment from beaches
particularly during storms leaving a narrow beach.
Flooding – due to low pressure storms over the North Sea creating
surges and high waves. Rising sea levels increases the risk (eustatic
sea level rise).
Outline the main landscape outcomes of the main processes operating (landforms)
Low cliffs (6-10 high at Happisburgh) – retreating (erosion landform)
Beaches (deposition landform)
Sand dunes (deposition landform)
Outline the impact that geology has had on this coastline
Mainly glacial till (boulder clay) overlain by sands.
This rock has created low, unstable cliffs vulnerable to undercutting by wave action
and collapse due to slumping after heavy rain.
Identify factors that will increase the risk of coastal erosion and flooding along this coastline in the future.
Rising sea levels due to eustatic change (thermal expansion and
melting ice sheets).
Increased frequency and intensity of low-pressure storms.
More intense rainfall leading to higher runoff.
What is the current average rate of erosion along this coastline?
2 metres a year
Outline the main hard engineering strategies used to protect Happisburgh from cliff erosion and flooding.
Groynes, wooden revetments, riprap (rock armour)
The 1996 Shoreline Management Plan (SMP6) represented a more sustainable approach. In what way?
Environmentally sustainable.
Economically justifiable.
Socially acceptable.
Holistic and integrated rather than piecemeal (covers a sub-cell of sediment cell 3).
Covers the next 100 years – taking into account rising costs.
Why was the traditional approach unsustainable?
The cost of maintaining the defences would have been too high given:
The geology of the coast – the glacial till cliffs were rapidly eroding.
The sizable fetch and North Sea storms resulted in large destructive waves removing large amounts of sediment.
Frequent storm surges and rising sea levels led to an increased
flood risk.
Identify the main stakeholders in SMP6.
The Environment Agency
North Norfolk District Council
local councils
Regional Coastal groups (local residents).
SMPs involve cost/benefit analysis (weighing up the cost against the benefits of a plan). Give examples of the social, economic, and environmental factors they must consider.
Social factors – the safety and security of people living along the coast.
Economic factors – the impact of some defences on tourism, the cost of defences, the value of the land.
Environmental – the nature of habitats and levels of biodiversity of ecosystems along the coast (although it is hard to place a price on this).
Outline and explain the current management strategy for Bacton.
Hold the line through hard engineering strategies.
The gas terminal is of national and international importance and the soft rocks make it vulnerable to erosion.
The sea walls will be maintained, and new riprap and groynes will be installed.
How will the strategy at Bacton impact other areas along the coast?
Trapping sediment at Bacton will increase the rate of erosion further south. Sediment bypassing could be used to help prevent this, but it is very expensive.
Outline and explain the current management strategy for Happisburgh.
Managed retreat.
Flood risk is minimal given the higher relief here.
Although rates of erosion are high the population is relatively low, and the value of the farmland is low.
Outline the impact of managed retreat on residents.
Financial loss, plummeting house prices, loss of land and property, distress
What support has been offered to residents in Happisburgh?
Legal advice, redevelopment funds, planning and architectural services.
Outline and explain the current management strategy for Sea Palling
Hold the line in the short and medium term. Managed retreat in
the longer term.
Monitor the extent and impact of saltwater intrusion on Broadland.
The initial plan to advance the line with 9 offshore reefs has been abandoned due to the high cost (£16 million) and negative impact of starving down drift areas of sediment (e.g., at Winterton).
What illustrates the importance of Broadland/Norfolk Broads to the local economy
Over 7 million tourists visitors a year contributing £400 million to the local economy.
Outline and explain the current management strategy for Winterton.
Do nothing, but there are studies on the impact of SMP6 on the dunes.
Additional offshore barriers at Sea Palling were cancelled due to the increased erosion at Winterton following their construction.
The sand dunes are an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
How much of the Environment Agency’s budget is allocated to coastal defences?
5%
Outline limitations of SMP6.
Ill feeling amongst coastal communities, especially in rural areas, where people feel they have been left to fend for themselves.
Some environmentally valuable areas such as the sand dunes at Winterton have been protected although their economic benefits are not obvious to locals.
SMP6 does not factor in compensation to local people.
The plan does not consider inland areas that are intrinsically linked to the coast.
