Geog 1 - Coasts Holderness coast

Question 1

Physical causes (land)

Answer 1

• Coastline is soft glacial clay.

- Seabed is soft and easily eroded, deepens the water in front of cliff meaning the are subject to larger force of wave.

Question 2

Physical causes (waves)

Answer 2

• Wave direction North East
• Storm waves up to 4m
• Beaches are narrow and unable to stop wave erosion
• Waves able to reach base of the cliff line.
• Tidal range of 7m means that the cliffs are very susceptible to marine processes.
• In the winter the beaches have a thin layer of sand offering no protection from eroding waves.

Question 3

Physical causes (rain)

Answer 3

Heaving rainfall in winter means that cliffs become saturated.

Question 4

Physical causes (sea level)

Answer 4

• Rise of 30cm in the next 50 years.

- Beaches will become narrower and more wave energy is focused on the foot of the cliff

Question 5

Erosion of coast

Answer 5

2m per year

Question 6

Human causes (dredging)

Answer 6

200 3,811,044 tonnes of material removed

Question 7

Human causes (sea defence)

Answer 7

• Mixture of public (good) and private (not so good) defences
• Groynes at Mappelton and Hornsea and concrete walls at Withernsea
• Sea walls pass the wave energy down the coast
• Prevent cliff erosion which prevents sediment entering the cell disrupting longshore drift and starving areas of sediment.

Question 8

Physical consequences

Answer 8

• Erosion and longshore drift have lead to the creation of Spurn head
• Muddy appearance of the sea.
• Offshore bars
• Eroding at 2m per year

Question 9

Socio-cultural consequences

Answer 9

• Aesthetic impact
• Damage to infrastructure
• Loss of infrastructure
• Loss of farmland
• Loss of amenity value
• Danger to beach users
• Damage to costal protection
• Loss of homes