Holderness Case Study Flashcards
Where is the Holderness coastline located
East Yorkshire coast
How far does the holderness coast stretch
61km from Flamborough head to Spurn point
What are Holderness cliffs made of
Glacial till -> boulder clay -> easily eroded when saturated
How far is the fetch
500-600km fetch across the North Sea which creates destructive waves
What is the holderness erosion rate
1.8-2m a year -> some areas 10m per year
What is the importance of the Holderness coastline
24 settlements, home to 8,500 people
Agricultural land worth £2000 per hectare
Tourism industry generating £150 mil a year
Spurn point which is a major ecosystem -> bird migration site
What are the challenges Holderness faces
By 2100 up to 200 homes and 5000 hectares of farmland could be lost
Cost of defending the coastline is £5 mil per 1km
2013 North Sea storm surge caused major flooding/damaged defences
Fastest eroding coastline in the uk
What are the opportunities at the Holderness coastline
Offshore wind farms -> generates employment
Coastal tourism -> 3.5 mil
Visitors a year
Scientific research - one of the most studied coastlines in the uk -> new mitigation constant being developed
What mitigation strategies have been used at the Holderness coastline
2 rock groynes to trap sediment
Rock revetments using 61,000 tonnes of granite
-> cliff erosion rate dropped from 2.5m per year to just 0.2m per year
-> however caused erosion down the coast at cowden, cliff erosion increased by 2.5m
Recurved sea wall at Withernsea costing £6.3 mil
Spurn point abandoned since 1995 becuase cost to save was to high
How has Holderness been adapted to
Hold the line on economically vulnerable areas
People have moved away from high risk areas -> gov gave money to move
East Riding coastal change path finder project -> gives people grants up to £100,000 to help move away
