Rapid coastal retreat

Question 1

Where is Holderness?

Answer 1

An area of the East Riding of Yorkshire

Question 2

What is special about about the coastline at Holderness?

Answer 2

It is the fastest retreating coastline in Europe

Question 3

By how much is the coast at Holderness retreating?

Answer 3

Retreating by 1.8m/y on average

Question 4

What happened in the year 2011-12 at Holderness?

Answer 4

The coastline retreated by 7m in 1 year!

Question 5

What is the geology of the Holderness coast?

Answer 5

Soft boulder clay cliffs that have little resistance to wave erosion and sub aerial processes

Question 6

Why is chemical weathering relatively ineffective at Holderness?

Answer 6

This is due to the lack of reactive chalk cliffs except for at Flamborough Head

Question 7

What are the main types of weathering experienced at Holderness?

Answer 7

Freeze-thaw and the alternate wetting and drying of the boulder clay which makes it crumbly in dry periods

Question 8

What is the main form of mass movement at Holderness?

Answer 8

Slumping where the alternate wetting and drying of the clay causes expansion and shrinkage producing cracks during long, dry periods. Then when rain enters the cliff it becomes lubricated and heavy and it cannot support itself thus it slides downslope and is carried away by the sea

Question 9

Who are key players of the coast?

Answer 9

• Residents
• Farmers
• Business owners
  All are stakeholders in the local economy and want coastal defences to protect property and livelihood

Question 10

Who are responsible for coastal defences?

Answer 10

The national and local government

Question 11

Who are the ERYC?

Answer 11

The East Riding of Yorkshire Council - The local government at Holderness

Question 12

What groups prioritise environment concerns?

Answer 12

Natural England and the RSPB

Question 13

What do Natural England and the RSPB want to maintain at Holderness?

Answer 13

Both want to maintain southwards LSD to protect Spurn Head and its ecosystems as it is a key habitat

Question 14

How was coastal retreat prevented at Hornsea?

Answer 14

Hornsea had its first sea wall built in 1870 and in 1977 Rip rap and groynes were added stopping wave erosion

Question 15

What was the knock-on effect of Hornsea’s prevention of coastal retreat?

Answer 15

Disequilibrium in the sediment cell causing the beach at Mapleton, just south of Hornsea to be starved of material leaving its cliffs open to wave attack

Question 16

What is Terminal Groyne Syndrome?

Answer 16

When LSD is interrupted sediment starvation can occur further down the coast resulting in increased coastal retreat as waves reach the cliffs

Question 17

What is the rate of coastal retreat downdrift of Hornsea at Mappleton?

Answer 17

By 1990’s the cliffs were retreating at 4m/y

Question 18

What did Mappleton do in 1991?

Answer 18

They installed 2 groynes and rip rap and wave erosion stopped but increased downdrift

Question 19

What was the erosion in Cowden following Mappleton installing groynes and riprap in 1991?

Answer 19

Cowden (3km south of Mappleton) saw an erosion rate of 3.8m/y

Question 20

What did Defra give ERYC in 2010 to help locals cope with coastal retreat?

Answer 20

They gave £1.2m

Question 21

What did the East Riding Coastal Change Fund provide?

Answer 21

It provides Relocation support with a maximum fund of up to £1200 and Adaption support to help those with property at risk in the future

Question 22

What is the limitation of the ERYC coastal change fund?

Answer 22

It is a very limited budget that is now mostly spent with no further funding guaranteed