The Holderness Coast Case Study

Question 1

Which 4 factors suggest why coastal erosion such an issue on the Holderness coast

Answer 1

• geology
• fetch
• LSD
• subaerial processes

Question 2

Influences on coastal erosion - geology
what are cliffs composed of

Answer 2

• shallow & sloping cliffs ranging between 5 & 20 metres high
• mainly consists of boulder clay made of glacial till
• which is structurally weak
• & provides little resistance to erosion

Question 3

what is glacial till

Answer 3

• a mixture of fine clay, boulder clay & sands deposited by glaciers during the Devensian period

Question 4

Influences on coastal erosion - geology
erosional features on cliffs

Answer 4

• the chalkband that surrounds the boulder clay creates a headland
• erosion along fault lines & bedding planes has created cliffs arches & stacks here

Question 5

Influences on coastal erosion - fetch
The North sea

Answer 5

• The holderness is exposed to waves & winds from the North-East
• meaning it has a large fetch of 500-800 km, across the North Sea

Question 6

Influences on coastal erosion - fetch
The Atlantic Ocean

Answer 6

• currents circulate around the Atlantic Ocean
• which has a fetch of 5000km or more,
• so currents add energy to destructive waves

Question 7

Influences on coastal erosion - fetch
Sea level

Answer 7

-low pressure air systems –> raises sea level

Question 8

Influences on coastal erosion - fetch
small seas

Answer 8

small almost enclosed seas generate huge waves during storms

Question 9

Influences on coastal erosion - fetch
friction

Answer 9

• sea floor is deep so there is less friction
• meaning wave height and speed is not lowered

Question 10

Influences on coastal erosion - LSD
transportation of material

Answer 10

• the boulder clay erodes to produce mainly clay particles
• which are transported out to sea in suspension,
• rather than accumulating onshore as beach sand

Question 11

Influences on coastal erosion - LSD
narrow beaches

Answer 11

• beaches are narrow
• which is the result of an imbalance between the input of sand & removal of sand
• so these narrow beaches offer little friction to absorb wave energy

Question 12

Influences on coastal erosion - LSD
tidal flows

Answer 12

• tides flow southwards,
• transporting sand by LSD
• leaving the cliffs at Holderness poorly protected against wave attack

Question 13

Influences on coastal erosion - subaerial processes
chemical weathering

Answer 13

• chemical weathering is relatively ineffective at the Holderness coast
• except on chalk cliffs

Question 14

Influences on coastal erosion - subaerial processes
mechanical weathering

Answer 14

• mechanical weathering involves freeze-thaw & the alternate wetting / drying of the boulder clay,
• making it crumbly in the dry period

Question 15

Influences on coastal erosion - subaerial processes
mass movement

Answer 15

• slumping results from the alternate wetting & drying of the clays
• causing expansion & shrinkage
• leading to cracks during long dry periods
• subsequent rain enters & percolates into these cracks
• which weakens the cliffs
• causing slides down & is then removed by the sea

Question 16

Where is the Holderness coast located

Answer 16

East coast of England, in Yorkshire

Question 17

The holderness coast is the …………….. in Europe

Answer 17

fastest eroding coastline

Question 18

The Holderness coast loses nearly ….of coastline annually

Answer 18

2m

Question 19

Since the Roman times, the Holderness coasts has retreated by…..

Answer 19

4km

Question 20

What are the key players objectives on the Holderness coast
Government

Answer 20

-the environmental agency is responsible for large scale coastal management alongside the local govt who manage the allocation of coastal defences in different coastal divisions

Question 21

The govt budget for coastal management on the Holderness has been …. since 2010

Answer 21

cut

Question 22

What are the key players objectives on the Holderness coast
Stakeholders in the local economy - tourism

Answer 22

-tourist industry has requested greater spending on coastal protection

Question 23

What are the key players objectives on the Holderness coast
Stakeholders in the local economy - farmers

Answer 23

-farmers want money to protect their farmland

Question 24

What are the key players objectives on the Holderness coast
Stakeholders in the local economy - residents

Answer 24

-residents want guaranteed coastal protection

Question 25

What are the key players objectives on the Holderness coast
Stakeholders in the local economy - insurance

Answer 25

-insurance industries are increasingly refusing to insure vulnerable properties

Question 26

What are the key players objectives on the Holderness coast
Environmental stakeholders

Answer 26

• English Nature & the RSPB want to protect
• Spurn head, one of the UK’s largest coastal spits,
• so a continual flow of sand southward by LSD is essential
• an important asset of this spit is its protection of the mudflats at Humber Bay estuary

Question 27

Social Impacts of coastal erosion on Holderness
….homes will disappear by 2100

Answer 27

7000

Question 28

Social Impacts of coastal erosion on Holderness
… villages have been lost since the Roman times

Answer 28

30

Question 29

Social Impacts of coastal erosion on Holderness
Households are forced to…

Answer 29

relocate their homes & livelihoods which has severe mental health implications

Question 30

Economic Impacts of coastal erosion on Holderness
Impacts on tourism

Answer 30

• Holiday parks have lost 100 chalets to the sea in the last 15 years,
• reduction in flow of tourists,
• less expenditure in the economy,
• leading to a fall in profits

Question 31

Economic Impacts of coastal erosion on Holderness
……. hectares of farmland are lost each year

Answer 31

8000

Question 32

Economic Impacts of coastal erosion on Holderness
………. is spent adapting to coastal recession not mitigating it

Answer 32

£1.2 million

Question 33

Environmental Impacts of coastal erosion on Holderness

Answer 33

• the seawall & rock armour at Hornsea interrupts LSD
• meaning towns further North such as Mappleton are starved of sediment so its cliffs are further exposed to wave attack
• this is known as terminal groyne syndrome

Question 34

Responses to erosion on the Holderness coast
seawall

Answer 34

First seawall was constructed in 1870 & has been extended 5 times since

Question 35

Responses to erosion on the Holderness coast
rock armour

Answer 35

• In the southern end, the defences were reconfigured in 1977 to rock armour
• which allows sediment to accumulate and pass behind it

Question 36

Responses to erosion on the Holderness coast
groynes

Answer 36

Groynes have been implemented in Hornsea which starve mappleton of sediment

Question 37

What is the East Riding Coastal Fund

Answer 37

Offers limited assistance for those affected by coastal recession

Question 38

What are the East Riding Coastal Fund’s two initiatives

Answer 38

-assistant grants
-adaptation package

Question 39

What is the East Riding Coastal Fund’s Assistant Grants

Answer 39

-funds adaptations to properties who may be at risk in the future

Question 40

What is the East Riding Coastal Fund’s Adaptation Package

Answer 40

• it can fund:
• an individual’s decision to replace a threatened coastal property with a new home inland
• where coastal defences aren’t viable, again only providing minor funds