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The Holderness Coast

The Holderness Coast is Europe’s fastest eroding coastline.

The Holderness Coast Case Study

Looking for information on the landforms of erosion and deposition on the Holderness Coast? You can find it here .

What is the location of the Holderness Coast?

The Holderness Coast is located on the east coast of England. It extends 61km from Flamborough in the north to Spurn Point in the south.

Lost settlements on the Holderness Coast

The Holderness Coastline is one of Europe’s fastest eroding at an average annual rate of around 2 metres. This is around 2 million tonnes of material every year. Approximately 3 miles (5kms) of land has been lost since Roman times, including 23 towns/villages. These are shown on the map below.

What is the geology of the Holderness Coast?

Underlying the Holderness Coast is bedrock made up of Cretaceous Chalk. However, in most places, this is covered by glacial till deposited over 18,000 years ago. It is this soft boulder clay that is being rapidly eroded.

There are two main reasons why this area is eroding so rapidly. The first is the result of the strong prevailing winds creating destructive waves. The second is that the cliffs are made of soft boulder clay, which erodes rapidly when saturated.

Holderness Coast Case Study

The Holderness Coast is a great case study for examining coastal processes and their associated features. This is because the area contains ‘textbook’ examples of coastal erosion and deposition. The exposed chalk of Flamborough provides examples of erosion and features such as caves, arches and stacks. Coastal management at Hornsea and Withernsea are examples of hard engineering solutions to coastal erosion. Erosion at Skipsea illustrates the human impact of erosion in areas where coastlines are not being defended.  Mappleton is an excellent case study of an attempt at coastal management, which has a negative impact further along the coast.

Spurn Point provides evidence of longshore drift on the Holderness Coast. It is an excellent example of a spit, a depositional landform . Around 3% of the material eroded from the Holderness Coast is deposited here annually.

Find out more about the landforms of coastal erosion and deposition on the Holderness Coast .

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Use the images below to explore locations along the Holderness Coast.

Flamborough

Spurn Point

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The Holderness Coast is one of Europe’s fastest eroding coastlines. The average annual rate of erosion is around 2 metres per year. The main reason for this is because the bedrock is made up of till (soft clay). This material was deposited by glaciers around 12,000 years ago.

The coastline stretches along the coast of the East Riding of Yorkshire, known as Holderness, from Flamborough Head in the North, to Spurn Head in the south. Since Roman times, the Holderness Coast has retreated 4 km – at least 29 villages have been lost to the sea.

Why is erosion a problem?

Rates of erosion vary in places due to a mixture of human and physical factors. These can change in short and long term. There are three main reasons why Holderness is retreating:

• Geology (Figure 3)

• Longshore drift and beach material

The Holderness Coastline is made up of soft boulder clays (tills) left after the retreat of the Devensian ice sheets about 12 000 years ago. They can be seen on the coast, being rapidly eroded by the sea. To look at, they are a mass of brown clay containing pieces of rock (erratics) brought here by the glaciers from Scandinavia, Scotland, the Lake District and Northeast England. These soft, recent deposits sit on a platform of chalk which slopes away gently to the east.

This is how far the waves have travelled. Holderness is exposed to wind and waves from the north-east, with a fetch of 500 to 800 km across the North Sea. This is not that far and would normally cause large waves but other factors increase their size:

• Currents (or swell) move northwards around the UK from the Atlantic and into the North Sea. The Atlantic’s fetch is 5000km so it’s currents add even more energy to the waves. This causes powerful destructive waves.

• Weather systems and winter storms in the North Sea are often intense. The low pressure raises the sea level, producing higher tides than normal and the storms add energy to the waves, especially in storms.

• The sea floor is deep in the North Sea, meaning waves hit the coast relatively fast and are not slowed down by friction.

Longshore Drift and Beach Material

• The beaches here are the main problem. Boulder clay erodes very easily and produces very small, fine clay particles, these are easily transported by longshore drift out to sea and along the coast, rather than accumulating in front of the cliffs, forming a layer of protection from the waves. The beaches are narrow and fail to absorb the wave energy, during high tide there is not enough beach and waves hit the base of the cliffs.

• Tides flow to the south, transporting material along the coast. There is an imbalance as the harder chalk up the coast does not provide enough material for places like Hornsea so backwash removes more than what is deposited by swash.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/z8jfb9q

Why Manage?

ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF EROSION:

• Numbers of visitors to areas along of this coastline has dropped.

• Some settlements unable to maintain a viable population to warrant shops.

• Money has to be spent on coastal management and protection.

• The Gas Terminal in Easington, which supplies 25% of Britain’s gas, is at risk.

• 80000m2 of farmland is lost each year, this has a huge effect on farmer’s livelihoods.

• It’s predicted that 200 homes and several roads will fall into the sea by 2100 .

SOCIAL IMPACTS OF EROSION:

• Around 30 villages have been lost since Roman times, meaning homes and businesses have been lost.

• Many of the settlements rely heavily on tourism, as facilities close down the settlements are unable to maintain a good population.

• Properties under threat of erosion lose their value leaving owners with negative equity. There is no financial help to aid people as no compensation is paid out for the loss of private property or land caused by coastal erosion in England.

• The East Riding Coastal Fund has been set up to aid people.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF EROSION:

• Wildlife behind Spurn Point is losing diversity as the environment cannot support many species due to the lack of sediment. Spurn Head is a spit and salt marsh at the southern tip of the coastline.

• Some SSSIs (Sites Of Special Scientific Interest) are threatened by erosion.

Coastal Management

• The graph shows erosion rates opposite to their specific locations. Where there are gaps, it means coastal defences are present and working. You can see that there are higher rates of erosion directly south of these defences.
• This is due to the flow of beach material by longshore drift being stopped by protection methods such as groynes, sea walls and rock armour/rip rap.
• Hornsea may well be protected but places like Mappleton, directly south are starved of material are eroding at excessive rates, this is called terminal groynes syndrome.

Case Study: The Holderness Coast

Coastal erosion in holderness.

The Holderness coast is located next to the city of Hull in the north-east of England. Each year, the Holderness Coast retreats 1-2 metres. The area is particularly vulnerable to erosion because of:

Strong prevailing winds

• Strong prevailing winds create destructive waves that can do more damage to the coast.
• The prevailing winds also mean that any eroded material moves away from the place that was eroded (leaving the soft rock exposed).

Clay cliffs

• The Holderness Coast is made of boulder clay.
• This is very soft and easy to erode.
• Heavy rainfall can cause mass movements in the boulder clay cliffs.

Coastal Management in Holderness

In 1991, a £2 million project built rock groynes and rock revetments at Mappleton in the Holderness coast. These are examples of hard engineering.

Rock groynes

• The rock groynes tried to stop sediment being carried away from the Holderness Coast and tried to create a larger beach to protect the land behind.

Rock armour

• Rock armour was placed at the foot of the cliffs.
• The rock armour is meant to absorb some of the waves' energy, instead of the coast or cliffs.

What are the Results & Effects of Coastal Management at Mappleton?

The cliffs at Mappleton now erode at 1-2 metres per year, instead of the 7-10 metres before 1991. Mappleton now has a larger beach, however, there have been some negative effects:

Area south of Mappleton

• The area south of Mappleton is experiencing faster coastal erosion as a byproduct.

Spurn Point

• The Spurn Point area south, has become less secure.
• Less material is washed down the Holderness Coast.
• Some Hebridean Sheep were washed away and killed. People are now warned not to visit the Point at some times of year, or they too could be washed away.

Spurn Point lifeboat & visitor's centre

• £471,000 was spent on a visitor's centre which could become less accessible over time.
• Lifeboat services also operate from Spurn Point.

1 Geography Skills

1.1 Mapping

1.1.1 Map Making

1.1.2 OS Maps

1.1.3 Grid References

1.1.4 Contour Lines

1.1.5 Symbols, Scale and Distance

1.1.6 Directions on Maps

1.1.7 Describing Routes

1.1.8 Map Projections

1.1.9 Aerial & Satellite Images

1.1.10 Using Maps to Make Decisions

1.2 Geographical Information Systems

1.2.1 Geographical Information Systems

1.2.2 How do Geographical Information Systems Work?

1.2.3 Using Geographical Information Systems

1.2.4 End of Topic Test - Geography Skills

2 Geology of the UK

2.1 The UK's Rocks

2.1.1 The UK's Main Rock Types

2.1.2 The UK's Landscape

2.1.3 Using Rocks

2.1.4 Weathering

2.2 Case Study: The Peak District

2.2.1 The Peak District

2.2.2 Limestone Landforms

2.2.3 Quarrying

3 Geography of the World

3.1 Geography of America & Europe

3.1.1 North America

3.1.2 South America

3.1.3 Europe

3.1.4 The European Union

3.1.5 The Continents

3.1.6 The Oceans

3.1.7 Longitude

3.1.8 Latitude

3.1.9 End of Topic Test - Geography of the World

4 Development

4.1 Development

4.1.1 Classifying Development

4.1.3 Evaluation of GDP

4.1.4 The Human Development Index

4.1.5 Population Structure

4.1.6 Developing Countries

4.1.7 Emerging Countries

4.1.8 Developed Countries

4.1.9 Comparing Development

4.2 Uneven Development

4.2.1 Consequences of Uneven Development

4.2.2 Physical Factors Affecting Development

4.2.3 Historic Factors Affecting Development

4.2.4 Human & Social Factors Affecting Development

4.2.5 Breaking Out of the Poverty Cycle

4.3 Case Study: Democratic Republic of Congo

4.3.1 The DRC: An Overview

4.3.2 Political & Social Factors Affecting Development

4.3.3 Environmental Factors Affecting the DRC

4.3.4 The DRC: Aid

4.3.5 The Pros & Cons of Aid in DRC

4.3.6 Top-Down vs Bottom-Up in DRC

4.3.7 The DRC: Comparison with the UK

4.3.8 The DRC: Against Malaria Foundation

4.4 Case Study: Nigeria

4.4.1 The Importance & Development of Nigeria

4.4.2 Nigeria's Relationships with the Rest of the World

4.4.3 Urban Growth in Lagos

4.4.4 Population Growth in Lagos

4.4.5 Factors influencing Nigeria's Growth

4.4.6 Nigeria: Comparison with the UK

5 Weather & Climate

5.1 Weather

5.1.1 Weather & Climate

5.1.2 Components of Weather

5.1.3 Temperature

5.1.4 Sunshine, Humidity & Air Pressure

5.1.5 Cloud Cover

5.1.6 Precipitation

5.1.7 Convectional Precipitation

5.1.8 Frontal Precipitation

5.1.9 Relief or Orographic Precipitation

5.1.10 Wind

5.1.11 Extreme Wind

5.1.12 Recording the Weather

5.1.13 Extreme Weather

5.2 Climate

5.2.1 Climate of the British Isles

5.2.2 Comparing Weather & Climate London

5.2.3 Climate of the Tropical Rainforest

5.2.4 End of Topic Test - Weather & Climate

5.3 Tropical Storms

5.3.1 Formation of Tropical Storms

5.3.2 Features of Tropical Storms

5.3.3 The Structure of Tropical Storms

5.3.4 Tropical Storms Case Study: Katrina Effects

5.3.5 Tropical Storms Case Study: Katrina Responses

6 The World of Work

6.1 Tourism

6.1.1 Landscapes

6.1.2 The Growth of Tourism

6.1.3 Benefits of Tourism

6.1.4 Economic Costs of Tourism

6.1.5 Social, Cultural & Environmental Costs of Tourism

6.1.6 Tourism Case Study: Blackpool

6.1.7 Ecotourism

6.1.8 Tourism Case Study: Kenya

7 Natural Resources

7.1.1 What are Rocks?

7.1.2 Types of Rock

7.1.4 The Rock Cycle - Weathering

7.1.5 The Rock Cycle - Erosion

7.1.6 What is Soil?

7.1.7 Soil Profiles

7.1.8 Water

7.1.9 Global Water Demand

7.2 Fossil Fuels

7.2.1 Introduction to Fossil Fuels

7.2.2 Fossil Fuels

7.2.3 The Global Energy Supply

7.2.5 What is Peak Oil?

7.2.6 End of Topic Test - Natural Resources

8.1 River Processes & Landforms

8.1.1 Overview of Rivers

8.1.2 The Bradshaw Model

8.1.3 Erosion

8.1.4 Sediment Transport

8.1.5 River Deposition

8.1.6 River Profiles: Long Profiles

8.1.7 River Profiles: Cross Profiles

8.1.8 Waterfalls & Gorges

8.1.9 Interlocking Spurs

8.1.10 Meanders

8.1.11 Floodplains

8.1.12 Levees

8.1.13 Case Study: River Tees

8.2 Rivers & Flooding

8.2.1 Flood Risk Factors

8.2.2 Flood Management: Hard Engineering

8.2.3 Flood Management: Soft Engineering

8.2.4 Flooding Case Study: Boscastle

8.2.5 Flooding Case Study: Consequences of Boscastle

8.2.6 Flooding Case Study: Responses to Boscastle

8.2.7 Flooding Case Study: Bangladesh

8.2.8 End of Topic Test - Rivers

8.2.9 Rivers Case Study: The Nile

8.2.10 Rivers Case Study: The Mississippi

9.1 Formation of Coastal Landforms

9.1.1 Weathering

9.1.2 Erosion

9.1.3 Headlands & Bays

9.1.4 Caves, Arches & Stacks

9.1.5 Wave-Cut Platforms & Cliffs

9.1.6 Waves

9.1.7 Longshore Drift

9.1.8 Coastal Deposition

9.1.9 Spits, Bars & Sand Dunes

9.2 Coast Management

9.2.1 Management Strategies for Coastal Erosion

9.2.2 Case Study: The Holderness Coast

9.2.3 Case Study: Lyme Regis

9.2.4 End of Topic Test - Coasts

10 Glaciers

10.1 Overview of Glaciers & How They Work

10.1.1 Distribution of Glaciers

10.1.2 Types of Glaciers

10.1.3 The Last Ice Age

10.1.4 Formation & Movement of Glaciers

10.1.5 Shaping of Landscapes by Glaciers

10.1.6 Glacial Landforms Created by Erosion

10.1.7 Glacial Till & Outwash Plain

10.1.8 Moraines

10.1.9 Drumlins & Erratics

10.1.10 End of Topic Tests - Glaciers

10.1.11 Tourism in Glacial Landscapes

10.1.12 Strategies for Coping with Tourists

10.1.13 Case Study - Lake District: Tourism

10.1.14 Case Study - Lake District: Management

11 Tectonics

11.1 Continental Drift & Plate Tectonics

11.1.1 The Theory of Plate Tectonics

11.1.2 The Structure of the Earth

11.1.3 Tectonic Plates

11.1.4 Plate Margins

11.2 Volcanoes

11.2.1 Volcanoes & Their Products

11.2.2 The Development of Volcanoes

11.2.3 Living Near Volcanoes

11.3 Earthquakes

11.3.1 Overview of Earthquakes

11.3.2 Consequences of Earthquakes

11.3.3 Case Study: Christchurch, New Zealand Earthquake

11.4 Tsunamis

11.4.1 Formation of Tsunamis

11.4.2 Case Study: Japan 2010 Tsunami

11.5 Managing the Risk of Volcanoes & Earthquakes

11.5.1 Coping With Earthquakes & Volcanoes

11.5.2 End of Topic Test - Tectonics

12 Climate Change

12.1 The Causes & Consequences of Climate Change

12.1.1 Evidence for Climate Change

12.1.2 Natural Causes of Climate Change

12.1.3 Human Causes of Climate Change

12.1.4 The Greenhouse Effect

12.1.5 Effects of Climate Change on the Environment

12.1.6 Effects of Climate Change on People

12.1.7 Climate Change Predictions

12.1.8 Uncertainty About Future Climate Change

12.1.9 Mitigating Against Climate Change

12.1.10 Adapting to Climate Change

12.1.11 Case Study: Bangladesh

13 Global Population & Inequality

13.1 Global Populations

13.1.1 World Population

13.1.2 Population Structure

13.1.3 Ageing Populations

13.1.4 Youthful Populations

13.1.5 Population Control

13.1.6 Mexico to USA Migration

13.1.7 End of Topic Test - Development & Population

14 Urbanisation

14.1 Urbanisation

14.1.1 Rural Characterisitcs

14.1.2 Urban Characteristics

14.1.3 Urbanisation Growth

14.1.4 The Land Use Model

14.1.5 Rural-Urban Pull Factors

14.1.6 Rural-Urban Push Factors

14.1.7 The Impacts of Migration

14.1.8 Challenges of Urban Areas in Developed Countries

14.1.9 Challenges of Urban Areas in Developing Countries

14.1.10 Urban Sustainability

14.1.11 Case Study: China's Urbanisation

14.1.12 Major UK Cities

14.1.13 Urbanisation in the UK

14.1.14 End of Topic Test- Urbanisation

14.1.15 End of Topic Test - Urban Issues

15 Ecosystems

15.1 The Major Biomes

15.1.1 Distribution of Major Biomes

15.1.2 What Affects the Distribution of Biomes?

15.1.3 Biome Features: Tropical Forests

15.1.4 Biome Features: Temperate Forests

15.1.5 Biome Features: Tundra

15.1.6 Biome Features: Deserts

15.1.7 Biome Features: Tropical Grasslands

15.1.8 Biome Features: Temperate Grasslands

15.2 Case Study: The Amazon Rainforest

15.2.1 Interdependence of Rainforest Ecosystems

15.2.2 Nutrient Cycling in Tropical Rainforests

15.2.3 Deforestation in the Amazon

15.2.4 Impacts of Deforestation in the Amazon

15.2.5 Protecting the Amazon

15.2.6 Adaptations of Plants to Rainforests

15.2.7 Adaptations of Animals to Rainforests

16 Life in an Emerging Country

16.1 Case Studies

16.1.1 Mumbai: Opportunities

16.1.2 Mumbai: Challenges

17 Analysis of Africa

17.1 Africa

17.1.1 Desert Biomes in Africa

17.1.2 The Semi-Desert Biome

17.1.3 The Savanna Biome

17.1.4 Overview of Tropical Rainforests

17.1.5 Colonisation History

17.1.6 Population Distribution in Africa

17.1.7 Economic Resources in Africa

17.1.8 Urbanisation in Africa

17.1.9 Africa's Location

17.1.10 Physical Geography of Africa

17.1.11 Desertification in Africa

17.1.12 Reducing the Risk of Desertification

17.1.13 Case Study: The Sahara Desert - Opportunities

17.1.14 Case Study: The Sahara Desert - Development

18 Analysis of India

18.1 India - Physical Geography

18.1.1 Geographical Location of India

18.1.2 Physical Geography of India

18.1.3 India's Climate

18.1.4 Natural Disasters in India

18.1.5 Case Study: The Thar Desert

18.1.6 Case Study: The Thar Desert - Challenges

18.2 India - Human Geography

18.2.1 Population Distribution in India

18.2.2 Urabinsation in India

18.2.3 The History of India

18.2.4 Economic Resources in India

19 Analysis of the Middle East

19.1 The Middle East

19.1.1 Physical Geography of the Middle East

19.1.2 Human Geography of the Middle East

19.1.3 Climate Zones in the Middle East

19.1.4 Climate Comparison with the UK

19.1.5 Oil & Natural Gas in the Middle East

19.1.6 Water in the Middle East

19.1.7 Population of the Middle East

19.1.8 Development Case Studies: The UAE

19.1.9 Development Case Studies: Yemen

19.1.10 Supporting Development in Yemen

19.1.11 Connection to the UK

19.1.12 Importance of Oil

19.1.13 Oil & Tourism in the UAE

20 Analysis of Bangladesh

20.1 Bangladesh Physical Geography

20.1.1 Location of Bangladesh

20.1.2 Climate of Bangladesh

20.1.3 Rivers in Bangladesh

20.1.4 Flooding in Bangladesh

20.2 Bangladesh Human Geography

20.2.1 Population Structure in Bangladesh

20.2.2 Urbanisation in Bangladesh

20.2.3 Bangladesh's Economy

20.2.4 Energy & Sustainability in Bangladesh

21 Analysis of Russia

21.1 Russia's Physical Geography

21.1.1 Russia's Climate

21.1.2 Russia's Landscape

21.2 Russia's Human Geography

21.2.1 Population of Russia

21.2.2 Russia's Economy

21.2.3 Energy & Sustainability in Russia

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Management Strategies for Coastal Erosion

Case Study: Lyme Regis