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examBoard: Cambridge
examType: IGCSE
lessonTitle: Case Study - Coastal Erosion Example
Coastal erosion is a natural process that shapes our coastlines, but it can also threaten homes, businesses and important habitats. Understanding how and why coasts erode is crucial for managing these dynamic environments.
Key Definitions:
Hydraulic Action: The force of water being pushed into cracks in the cliff.
Abrasion: Rocks and pebbles thrown against the cliff by waves.
Attrition: Rocks and pebbles collide and break into smaller pieces.
Solution: Acidic seawater dissolves rocks like limestone.
Rock Type: Soft rocks (clay, sand) erode faster than hard rocks (granite).
Wave Energy: Stronger waves cause more erosion.
Weather: Storms increase wave height and erosion rates.
Human Activity: Coastal defences can affect erosion patterns.
The Holderness Coast in East Yorkshire is Europe's fastest eroding coastline and provides an excellent case study of coastal erosion processes, impacts and management.
The Holderness coastline stretches for about 61km from Flamborough Head in the north to Spurn Point in the south. The coast is mostly made up of soft boulder clay (till) deposited by glaciers during the last ice age. This material is easily eroded by the powerful waves of the North Sea.
Key Facts:
The rapid erosion at Holderness has significant consequences for local communities, the economy and the environment.
• Loss of homes and property
• Emotional stress and displacement
• Community breakdown as villages disappear
• Historical and cultural sites lost
• Reduced property values
• Loss of agricultural land
• Damage to tourism infrastructure
• Cost of coastal defences
• Changes to coastal habitats
• Sediment released feeds beaches further south
• Formation of Spurn Point from eroded material
• Cliff habitats created for nesting birds
Different sections of the Holderness Coast are managed in different ways, creating an interesting patchwork of approaches.
Sea Walls at Withernsea and Hornsea: Concrete barriers that reflect wave energy. They cost about £10,000 per metre but protect valuable tourist areas.
Groynes at Mappleton: Wooden structures built perpendicular to the shore to trap sediment and build up beaches. They cost around £5,000 each.
Rock Armour at Mappleton: Large boulders placed at the cliff base to absorb wave energy. This cost £2 million when installed in 1991.
Beach Nourishment: Adding sand and shingle to beaches to absorb wave energy.
Managed Retreat: Allowing some areas to erode naturally, like at Skipsea where properties are gradually being abandoned.
Cliff Regrading: Reducing the angle of cliffs to increase stability.
Mappleton is a small village on the Holderness Coast with about 50 houses and a population of around 120. In the early 1990s, it was under serious threat from coastal erosion.
In 1991, the East Riding of Yorkshire Council spent £2 million on coastal defences to protect Mappleton and the B1242 coastal road, which was only 50 metres from the cliff edge.
The defences included:
Results:
Coastal management often creates winners and losers, leading to conflicts between different stakeholders.
After the Mappleton defences were built, farmers south of the village took the council to court, claiming that the defences had accelerated erosion of their land. Although they lost the case, it highlighted the difficult decisions involved in coastal management.
This raises important questions about who should pay for protection and whether it's fair to protect some areas at the expense of others.
The UK government has developed Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) to manage coastlines in a more coordinated way. For the Holderness Coast, the plan divides the coastline into sections with different management approaches:
Hold the line: Defend at all costs (major towns like Hornsea)
Managed realignment: Limited intervention
No active intervention: Let nature take its course (rural areas)
When studying coastal erosion case studies, it's important to evaluate the effectiveness of different management strategies.
• Provides immediate and visible protection
• Can protect high-value developments and infrastructure
• Often popular with local residents who feel more secure
• Can have a long lifespan if properly maintained
• Very expensive to build and maintain
• Can look unattractive and harm tourism
• Often causes increased erosion elsewhere (terminal groyne syndrome)
• Disrupts natural processes and can damage habitats
As climate change leads to rising sea levels and more frequent storms, coastal erosion is likely to accelerate. This has led to a shift towards more sustainable and integrated approaches.
The latest Shoreline Management Plan for Holderness recognises that defending the entire coastline is neither economically viable nor environmentally sustainable. Key aspects include:
This approach acknowledges that some land loss is inevitable but aims to manage it in a way that minimises harm to communities and the environment.
When writing about coastal erosion in your iGCSE Geography exam, remember these key points:
The Holderness Coast provides an excellent case study because it demonstrates various erosion processes, management strategies and conflicts between different stakeholders. By understanding this example in detail, you'll be well-prepared to answer questions on coastal erosion in your exam.
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