9.2.2

Case Study: The Holderness Coast

Test yourself

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:

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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).
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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.

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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.
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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:

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Area south of Mappleton

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

Jump to other topics

1Geography Skills

2Geology of the UK

3Geography of the World

4Development

5Weather & Climate

6The World of Work

7Natural Resources

8Rivers

9Coasts

10Glaciers

11Tectonics

12Climate Change

13Global Population & Inequality

14Urbanisation

15Ecosystems

16Life in an Emerging Country

17Analysis of Africa

18Analysis of India

19Analysis of the Middle East

20Analysis of Bangladesh

21Analysis of Russia

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