Geog

Case Study: Happisburgh

The average erosion per year in Happisburgh is around 30-40ft (9-12m) per year and they’ve tried to protect the coastline using different types of protection methods.

There are two types of engineering: hard and soft engineering

Hard engineering involves building artificial structures to protect the coast - wood and concrete.

Soft engineering involves working with nature and using natural materials to protect the coast and absorb waves using friction.

The coast is so vulnerable because the rock of the coast is made from soft rocks such as clay and sand which means that the sediment is vulnerable and less resistant to hydraulic action, attrition, abrasion and solution.

The coast is also naturally narrow which helps the erosion as there is not enough beach to absorb the power of the waves using friction which means that the waves are not slowed down and erosion will be more damaging.

The waves are also very powerful in Happisburgh due to the fetch of the waves.