Holderness Coast

Holderness coast is located in Yorkshire, and is one of the fastest eroding coastlines in Europe. It faces the North Sea

60 km between Flamborough and Spurn Head
Retreats on average 1 metre every year
3 miles of land have been lost since Roman times
Powerful waves undercut the cliffs and deposit material, causing longshore drift. This is because it consists of glacial deposits
In some areas, such as caravan parks, there are no coastal defences and they erode much faster. Towns have coastal defences
Terminal groyne syndrome- erosion to the south of coastal defences

Mostly boulder clay (glacial till), which is structurally weak and is not very resistant at all
The chalk band surrounding the boulder clay has created Flamborough Head

The fetch isn’t that long, but the waves are influenced by other factors
Currents add wave energy and increase the frequency of destructive waves along the coastline
Low pressure weather systems produce strong winds and rain, and there is also a rise in sea levels and higher tides
Small, enclosed oceans often generate large waves
The seafloor is relatively deep, so waves are not influenced by friction as they approach the beach

Boulder clay erosion particles are easily transported out to sea in suspension, rather than building up on the shore
Not much sand to stop the waves reaching the cliff face at high tide
Tides flow southwards, transporting sand south by longshore drift and leaving Holderness cliffs poorly protected against strong waves.

Chemical weathering- mechanical and biological weathering are more significant, except from at the chalk cliffs of Flamborough head. Freeze-thaw weathering and frequent wetting and drying of boulder clay (which makes it crumble when dry) are large contributors.
Slumping- main form of mass movement that affects boulder clay. Cracks and shrinkage are caused in the rock by alternate wetting and drying. Rain then enters and makes the cliff much heavier, which cannot be supported so it slides down slope under gravity.

Area of increased erosion south of Barnstom as a result of coastal defences
Ulrome- roads collapse into the sea, land use for caravan parks lost into the sea
Skipsea- suffers a lot of erosion- roads end abruptly
Pipe work can sometimes extend out of the cliffs
Hornsea has extensive coastal defences- concrete seawall, and the beach is retained by groynes. Front of the seawall is protected by riprap, which dissipates the wave energy before it hits the wall.
Riprap and groynes came from Norway and cost £2 million in the 90s
Bays are carved by terminal groyne syndrome, due to increased erosion.
Aldborough and Tunstall road and coastguard station have disappeared into the sea
Withernsea- rock armour, regular sea wall, groynes, but this causes more erosion by the caravan park, which is not protected
Waves meet the Humber estuary, they lose energy and deposit sediment

Central government agencies are responsible for coastal management, however their budget was cut since 2010
Local governments are also responsible for coastal management, however their funding was also cut.
Stakeholders in the local economy, such as members of the tourism industry, farmers, residents and insurance companies
Environmental stakeholders want to protect areas of biodiversity such as Spurn Head, which involves a continual flow of sediment southwards.

There are higher rates of erosion to the south of coastal defences, and beaches are starved of material.

Golden Sands Holiday Park which is just south of Withernsea has lost over 100 chalets to the sea in 15 years. This has reduced tourism.
It is predicted that Withernsea will lose 200 homes and several roads to the sea by 2100
No compensation is paid out for the loss of personal property to coastal erosion in England.