Determination and prediction of sediment yields from recession of the Holderness Coast, NE England

• Published in: Journal of coastal conservation 2002-03, Vol.8 (1), p.49-54
• Main Authors: Newsham, R, Balson, P S, Tragheim, D G, Denniss, A M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1400-0350; 1874-7841
• DOI: 10.1007/BF02806583

The rapidly eroding cliffs and foreshore of the Holderness Coast represent one of the largest sources of sediment discharging in the southern North Sea. For effective coastal management it is important to understand the sediment sources, transport pathways and depositional sinks. The sediment budget is regarded as one of the key information needs for sustainable planning and management. In order to quantify the sediment yield from recession of the Holderness Coast, digital photogrammetry has been used, together with nearshore bathymetric survey data, to produce a single DTM for a length of over 52 km of coastline. Other data including geological sections, sediment lithology, recession rates and the location of coastal defences have been added to the DTM to create a GIS for the Holderness Coast. The GIS has been used to predict the volume and nature of the sediment yield assuming that historical recession rates continue. The GIS can also be used to predict future yields using assumptions of accelerated recession or the implications of arrested retreat due to construction of defences.