High, Low Tide Lines Converging As British & Welsh Beachs Shrink, Steepen

The coasts of England and Wales are getting steeper, beaches are disappearing, and erosion of the coastline is accelerating, according to the first comprehensive survey of the problem. "Coastal squeeze" has serious implications for wildlife, particularly birds which need beaches and mudflats to feed, and for farmers and property owners who are losing land.

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In large areas of the coast, high and low water marks on the beaches are moving more than a metre a year. This includes north-west England, south Wales, the Solent in Hampshire, the south-east round the Thames estuary and large parts of East Anglia. The whole length of the Holderness coast around the Humber is also affected.

According to the study of more than 1,000 sections of beach, the south coast has experienced the greatest steepening. In the Solent the distance between high and low tides has reduced by between 50% and 90% in places.

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Overall, the survey showed that 61% of English and Welsh coastlines had steepened, 33% had flattened and 6% remained the same. Coastal squeeze was most evident where there were existing sea defences. The high tide not being able to move inland meant the low tide mark was getting closer to the shore so that in some cases there was no beach exposed at all. The report does not draw any other conclusions as to why coasts are steepening but sea level rise and more storms because of climate change are clearly a factor."

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1315830,00.html

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Coastal erosion may also be exacerbated by offshore dredging. In 1995 more than 26 million tonnes of sand and gravel were dredged from offshore Britain with more than 10 million tonnes dredged off the East Anglian coast<23>. Both the roads programme and the construction industry are heavily dependent on supplies of marine aggregates. For every kilometre of motorway, for example, 100,000 tonnes of aggregate are needed <24>. Sourcing aggregate from marine deposits is increasingly seen as a means to partially meet such demand.


The full impact of offshore dredging is unknown but it is implicated in starving the coast of the sediment needed for beach building. Yet in addition to providing building aggregate it is being used to rebuild eroding beaches. Sand has been taken off the Norfolk coast to replace losses at Skegness and Mablethorpe. But this may just encourage erosion further down the East Anglian coast requiring sand to be taken from somewhere else to replace these losses. By the turn of the century the average demand for marine aggregate in the UK is predicted to be 2 million m3 per year just for beach building. On top of this there is likely to be an annual UK demand for 14 million m3 for the construction industry<25>.


Although the links are unproven, dredging is thought not only to add to coastal erosion problems but also to damage and destroy coastal fisheries and spawning grounds. People who live on the coast or who depend on fishing for their livelihoods are increasingly questioning the wisdom of offshore dredging.


Yet at the moment the Government view is that until there is clear proof of damage from dredging, no moratorium can be considered <26>.

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http://www.foe.co.uk/pubsinfo/briefings/html/19971215150205.html

People living around the coasts of England soon learn that much of the land they occupy is leased from the sea. It can reclaim it at any time.