Case study on coastal erosion: The Holderness Coastline (Mappleton)

What is the Holderness Coast? The Holderness Coast, East Yorkshire, is one of Europe's
fastest eroding coastlines; in fact the average
annual rate of erosion is around 2 metres per
year!

What are the causes of this? The coast is

frequently attacked by powerful destructive
waves driven by strong winds blowing
across the North Sea.

• The soft boulder clay cliffs, left after the last

Ice Age, are easily eroded.
• The waves erode the base of the cliff by
hydraulic action and abrasion. The destructive
power of the waves may be increasing due to
slow sea level rise.

What are the effects of this? A 4km strip of

land lost since Roman times and many villages have disappeared.

• The North Sea gas terminal at Easington is one of the two eat coast sites where gas
pipelines from the North Sea drilling platforms come ashore. It is a vital part of the UK’s
energy supply infrastructure, but it is under threat because of its cliff-top location.
• Coastal towns such as Withernsea and Hornsea, farms, roads and tourist facilities such as
caravan sites are under threat from the advancing sea.

Is there anything being done about this?

Yes, there are several coastal defences in place to try and reduce the force of the waves on
the cliff bases. These include:

Groynes (low walls built out into sea, usually at right angles to the coastline, help to break
power of incoming waves, slow down process of longshore drift.

Rock wall (stop waves removing sand and gravel from beach)

Embankments (high walls are situated where beach meets the land/cliff, usually made of
concrete/stone and bounce back storm waves)

Sand and shingle dumping (material dumped offshore to reduce power and height of
incoming waves).

What about Mappleton?

Mappleton is a village and it is situated on the North Sea coastline in an area known as
Holderness.

• Sea defences at Mappleton-caused erosion 6 times faster in the area to the South of
the village than 10 years ago.
• Beaches are very narrow (so are not good defences against coastal erosion-only
WIDE beaches are).
• In 2001, it was found that there were about 249 people living in Mappleton and
coastal defences are expensive, so councils can only pay for them in areas where
quite a few people live.