Coastal Case Studies

At A-Level, AQA requires you to study coastal environments at different scales and in different contexts. This lesson brings together detailed case studies that integrate the processes, landforms and management strategies covered throughout this course. Strong case study knowledge — with specific data, named places and evaluative commentary — is essential for achieving the highest grades.

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Case Study 1: The Holderness Coast, East Yorkshire

The Holderness coast is arguably the most important single case study for AQA Coastal Systems and Landscapes. It illustrates rapid erosion, sediment transport, deposition, management conflicts and the systems approach in a single, coherent example.

Physical Characteristics

Feature	Detail
Location	East coast of England, between Flamborough Head and Spurn Point
Length	Approximately 60 km
Geology	Primarily glacial till (boulder clay) deposited during the Devensian glaciation (~26,000-13,000 years ago)
Wave environment	Exposed to waves from the North Sea; maximum fetch ~800 km (to Norway); prevailing waves from the north-east
Tidal range	Macrotidal (approximately 5 m spring range)
Average retreat rate	1.8 m/year (one of the fastest in Europe)

Why Does the Holderness Coast Erode So Rapidly?

graph TD
    A["Rapid Erosion at Holderness"] --> B["Soft geology: unconsolidated glacial till"]
    A --> C["High wave energy: long fetch, frequent storms"]
    A --> D["Narrow/absent beach: limited natural protection"]
    A --> E["Sub-aerial processes: slumping when clay is saturated"]
    A --> F["Limited vegetation: clay cliffs support little plant cover"]
    B --> G["Till dissolves and collapses when wetted by waves"]
    C --> H["North Sea storms generate destructive waves"]
    D --> I["Eroded till breaks down quickly — clay washed away"]

The combination of these factors produces retreat rates that vary from 0.5 m/year in years with few storms to over 10 m/year during exceptionally stormy winters. The winter of 2013-14, with its succession of powerful storms, caused retreat of up to 7 m at some locations.

Historical Loss

The scale of land loss at Holderness is dramatic:

• Since Roman times (~2,000 years ago), approximately 4 km width of land has been lost to the sea
• Over 30 settlements recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) have been completely destroyed, including the once-important town of Ravenser Odd, which was a thriving port and market town in the 13th century before being engulfed by the sea by 1360
• Currently, approximately 100,000 m² of land is lost per year
• Individual properties continue to be lost — in 2024, several clifftop houses near Skipsea were demolished as they teetered on the cliff edge after a winter of rapid retreat

Sediment Transport and Deposition

The material eroded from the Holderness cliffs does not simply disappear:

• Approximately 3.4 million m³ of material is eroded annually
• Of this, roughly 1.65 million m³ (about 50%) is transported southward by longshore drift
• Much of this sediment feeds the growth of Spurn Point spit (see Lesson 6)
• Fine material (clay and silt) is deposited in the Humber Estuary, contributing to its extensive mudflats
• Some sediment is carried offshore, contributing to sand banks in the southern North Sea
• The Holderness coast is part of Sediment Cell 2 (Flamborough Head to The Wash)

Coastal Management at Holderness

The Holderness coast demonstrates the full range of management responses and their consequences:

Location	Management	Outcome
Bridlington	Sea wall, groynes, rock armour	Town protected; beach maintained by groynes; funded due to high BCR (large population, tourist economy)
Mappleton (1991)	Two rock groynes + rock armour; cost £2 million	Village of 80 properties protected; but erosion at Cowden (2 km south) increased from 1.8 m/year to over 4 m/year — classic terminal groyne effect
Withernsea	Sea wall, groynes	Town centre protected; erosion continues either side
Hornsea	Sea wall, groynes, rock armour	Protected; but downdrift erosion accelerated at Mappleton before the 1991 scheme
Easington	Rock armour (protecting gas terminal)	The Easington gas terminal (receiving North Sea gas worth billions of pounds) is protected; surrounding agricultural land is not
Spurn Point	No active intervention since 2013 storm	Following the breach in December 2013, the Environment Agency adopted a policy of allowing the spit to evolve naturally

The Holderness Management Dilemma

The fundamental dilemma at Holderness illustrates key themes in coastal management:

1. Cost-benefit asymmetry: Towns like Bridlington and Withernsea have sufficient asset value to justify expensive defences. Rural areas with scattered farms and few properties do not meet the BCR threshold for government funding
2. Interconnected system: Protecting one section of coast (e.g., Mappleton) disrupts sediment supply to areas downdrift, accelerating erosion there
3. Sediment supply: If all cliffs were defended, the sediment supply to Spurn Point and the Humber mudflats would be cut off, potentially causing these features to deteriorate
4. Social justice: Residents losing their homes in unprotected areas receive no compensation and cannot sell their properties — raising questions about fairness and equity

Exam Tip: The Holderness coast is ideal for 20-mark essay questions on coastal management conflicts. Structure your answer around the interplay between physical processes (erosion rates, sediment transport) and human factors (economic value, social justice, environmental importance). Always reference specific places and data.

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Case Study 2: The Dorset Coast (Jurassic Coast)

The Dorset coast provides outstanding examples of geological influence on coastal landscapes and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2001) as the Jurassic Coast, stretching 155 km from Orcombe Point (Devon) to Old Harry Rocks (Dorset).

Geological Diversity

The Dorset coast exposes rocks spanning 185 million years of Earth history, from the Triassic through the Jurassic to the Cretaceous:

Location	Rock Type	Age	Landforms
Lulworth Cove	Portland limestone, Wealden clay, chalk	Jurassic-Cretaceous	Almost circular cove; concordant coast breakthrough
Stair Hole	Portland limestone, Purbeck beds	Jurassic	Early-stage cove formation; the Lulworth Crumple (folded beds)
Durdle Door	Portland limestone	Jurassic	Natural arch — one of the most photographed landforms in England
Old Harry Rocks	Chalk	Cretaceous	Stacks and stumps at Handfast Point
Chesil Beach	Flint, quartzite shingle	Quaternary deposit	29 km tombolo/barrier beach
The Fleet	Behind Chesil Beach	N/A	Tidal lagoon — largest in England
Kimmeridge Bay	Kimmeridge clay	Jurassic	Wide wave-cut platform; oil-rich shale

Key Landform: Lulworth Cove

Lulworth Cove is perhaps the single most important concordant coast example in the UK:

• The outer band of Portland limestone is approximately 120 m wide at sea level, with near-vertical bedding
• A breach in this limestone (possibly along a fault) allowed the sea to erode the softer Wealden clay behind
• The clay was rapidly eroded, creating a roughly circular cove approximately 450 m in diameter
• The back wall of the cove is formed by more resistant chalk, which has slowed further retreat
• The cove is almost perfectly symmetrical because erosion proceeded at roughly equal rates in all directions once the outer barrier was breached

Key Landform: Durdle Door

Durdle Door is a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast, approximately 1 km west of Lulworth Cove: