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11
BRETT CHERRY reports on research
into the complex behaviour of coastal
cliffs in the UK
The cliffs of the North York Moors National Park in Yorkshire
overlook one of the most breathtaking stretches of the British
coastline. Varying in height from 25 to nearly 100 metres, the
cliffs on this coast are rugged and steeped in a rich industrial
heritage. Yet these cliffs have been transforming over
thousands of years and today continue to change constantly.
Since 2002 a team of researchers led by Dr Nick Rosser
based at Durham University’s Department of Geography
and IHRR, have been monitoring this coast to build an
improved understanding of the controls on the behaviour
of cliff erosion, rock fall, and coastline retreat. Perhaps
surprisingly, the timing of rock fall from the cliffs cannot
be easily attributed to simple environmental drivers alone,
such as rain, wind and marine erosion. What appear to be
contributing to the cause of rock falls at the cliffs are more
complex processes that remain poorly understood.
Coastlines have received more attention recently due to the
predicted threat of sea level rise and changes in storminess
induced by climate change. Most attention is given to
cliffs made up of softer rocks that recede more quickly,
but many coastal areas are formed of hard rocks, and more
research is needed to understand how these change over
time. Where rates of change appear extremely slow, making
them challenging to monitor, long-term data is essential
for building a proper understanding of retreat rates and
controlling processes. This may be one reason why the
causes of rock falls from cliffs remain difficult to pinpoint in
many instances.
Understanding these hazards is important for risk mitigation,
especially for coastal communities, where property values
and the sustainability of infrastructure are closely linked
to erosion risk. Despite knowledge gained from decades of
scientific research of how coastlines change, there are as of
yet no methods available that predict accurately when and
where rock falls may occur.
THESE CLIFFS HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMING OVER
THOUSANDS OF YEARS AND TODAY CONTINUE TO
CHANGE CONSTANTLY.